Pacers 119 Knicks 117: Better Effort, Still Not Enough
Losing a home and home series to a team below you in the standings is definitely not good. But though there was a lot to be discouraged with in this latest Knick loss to the Pacers, there was a fair amount to be encouraged with as well. It was a much better effort that, frankly, had it been exerted on Sunday, would have resulted in at least a split.
Part of the issue in analyzing games like this is trying to get past the overheated narratives that come from making such a high profile trade and dealing with the inevitable and difficult adjustments, especially when one of the key components (Billups) is injured and has essentially two different adjustment periods in the three weeks since the trade. This sounds like excuse-making, but watching an essentially new roster of players try to play together with constantly shifting lineups and only one real practice, no matter how much talent is on it (and we're talking a top heavy and imbalanced set of pieces) is a process with many highs and many pratfalls.
The Knicks will be a better team with a healthy Billups, and though the team learned some valuable lessons during his injury absence with Toney Douglas getting more minutes, they will need Chauncey's experience to get close to the promise that some have forecasted for this Knick group. Unfortunately, Billups hasn't made the Knicks a better team the last two games. His recovery from injury has clearly affected his timing and quickness, and though his experience and guile still get him shots and fouls, he's been mostly a spot up shooter since coming back. He hasn't run the offense as authoritatively as he's capable of doing with his jumper not falling.
Last night was especially tough to watch. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson made the comment during the MSG halftime interview (diplomatically) that the rhythm on offense was still a bit off, and that the Knicks weren't hitting the roll man as much as they should (translation: settling for too many jumpers off the initial pick). The Knicks were outscored by 4 with Billups in the game in the first half, and by 16 with Billups in the second half. Billups missed all four of this three pointers last night, making him 0-11 in the last two games from distance.
The fourth quarter for Chauncey was more like Mr. Big Turnover than Mr. Big Shot -- three huge turnovers and a badly missed three in the final six minutes of the game (even the assist to Toney Douglas in the closing minute for a huge 3 pointer was this close to being a turnover, as it was made while stumbling). I'll say this, though -- I wasn't very high on Chauncey as a Nugget to start the season, as he started out shooting poorly in the first six weeks and wasn't getting to the FT line as much. He recovered and put together a stellar period of play starting in mid-December, and it continued through his first four games for the Knicks before the injury. Assuming he's recovering the way he should, he ought to be able to get past this rough period.
Game notes:
* The defense looked even worse on the surface last night, as the Knicks allowed the Pacers even higher offensive efficiency in a faster paced game (117 points per 100 possessions in a 102 possession game) relative to Sunday (115 pts/100 in a 92 possession game). The effort on defense and attempts to communicate and provide help in the halfcourt were notably better, though...what tripped up the team were the offensive rebounds, loose balls, and points given up due to turnovers. The Knicks stayed in the game in the first half by turning the Pacers over 12 times in the first half while committing only 5 of their own -- but in the second half, the Knicks committed 8 turnovers to the Pacers' 5. Even though the Pacers still ended the game with more giveaways, they ended up getting more points off turnovers (21) than the Knicks (17).
The Knick defensive activity was solid but a little too jumpy and focused on the Pacers' first or second option -- as a result, good ball movement would beat the defense, and the Knicks would be out of position when they did close down the primary options and produce a miss or loose ball. The low point of the game that symbolized how they lost the hustle plays: at 4:27 of the third quarter, Collison made an entry pass to Hibbert, who was set to handoff back to Collison running toward the baseline. Douglas ran behind Hibbert and jostled the ball loose, at which point it rolled into the lane at the feet of Carmelo, Amare and Billups, who all watched as Hansborough scooped it up and got a layup and foul to make it 81-68 Pacers.
* Another area of the defense that still needs a lot of work -- pick and roll defense. (Broken record, I know) Some credit has to be given to the Pacers' Darren Collison, who has dramatically improved in his ability to execute the pick and roll since a rough first few months. He made life miserable for Toney Douglas for most of the third and fourth quarters, using the slightest opening to blow by TD for jumpers, find Hansborough and other teammates for jumpers, or take advantage of extra attention to him by making entry passes to Hibbert for post moves against overmatched defenders with no help nearby.
