If the Knicks do not beat the winless and candidate for
worst NBA team ever, the Philadelphia 76ers, on Saturday I do not know what I’m
going to do. I mean this in regards to
my 2014-2105 Knicks fanhood because I have a general idea with what I want to
do lately. But man if the Knicks can’t
beat the fucking Sixers it’s going to be bad, so very bad and will further
confirm the laughingstock status of the Knicks.
I may be out for the year as it will convince me that this year is a
tank job. I severely doubt it because I
am always an optimist/idiot with my sporting team allegiances as I never count
them out of a game, but the Knicks aren’t even fun to watch anymore. The games simply aren’t competitive as they
seem to be down by at least double figures in every the third quarter. At least mix in a heartbreaking last minute
loss to change up the feeling of losing.
What makes this Knicks team so horrid to watch is the putrid defense,
especially from the three point line.
The NBA has evolved into a three point shooting league where each team
has a least one guy who can go off and kill you from behind the arc. Defending the three point line should be essential
for any team, but apparently this memo has not reached the Knicks. I read on ESPN New York that Derek Fisher’s
strategy is to focus on defending the paint while goading teams into shooting
the three point ball. This would be a
good strategy if the players were at least contesting said three point
shot. Our opponents are taking too many
open threes and, shocker, they are hitting them. Players in the NBA will hit open shots a lot
of the time because they are professionals (again this should not be a
newsflash). It has come to the point
where if an opposing player jacks up an open three I have to look away because the
result is too predictable and painful. Fan
we’re in for a long season.
A saving grace for the losing this year is that the Knicks do
have a first round pick. I have no clue
as to whether this is a strong draft year but a top ten pick would be a nice
addition to team with a lot of cap space for next season. This year’s squad of Knickerbockers is a
bunch of placeholders for next year when we fans believe in the idea that Phil
Jackson will summon a free agent signing to be reckoned with. Until that year, we have to suffer through
missed rotations and ugly, ugly basketball.
The Knicks really do not have many good defensive players. Shumpert is easily the best and until last
night was becoming a nice complement to Melo on the offense. But who else can take claim to being a
standout defender? I can only point to
maybe Dalembert but the man is a black hole on the offense. For the Knicks to win they are going to have
to have a good game from Melo, over 12 points from Amar’e, and have a good game
from at least one of the two guards (Shump, JR, or Hardaway). Overal this year, STAT has been good on the
offense but still isn’t a pristine defender while JR and Hardaway have looked mostly
bad in the games played. Those guys have
to get going because as we saw last year, Melo can’t do it alone. The man needs help. So the question for Fisher is what line-up works
with a team that really doesn’t possess any two way players. I say that the starting lineup should be
Calderon, JR, Shumpert, Melo, and Dalembert with Amare and Hardaway and
Prigioni and unfortunately Bargnani as the main bench players. This isn’t the best defensive line-up but let’s
face it, the Knicks aren’t going to be a good defensive team either way. I say we focus on the offense and try to win
at least 23 games this season. I say 23 because
the Knicks have never lost more than 60 games in a season and I would hate to
see that streak end just for a potential top ten pick. For me, this is a pride issue and I’d like to
see the streak intact.
The Knicks are still in the running for the 8th
seed as it is early and they still play in the Eastern Division. I for one would love to see the Knicks sneak
into the 8th seed and compete in a playoff series. But for now they better beat the 76ers because
if they don’t, well I don’t know what will happen if they don’t. Just know that I’m practicing new ways to
contort my face in utter disgust because if they lose on Saturday, oh boy, is
my face going to writher in ways it has never withered before. So, GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO!
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