Tonight’s best game: New York at Atlanta

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Mike Woodson returns to Atlanta – the team he coached for six seasons and guided to three playoff appearances – for the first time as the head coach of the New York Knicks, who face the Hawks in Friday’s best NBA game.

knicks small logoWoodson will have to face his former team shorthanded as Jeremy Lin (sore knee), Amar’e Stoudemire (bulging disk) and Jared Jeffries (right knee inflammation) have all been ruled out.

Though the absence of the big men was expected, Lin’s sudden lack of availability is a surprise and concern. Still, Jeffries spoke on behalf of Lin and expected the star point guard to play next week, meaning he is also likely out for Saturday’s contest.

Without Lin, New York (26-25) will miss three key elements.

Still, the team has played well in his absence and has won eight of the last nine games – during which the team has allowed just 86 points on 40.8% shooting – under the  direction of Woodson. They are 17-1 when holding opponents under 90 points.

Carmelo Anthony – despite dealing with groin issues – has stepped up as the power forward of the team over the past two games, averaging 26.5 points 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, one steal and one block.

Steve Novak is second in the league in 3-point percentage at .482, converting 94-of-195. He is also third on the team in plus-minus at plus-124, trailing Landry Fields (plus-127) and Lin (plus-142).

The Atlanta Hawks (30-22) are coming off two straight losses after winning four consecutive games.

Fatigue was a likely factor during the losing streak, as the team played five games in six nights that included a four-overtime game against the Jazz.

Atlanta has struggled against New York in recent meetings, losing three consecutive games by an average of 14 points, including a lopsided 99-82 thumping on Feb. 22.

Missing that game was Joe Johnson, who has recovered from a sore knee to average 22.5 points on 48 percent shooting – including 48 percent from 3-point range – in March.

Hawks small logoAlso playing at a high level is Josh Smith who is filling up the stat sheet, averaging a robust 23.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 17 March games.

Initially failing to fill the void left by Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia has stepped up as of late, averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds in his last 16 games.

Since inserting Kirk Hinrich into the starting lineup in favor of Marvin Williams, the team has gone 11-6.

James Park is a regular contributor to Sheridanhoops. Follow him on twitter.

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Hamilton: Knicks need chemistry to contend

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NEW YORK – After Thursday night’s 102-88 loss to the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks have reached the All-Star break with a 17-18 record. They’re clinging to the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed and hardly resemble a playoff team, much less a championship contender.

Good wins.

Bad losses.

Injuries, disappointments, and pleasant surprises.

It’s been a long two months for the New York City Slickers. But for their sake, I hope they’ve been eating their Wheaties and taking their multivitamins, because the next two months will be even longer.

For Mike D’Antoni’s club, the 35 games they’ve already played might as well have been an extended preseason. Once the All-Star break ends, the new rotation pieces in D’Antoni’s offense will get some much-needed practice time.

And if you’ve given up on these Knicks or the notion that they are capable of winning the Eastern Conference, shame on you.

By the time they meet the Heat again on April 15, Thursday night’s shellacking will be a distant memory, just like their 17-18 record.

Although they’ve played more than half of their schedule, the Knicks simply haven’t had the time or opportunity to develop any cohesion or continuity. At this point, calling them a “team” would be disrespectful to the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, or any other club that epitomizes the term.

And that’s not to say that the Knicks can’t get there. It’s just that they haven’t.

Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire have missed 11 and six games, respectively. Toney Douglas (9), Iman Shumpert (15), and Jeremy Lin (11) have all started games at point guard. Steve Novak was in San Antonio, Baron Davis was in the trainer’s room, and J.R. Smith was in frickin’ China.

This is the NBA, not Ocean’s Eleven. A hodgepodge of ingredients sandwiched together between two slices of bread might be a winning recipe for Subway and their five-dollar foot-longs, but not for basketball.

Winning basketball is a soup. The individual ingredients need to be combined with the right seasonings and allowed to simmer.

The Knicks will have their first opportunity to simmer when the All-Star break concludes; Josh Harrellson, Iman Shumpert, and Bill Walker are all expected to be available when the team reconvenes for practice Monday. They will practice on Monday and Tuesday before taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Wednesday. After that, they won’t play again until Sunday, March 4. On that day, they’ll travel to Boston to take on the Celtics in the opener of a four-game road trip.