I'm starting to wonder whether Turiaf should get more fourth quarter time against teams that run high screen rolls frequently with guards that can make the mid-range jumper. Amare doesn't show and recover in such a way to make things even moderately difficult for the ballhandler, and when the Knicks get caught in a switch, Amare ends up playing an odd nether-zone that gives the ballhandler too much room to shoot. (Billups made this point after the game). Shawne Williams is a more active and engaged defender on the perimeter, but he does best with higher traps -- when the ballhandler and screener are closer to the lane, he's not physical enough or blessed with enough lateral movement to make things difficult for the offense either.
It's not just Toney Douglas and whoever's guarding the screener, of course -- help needs to come from the weak side when warranted and rotations need to be sharp when the ball moves around. But right now, the Knicks are aware of the big picture but missing on too many small details that would give their defense some bite. Jeffries does help, but sometimes you need someone more physical to provide a bump or shove to the screener or roll man to disrupt timing even slightly -- on a couple of Collison screen rolls, Jared was impeded from helping on Collison dropping back for the jumper with nothing more than a simple push from Hibbert. Turiaf is better in this regard, though he has more issues on the perimeter than Jeffries.
There's a lot of noise being made in some camps about "too much switching", but the act of switching isn't bad on its own terms if everyone understands the overall priniciples and the defenders communicate. To my eye, there's effort but not enough communication, and a lot of small lapses. Making everyone bull through screens as if they were tackling sleds may earn the players more manhood points, but it doesn't make for a better defense if the same issues with communication and attention to detail exist.
* Tyler Hansborough again destroyed the Knicks and got another career high. He is a 41 percent shooter for the season from 16-23 feet, which is the league average and places him 25th among NBA power forwards. (Amare shoots 44 percent). In the last two games, Hansborough has shot 9 for 16 on long jumpers, or 56 percent...during the losing streak that preceded the last two games, he shot 13 for 40 (32.5%) on the same jumpers. Fluke? Bad Knick defense? Whatever the case, he was a definite Knick killer, and I was very impressed with his effort.
* Despite all the defensive issues, poor offensive stretches, and bad breaks, it was kind of amazing to see how quickly the Knicks came back after being outplayed for 34 minutes. A ten point outburst in 90 seconds to end the third quarter, followed by an insane level of offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter, almost got the win for the Knicks anyway. Lost in the overall picture was how the game was there for the taking when the Knicks actually got stops in a 3 minute period from the 6 minute mark to the 3 minute mark of the 4th: they outscored the Pacers 12-5 to take a 110-106 lead. Two Billups turnovers, a badly conceived Amare drive, and giving up scores on seven of the last eight possessions pretty much killed the game in the final 3 minutes. The Granger game winner was virtually a formality.
* Toney Douglas deserves a lot of credit for his second half performance - the offense actually ran smoother in the fourth quarter when he was directing pick and rolls or shooting behind screens, and he was a disruptive force on defense (at least against the second unit). I'm not sure there was a single bad possession when he was in charge for the first 5 minutes of the fourth, even when no points were produced -- every shot produced was a quality shot. That doesn't mean he should be starting, but he's earned the extra time playing with Billups for all of the fourth quarter.
* The best moments for the Knick offense coming when Landry Fields was scoring in the first half and TD in the second half show just how important it is for the offense to have an option that can spread out the floor and give more room to the superstars to take over. On Sunday, the Pacer defense could mostly pack it in; last night, they had to work much harder, especially when Douglas got hot.
* Ten men got playing time for the Knicks last night, another sign that D'Antoni is still searching for a reliable bench option for scoring to spread out the defense and provide some defensive energy. Neither Bill Walker nor Roger Mason is blowing the door down with their production since the trade, nor are they locking down as defenders. As soon as Chauncey gets his shot back, I'm guessing the minutes for those two will diminish drastically.
* Despite the less than prime bench depth the Knicks have at present, it will never stop the fans seeking a unicorn. Anthony Randolph was the previous fan favorite, now it may be Derrick Brown. It would be fun to see Brown get some minutes toward the end of the season when a playoff spot seems more certain, but I'm not seeing any sudden miracles or solutions to the Knicks' current struggles with some spot minutes from him.
Next up, the Grizzlies, and I'm not sure what to expect. Better results at home, or more of the same dire struggles? It's fortunate that the team has a lot of wiggle room in its run for the playoffs, and the difference between a 7th or 5th seed isn't that dramatic in terms of having to play a difficult opponent. The tabloids will keeping dishing the tales of schadenfreude and poor trades and the specter of old ghosts. But I'll just keep looking for signs of improvement in a team that's going to get better and realize more of its potential eventually.
