6 Thoughts
1) Well, I'm not gonna lie - that was terrible. I mean, Miami was terrible. They went out on their home floor, two nights after they got embarrassed by the worst team in the league, against a team that humiliated them up in New York in the season's first meeting, and they got smoked, right from the jump. Without Carmelo Anthony, who missed the game (had a prior engagement scheduled at Art Basel)! Miami got 18 points and 7 assists from KJ James in the first half to stay close, but they were getting out hustled all over the court, and in the third quarter the Knicks poured in 8 triples and blew the game wide open. This is statistical fact: good teams almost never get blown out at home. If this was the kind of website where we looked up statistics, I'd look those numbers up for you, but this isn't that kind of website, so you'll have to trust me. The statistics say that good teams almost never get blown out at home. And Miami just got hammered in Miami. The Knicks let it fly (again) tonight, but we can't, since we lost, so let's settle for a very quiet and humble, "let's go and get this over with"...Please?
2) In the first meeting of the season, New York shot a scorching 19-36 on triples. It was ridiculous, and the most threes the Miami franchise, which originated in 2003, has ever given up in a game. The Knicks cooled off significantly tonight: only made 17 triples on 44 tries! Holy Felton! They missed their last 4 in garbage time, so at one point they were still a smoking hot 17-40! Their point guard, the rotund Raymond Felton, dropped 6, Steve Novak drilled 4, and Jason Kidd and Junior Smith made 3 each. The Knicks lead the league in three point attempts, three point makes, and are third in accuracy. They move the ball great because they start two point guards in Felton and Kidd, and bring another point guard off the bench, Petey Pablioni (or something - he's a 35 year old rookie from Argentina, not sure of his name but I like him - quick feet, good ballhandler, moves the ball well). Junior Smith is also a pretty good passer. Okay, that's fine, that's all well and good. At a certain point, someone on Miami has to bend down into a defensive stance, get in front of the ball, and stay in front of the ball. They just don't do it, game after game after game. They accept almost every little-big switch: so Wade will be guarding the ball, Tyson Chandler will set a high screen, and Wade and Bosh will politely switch men. Felton will then toast Bosh, get into the lane, draw help, kick to a wide open shooter, Miami will scramble, and the Knicks will rotate the ball until a superior shooter has a wide open look at it. Some of the Knicks triples were crazy - Felton and Kidd each hit a couple of bad, contested looks off the dribble; but too many were open. That's happening wayyy too often. Dwyane Wade has to bend over and play D. KJ (at times) has to bend over and play D. So does Chalmers. So does Walter Ray Allen. So does everyone else. Defense is hard-ass work, you can't take it easy and play good defense. The Knicks are an excellent defensive team, so well-coached on that end - they shell up around the paint, keep five guys on a string in front of the ball, and make everything tough. They put in the work. Miami has wandered far, far away from that right now...
3) KJ was pretty good, I thought. The Knicks play great team defense - they show him 5 guys all night, every possession. Still, he had 31 points on 11-20, and 9 assists. He also had 10 boards and 3 steals. If he didn't make a play for the Heat tonight, they didn't make a play, cuz nobody helped...
4) ...and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hurt, frankly. They combined to shoot 6-25. That's mind-bogglingly bad. One thing about Dwyane Wade, especially: when he's bad, he's really, really harmful, because he doesn't slow down, he doesn't stop shooting. In fact, when he struggles, he seems to ramp it up more, he shoots more shots, crazier shots, like dribble-into-two-guys-and-try-to-scoop-the-ball-into-the-hoop-on-the-dead-run-from-17-feet crazy. He's really only played 1 or 2 superior games all season. I say it again: I don't know if he's hurt and needs to be sat down for awhile; still recovering from off season surgery and needs to play to work his legs back under him; or just old, this is just how he plays now. It's not my job to know - it's Coach Spo's. What did Coach Spo have to say after a third quarter in which the Heat gave up 37 points to a team without its best offensive player? "We have to stay the course." Aye aye, Sir!
5) Raymond Felton, the Knicks point guard, is a long-time favorite of mine. He's a rotund, pass-first point guard with a quick first step, he can shoot it a bit, he's a very good passer, and he competes hard. Have always liked him, he played for a while in Denver after the Knicks traded him, and I'm glad to see him back in New York and playing well. He was especially terrific tonight, he just killed Miami both off the dribble, and with the jumper, and finished with 27 and 7 dimes. Best of all was the pre-game interview in which he praised Knicks head coach Mike Woodson (who has re-grown his eyebrows and looks absolutely terrific), saying "he makes basketball fun. Basketball is supposed to be fun, it's not supposed to be devastating." Oh my goodness - what was going on in Denver that Ray Felton described the experience as devastating? In Denver? I mean, yes, if he had been traded to Oklahoma City and forced to play with the unreasonably irritable and irritating Russell Westbrook, that would be devastating. Ditto times a thousand if he had been traded to Boston with Rondo and Garnett. But Denver? Kenyon Martin wasn't even there last year...Also, are those the only two options for NBA basketball? Fun or devastating? Narrow range of experiences...
6) Guess what is coming back in January? The new Dallas!!! On TNT! Just saw the ad tonight during the game! You know when that starts back up, this blog turns into Oil Minutos! Which reminds me: a lot of people have asked me to comment on Larry Hagman's death, to which I say: HA! You believe that? You really think Larry Hagman is dead? Have you ever watched Dallas? He is playing you all for suckers! He'll be back, trust me, he'll be back.
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Next game is Saturday against New Orleans. We'll see if we decide to play any defense that night - I'll be watching that game a little late because I'll be going to Art Basel, then out to dinner in Miami, then taking M.Minutos to the Super 8 in Kendall to booty booty her (shhhh - it's a surprise), before coming home to watch the game. If you need me before then, I'll be re-hanging my John Ross poster in the living room. See you Saturday, Wildcatters!
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