In other words, once the team reconvenes after the All-Star break, the Knicks will have their full roster available with five full days of practice. They will have one home game against a less than stellar opponent and – finally – a point guard that seems to be capable of running the show.

That type of team-building opportunity is rare during a normal NBA season.

During this lockout-truncated season? It’s unheard of.

For D’Antoni? It’s almost unprecedented.

During his tenure in New York, D’Antoni has coached more than 60 different players. His rosters have been continually turned over in the name of cap flexibility and pie-in-the-sky scenarios involving maximum-salaried players.

After acquiring Stoudemire and Anthony, the Knicks seemed to have some stability, but ended up returning only six players from last year’s team— Anthony, Stoudemire, Douglas, Fields, Walker and Jared Jeffries. And of course, there wasn’t much of a training camp to introduce them to their new teammates.

You can thank the lockout for that.

So, it won’t be until after 35 games in that these Knicks will have an opportunity to focus on getting healthy and learning how to play and win (and Lin) together.

Overnight, the Knicks seemingly went from being a very thin group to one that has depth at just about every position. Certainly, in terms of sheer talent, this is probably the best team Knicks fans have seen since the squad that went to the NBA Finals in 1999.

That team had a much better commitment to defense but faced similar chemistry issues after trading John Starks and Charles Oakley for Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby. It also built chemistry on the fly during a lockout-shortened season. With about two weeks to go, the Knicks were 21-21 and needed to win six of their final eight games just to get into the playoffs.

At the time, Jeff Van Gundy was the coach and – like D’Antoni – also in the final year of his contract.

After sneaking into the playoffs, upsetting the Miami Heat, and making a run to the Finals, Van Gundy was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

There is nothing to suggest these Knicks are capable of doing anything as great. And there is also nothing to suggest that D’Antoni is the caliber of coach that Van Gundy is. But what this does suggest is that it is possible for a team to build chemistry on the fly, find its identity, sneak into the playoffs and do something special.

All too easily, the diehards in the Big Apple lack perspective. When the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers back on Feb. 10, I heard some suggest that the Knicks might be better off without Anthony. I heard others say that Smith – despite having skills that the Knicks sorely need – was not worth the $2.5 million room exception because he was too much of a risk.

And just 10 days later after a loss to the Nets, some were ready to proclaim that Anthony and Lin couldn’t work together because of this silly notion that Anthony is only an effective scorer in isolation situations.

So it comes as no surprise that after an awful showing by Lin in Thursday’s loss to the Heat that some are beginning to wonder how good the Knicks can really be with him running the show.

Some seem to think that Lin suddenly isn’t capable of leading the Knicks through a playoff run because he looked awful against the team that has the two of the top four players in the league and just so happens to be favored to win the championship.

Come on. You’re better than that.

Under Lin, the Knicks have gone 9-3 in their last 12 games. He is essentially a rookie and will only improve. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

After getting dropped by the Heat, some seem ready to give the Knicks an F for their season.

The more appropriate grade? I, as in Incomplete.

As constructed, the Knicks have everything they need to win. They have reliable playmaking off the dribble in Lin and Davis, shooters in Smith and Novak and finishers in Chandler and Stoudemire. They have a player they can feature in the half-court in Anthony, and two wings – Fields and Shumpert – who bring a wide array of skills and talents to the floor. They have guys who will hustle and do the dirty work in Jeffries and Harrellson.

The only thing they don’t have is chemistry.

But that’s because they haven’t had time.

And now, they’ll have that, too.

There’s no way of knowing how things will end. But what we do know, is that for all intents and purposes, the waiting is over. The Knicks finally have a somewhat talented roster, focus on the task at hand, and an opportunity to attempt to build some chemistry and cohesion.

At this point, the appropriate grade is an I. Although the Knicks have played 35 games thus far, somehow, this is only the beginning.

Moke Hamilton covers the New York Knicks for SheridanHoops.com and is the Lead NBA Writer for CHARGED.fm. For the latest on the New York Knicks and all things NBA, follow him on Twitter.

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In Atlantic, Knicks rising while others sinking

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Anybody want the Atlantic Division?

The Nets don’t want it. They would much rather have Dwight Howard, who paid a visit to “The Rock” on Wednesday night and got the full recruiting pitch.