Part of the issue in analyzing games like this is trying to get past the overheated narratives that come from making such a high profile trade and dealing with the inevitable and difficult adjustments, especially when one of the key components (Billups) is injured and has essentially two different adjustment periods in the three weeks since the trade. This sounds like excuse-making, but watching an essentially new roster of players try to play together with constantly shifting lineups and only one real practice, no matter how much talent is on it (and we're talking a top heavy and imbalanced set of pieces) is a process with many highs and many pratfalls.
The Knicks will be a better team with a healthy Billups, and though the team learned some valuable lessons during his injury absence with Toney Douglas getting more minutes, they will need Chauncey's experience to get close to the promise that some have forecasted for this Knick group. Unfortunately, Billups hasn't made the Knicks a better team the last two games. His recovery from injury has clearly affected his timing and quickness, and though his experience and guile still get him shots and fouls, he's been mostly a spot up shooter since coming back. He hasn't run the offense as authoritatively as he's capable of doing with his jumper not falling.
Last night was especially tough to watch. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson made the comment during the MSG halftime interview (diplomatically) that the rhythm on offense was still a bit off, and that the Knicks weren't hitting the roll man as much as they should (translation: settling for too many jumpers off the initial pick). The Knicks were outscored by 4 with Billups in the game in the first half, and by 16 with Billups in the second half. Billups missed all four of this three pointers last night, making him 0-11 in the last two games from distance.
The fourth quarter for Chauncey was more like Mr. Big Turnover than Mr. Big Shot -- three huge turnovers and a badly missed three in the final six minutes of the game (even the assist to Toney Douglas in the closing minute for a huge 3 pointer was this close to being a turnover, as it was made while stumbling). I'll say this, though -- I wasn't very high on Chauncey as a Nugget to start the season, as he started out shooting poorly in the first six weeks and wasn't getting to the FT line as much. He recovered and put together a stellar period of play starting in mid-December, and it continued through his first four games for the Knicks before the injury. Assuming he's recovering the way he should, he ought to be able to get past this rough period.
Game notes:
* The defense looked even worse on the surface last night, as the Knicks allowed the Pacers even higher offensive efficiency in a faster paced game (117 points per 100 possessions in a 102 possession game) relative to Sunday (115 pts/100 in a 92 possession game). The effort on defense and attempts to communicate and provide help in the halfcourt were notably better, though...what tripped up the team were the offensive rebounds, loose balls, and points given up due to turnovers. The Knicks stayed in the game in the first half by turning the Pacers over 12 times in the first half while committing only 5 of their own -- but in the second half, the Knicks committed 8 turnovers to the Pacers' 5. Even though the Pacers still ended the game with more giveaways, they ended up getting more points off turnovers (21) than the Knicks (17).
The Knick defensive activity was solid but a little too jumpy and focused on the Pacers' first or second option -- as a result, good ball movement would beat the defense, and the Knicks would be out of position when they did close down the primary options and produce a miss or loose ball. The low point of the game that symbolized how they lost the hustle plays: at 4:27 of the third quarter, Collison made an entry pass to Hibbert, who was set to handoff back to Collison running toward the baseline. Douglas ran behind Hibbert and jostled the ball loose, at which point it rolled into the lane at the feet of Carmelo, Amare and Billups, who all watched as Hansborough scooped it up and got a layup and foul to make it 81-68 Pacers.
* Another area of the defense that still needs a lot of work -- pick and roll defense. (Broken record, I know) Some credit has to be given to the Pacers' Darren Collison, who has dramatically improved in his ability to execute the pick and roll since a rough first few months. He made life miserable for Toney Douglas for most of the third and fourth quarters, using the slightest opening to blow by TD for jumpers, find Hansborough and other teammates for jumpers, or take advantage of extra attention to him by making entry passes to Hibbert for post moves against overmatched defenders with no help nearby.
I'm starting to wonder whether Turiaf should get more fourth quarter time against teams that run high screen rolls frequently with guards that can make the mid-range jumper. Amare doesn't show and recover in such a way to make things even moderately difficult for the ballhandler, and when the Knicks get caught in a switch, Amare ends up playing an odd nether-zone that gives the ballhandler too much room to shoot. (Billups made this point after the game). Shawne Williams is a more active and engaged defender on the perimeter, but he does best with higher traps -- when the ballhandler and screener are closer to the lane, he's not physical enough or blessed with enough lateral movement to make things difficult for the offense either.