In Orlando’s 108-91 road victory over New Jersey, Howard provided a complete showcase with 20 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks. He also made just 2-of-10 free throws and dropped below 50 percent (184-of-373) for the season.

Nets fans couldn’t care less about the incessant clanging. They cheered Howard, chanted his name and displayed posters of his face. Photos of the team’s new arena being built in Brooklyn were hung on the wall leading to Orlando’s locker room.

The Nets are among three teams to which Howard has said he would accept a trade, along with the Lakers and Mavericks. The Clippers could be a fallback option in a sign-and-trade next summer. He has said that current Nets Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow are players he would like to play with. And at All-Star Weekend in Orlando beginning Friday, he will get the full court press from one of the largest media contingents anywhere.

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has a sampling: “The clock is ticking louder on the Dwight Howard drama in Orlando, bound to grow noiser during the all-star break. Here’s the Howard Timeline, starting with Friday’s media session with the Eastern Conference all-stars: Friday, Feb. 24: Howard faces the national media and will be asked dozens of questions about his future. He can use this platform to say virtually anything, although it’s doubtful he delivers a bombshell to dampen the weekend. For the last few weeks or so, Howard has maintained that he isn’t thinking about the March 15 trade deadline, concentrating only on leading the Magic. The Magic say nothing has changed in his request to be traded. Saturday, Feb. 25: More player interviews. Chances are some rumor will emerge that he’ll be asked about. Sunday, Feb. 26: It’s the All-Star Game, usually a time for Howard to have fun and likely watch LeBron and D-Wade dominate the ball. It will be interesting to see if his East teammates make him the focal point, helping him to win MVP in his town. Howard also will be starting against Lakers center Andrew Bynum, a sidebar to what could be a surreal setting.”

Howard also has not ruled out remaining with the Magic, although that seems unlikely. Once All-Star Weekend is over, Magic GM Otis Smith has until March 15 to fish or cut bait on Howard. Here’s one scenario, and it’s a great read:

From Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger: “Picture it: Dwight Howard, the trade deadline behind him, wearing a Nets uniform on March 16 in (of all places) Orlando. By that time, the Nets will be in the neighborhood of 13-31, with 21 games to make up a 10-game deficit in the race for eighth place, and everyone will tsk-tsk Howard for giving up a prime year of his life to watch the playoffs on TV. Except those folks in Orlando will be busy with other emotions as their team will be consigned to the dustbin of history. But then, the Nets rip off 14 out of 15, catch the Knicks in an epic encounter on April 18 at the Rock — seriously, reserve your seats now — and slingshot past them in the final week. Then they face the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and … that’s where we call our pharmacist and ask for a different sinus medication. We have no rooting interest here, but that scenario would be the last, Superman-charged hope of making the NBA relevant one last time before the Nets exit stage right. Truth is, we don’t know what to think about the timing of this anymore. Clearly, Orlando is best served moving Howard in the next 23 days, and getting any return — inadequate as it may be — may at least facilitate the rebuild that comes next.”

Back to the Atlantic Division, where the 76ers currently hold the top spot but aren’t playing like they want it.

A 93-87 loss at Houston was Philadelphia’s season-high fifth straight setback and included the sputtering offense and late-game shortcomings that have become customary during the slide. The Sixers are averaging 83.2 points during the skid and have faltered in the fourth quarter of losses to Dallas, Memphis and Minnesota.

Coach Doug Collins tried to keep things in perspective with a brief “State of the Sixers” address afterward.

From Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: “There were some positive signs for the Sixers as rookie Nikola Vucevic played with an urgency he hasn’t had in several games and totaled a career-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds. … Another good sign was the Sixers ability to get the foul line as they made 21 of 27. In the previous two games they shot a combined 14-for-18. But now the team will limp into the break, a much-needed time away for everything. “I would think that everybody is going to need a break, I really do,” said Collins. “We’ve been on that fast track and I’ve been exceptionally happy with our guys. I know that we’re going through a little bit of a tailspin here right now. I think a combination of a brutal schedule, the fact that we’ve had some injuries, a lot of things have made it the perfect storm kind of thing. I don’t want to get lost the fact that our guys have worked their tails off right now and we’re on top of the Atlantic Division. I think if anybody would have said going into the break that we were going to be leading the Atlantic Division would you be happy with that, the answer is yes. But when you’ve lost some games it’s the taste in your mouth that you’re feeling right now. I think our guys do need a chance to get away, refresh themselves.”