It's not just Toney Douglas and whoever's guarding the screener, of course -- help needs to come from the weak side when warranted and rotations need to be sharp when the ball moves around. But right now, the Knicks are aware of the big picture but missing on too many small details that would give their defense some bite. Jeffries does help, but sometimes you need someone more physical to provide a bump or shove to the screener or roll man to disrupt timing even slightly -- on a couple of Collison screen rolls, Jared was impeded from helping on Collison dropping back for the jumper with nothing more than a simple push from Hibbert. Turiaf is better in this regard, though he has more issues on the perimeter than Jeffries.
There's a lot of noise being made in some camps about "too much switching", but the act of switching isn't bad on its own terms if everyone understands the overall priniciples and the defenders communicate. To my eye, there's effort but not enough communication, and a lot of small lapses. Making everyone bull through screens as if they were tackling sleds may earn the players more manhood points, but it doesn't make for a better defense if the same issues with communication and attention to detail exist.
* Tyler Hansborough again destroyed the Knicks and got another career high. He is a 41 percent shooter for the season from 16-23 feet, which is the league average and places him 25th among NBA power forwards. (Amare shoots 44 percent). In the last two games, Hansborough has shot 9 for 16 on long jumpers, or 56 percent...during the losing streak that preceded the last two games, he shot 13 for 40 (32.5%) on the same jumpers. Fluke? Bad Knick defense? Whatever the case, he was a definite Knick killer, and I was very impressed with his effort.
* Despite all the defensive issues, poor offensive stretches, and bad breaks, it was kind of amazing to see how quickly the Knicks came back after being outplayed for 34 minutes. A ten point outburst in 90 seconds to end the third quarter, followed by an insane level of offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter, almost got the win for the Knicks anyway. Lost in the overall picture was how the game was there for the taking when the Knicks actually got stops in a 3 minute period from the 6 minute mark to the 3 minute mark of the 4th: they outscored the Pacers 12-5 to take a 110-106 lead. Two Billups turnovers, a badly conceived Amare drive, and giving up scores on seven of the last eight possessions pretty much killed the game in the final 3 minutes. The Granger game winner was virtually a formality.
* Toney Douglas deserves a lot of credit for his second half performance - the offense actually ran smoother in the fourth quarter when he was directing pick and rolls or shooting behind screens, and he was a disruptive force on defense (at least against the second unit). I'm not sure there was a single bad possession when he was in charge for the first 5 minutes of the fourth, even when no points were produced -- every shot produced was a quality shot. That doesn't mean he should be starting, but he's earned the extra time playing with Billups for all of the fourth quarter.
* The best moments for the Knick offense coming when Landry Fields was scoring in the first half and TD in the second half show just how important it is for the offense to have an option that can spread out the floor and give more room to the superstars to take over. On Sunday, the Pacer defense could mostly pack it in; last night, they had to work much harder, especially when Douglas got hot.
* Ten men got playing time for the Knicks last night, another sign that D'Antoni is still searching for a reliable bench option for scoring to spread out the defense and provide some defensive energy. Neither Bill Walker nor Roger Mason is blowing the door down with their production since the trade, nor are they locking down as defenders. As soon as Chauncey gets his shot back, I'm guessing the minutes for those two will diminish drastically.
* Despite the less than prime bench depth the Knicks have at present, it will never stop the fans seeking a unicorn. Anthony Randolph was the previous fan favorite, now it may be Derrick Brown. It would be fun to see Brown get some minutes toward the end of the season when a playoff spot seems more certain, but I'm not seeing any sudden miracles or solutions to the Knicks' current struggles with some spot minutes from him.
Next up, the Grizzlies, and I'm not sure what to expect. Better results at home, or more of the same dire struggles? It's fortunate that the team has a lot of wiggle room in its run for the playoffs, and the difference between a 7th or 5th seed isn't that dramatic in terms of having to play a difficult opponent. The tabloids will keeping dishing the tales of schadenfreude and poor trades and the specter of old ghosts. But I'll just keep looking for signs of improvement in a team that's going to get better and realize more of its potential eventually.
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