What about the Celtics? By the look of it, they almost certainly don’t want the Atlantic. They are limping into the break with a five-game slide of their own after the Thunder displayed their afterburners in a 119-104 victory, jetting out to a huge lead with a 30-3 run and closing the game with an 11-2 spurt after the C’s fought back.

Afterward, Doc Rivers wanted to accentuate the positive.

From Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “Of course, the visitors trailed by 27 points early in the third quarter when clarity struck. But the fact that the C’s cut the deficit to six points, at 108-102, with 3:31 left is well worth noting. Add the suspended Rajon Rondo and the rehabbing Brandon Bass (knee) to what worked after halftime, and the Celtics might have the stuff to make a second-half run. In order to do so, the energy level needs to be where it was over the final two quarters last night. “I just loved the spirit,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I told them after the game, if we play like that in the second half of the season healthy, it’s going to be tough to beat us, anybody. Every once in a while you have a team-building game even though you lose, and tonight was a team-building game. I don’t like moral victories, but that was an absolute team-builder in our locker room tonight.”

This is Boston’s season thus far: three losses, four wins, five losses, wins in nine of 10, losses in seven of eight. Is overall health really the only cause for that extended stretch of bipolar play?

From Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com: “Therein lies the biggest question of the second half: Can the Celtics actually get – and stay – healthy? That’s no small task considering Jermaine O’Neal (sprained right wrist) and Chris Wilcox (right adductor strain) were headed back to Boston for further evaluation, all while Celtics coach Doc Rivers suggested the team might be in the market for another big man if either of those injuries proves to be a long-term concern. Even if Boston gets bodies back, there’s no guarantee that anybody on this aging team will be able to stay healthy. Celtics players have already combined to miss a whopping 58 games due to injuries this season through 32 games — an average of 3.9 games per player on the 15-man roster.”   Here’s a reality check: Boston is a pedestrian 15-17 and clinging to the eighth spot in the East, which translates to a first-round date with Miami or Chicago. And there are no guarantees of that, either. The Celtics have to hold off the detritus of Cleveland (13-18) and Milwaukee (13-20) with a second-half schedule that has them playing 21 of 34 games on the road.

Hey, maybe the Knicks want the Atlantic. They’re the division’s only upwardly mobile team right now.

A 99-82 home win over severely shorthanded Atlanta was New York’s ninth in 11 games. The Knicks (17-17) are just three games behind the Sixers, having made up five games since Linsanity started less than three weeks ago.

And Jeremy Lin doesn’t have to score or play as much anymore. Carmelo Anthony is back and showing signs of cohesion with his point guard. And the bench has been fortified by the return of Baron Davis and the signing of J.R. Smith, who are developing their own chemistry.

From Jonathan Lehman of the New York Post: “Smith checked into the game for the first time with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter and the Knicks trailing 14-12. He had three steals in a one-minute span late in the quarter, and when he caught a 30-foot feed from Davis to drop off a reverse dunk with 7:44 left in the second, the home team had broken open a 38-20 lead. ”It’s going to be a nice little tandem that we have coming in, and nothing should drop off,” coach Mike D’Antoni said of the Davis-Smith backcourt pairing. “That’s not normal around the NBA to have two guys who can play the way they will play.” Davis spelled starting point guard Jeremy Lin for roughly seven minutes in each half, finishing with one point (0-for-2 on 3-pointers) and six assists in the latest step in his comeback from a long injury layoff.

The Nets, Sixers and Celtics all are headed to the All-Star break. The Knicks have one more game, Thursday’s highly anticipated showdown with the Heat in Miami. A win there – no small task – would nudge the Knicks above .500 for the first time since Jan. 12.

Elsewhere …

  • In the Pacific, the Clippers lead the division at the All-Star break for the first time in their history after a 103-95 home win over the Nuggets. MVP candidate Chris Paul had a season-high 36 points and nine assists and Blake Griffin added 27 and 12 rebounds.
  • The Lakers kept pace by holding on for a 96-91 road win over the Mavericks despite missing six straight free throws in the final minute – two each by Matt Barnes, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Dallas had a chance to tie after Gasol’s second miss but allowed Barnes to grab an offensive rebound. Don’t be surprised if Brendan Haywood has a conventional foul upgraded to a flagrant-1 by the league office.
  • Joakim Noah had a triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Bulls to a 110-91 home win over the Bucks, who have lost six of seven. The last Chicago center with a triple-double was Artis Gilmore, who had a monstrous 35 points, 15 boards and 11 blocks on Dec. 20, 1977.
  • Buzzer Beater 1: Luke Ridnour’s rainbow runner at the horn capped a comeback from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit and gave the Timberwolves a 100-98 home win over the Jazz. On a night on which Kevin Love scored just 10 points and Michael Beasley had two, Minnesota got a huge lift from J.J. Barea (22 points) and Ridnour (17).
  • Buzzer Beater 2: Monta Ellis drained a jumper with one second remaining as Golden State ended a 13-game losing streak in Phoenix with a 106-104 win. The Warriors wasted an early 21-point lead and lost Stephen Curry (again), this time to a strained tendon in his right foot.
  • The Pacers beat the Bobcats for the ninth straight time and second time in four days with a 102-88 road victory. Indiana is fifth in the East but has a better record than fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which leads the Atlantic Division. Charlotte has lost 18 of 19.
  • The Kings salvaged the finale of their six-game road trip with a 115-107 win over the Wizards as Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton scored 22 points apiece and DeMarcus Cousins has 16 points and 16 boards. More important, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and NBA commissioner David Stern said they will meet during All-Star Weekend and try to hammer out an arena deal that will keep the Kings in the capital city. Stern’s deadline is March 1.
  • How about those Hornets, who are 4-2 since a 2-23 stretch? New Orleans ended a run of three games in three nights with an 89-84 win at Cleveland. Mexican rookie Gustavo Ayon had a nice game for the Hornets with nine points, 17 rebounds and four assists. American rookie Kyrie Irving had a lousy game for the Cavs with six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
  • Hey, maybe the last-place Raptors want the Atlantic. They ended a four-game skid with a 103-93 win over the Pistons that completed a 2-5 homestand.
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Today’s best game: Dallas at New York

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knicks small logoThe New York Knicks host the Dallas Mavericks in Sunday’s best NBA game as Tyson Chandler faces his former team for the first time since winning the championship  and the Mavericks put Jeremy Lin’s ballhandling to the test.

Lin had nine turnovers – matching a league season high – in his first loss as a starter, Friday’s 89-85 home setback to the lowly New Orleans Hornets. Winning had allowed people to overlook Lin’s ballhandling, but he has 29 turnovers in his last four starts. His giveaways also overshadowed horrific 4-of-24 3-point shooting by the Knicks (15-16).

Coach Mike D’Antoni remained confident. “He’s [Lin] always attacking.  If you’re always attacking you’re going to have some turnovers. As he gets older, those turnovers will come down.”

Veteran Baron Davis has credited the Linsanity phenomenon with giving him time to rehabilitate his problematic back and be a mentor to the young guard.  But Davis is itching to contribute on the court after 3-on-3 drills at practice Saturday readied him for Wednesday’s expected return.

Lin, who played summer ball for Dallas in 2010, could learn a thing or two from Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd. And he will.mavs small logo

Even after losing Chandler, Dallas (20-11) remains excellent defensively. The Mavs lead the league in field goal defense (41.4%), are fifth in scoring defense (90.8) and come into New York boasting five straight wins at the Garden.

After opening the season 1-4, the Mavericks are now fourth in the West and winners of six in a row. Most recent is Friday’s 82-75 win over the Philadelphia 76ers where Dirk Nowitzki scored as many points in the second half (24) as the 76ers.

Sixth man Jason Terry (quad) returns after missing two games. That will help as combo guard Delonte West (finger surgery) is out indefinitely. However, Terry’s road numbers (12.0 ppg, 31% FGs) are suspect.

Knicks star Carmelo Anthony – who has missed six straight games – will sit out, but could return Monday against the New Jersey Nets. Recently signed J.R. Smith said he will play Sunday, but D’Antoni seems less optimistic.

 

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Notes from around the NBA: February 18, 2012

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