Melo has Career Night at MSG

The Knicks have won back to back games for the first time in a long time.  But the story of this week was superstar Carmelo Anthony and his record-breaking performance at the Garden.  Anthony scored a career high 62 points and broke the record of Kobe Bryant’s 61 game at the Garden.  The Knicks beat the Bobcats 125-96 stopping a five game losing streak.  Everybody knew Melo would have a great night as he got off to a hot start, finishing the first half with a half court buzzer beater.  After three-quarters Anthony had 56 and it was just a matter of time.  The atmosphere there at the Garden was suspenseful as everybody anticipated the record-breaking night.  Even when the record was finally broke and he sat for the rest of the 4th you could hear “WE WANT MELO” chants.  Even other players around the league wanted to see him play more. Lebron tweeted he wanted to see Melo drop at least 70. Carmelo’s final stats included 23/35 with 13 rebounds and zero turnovers.  The Knicks have three games left of their home stand playing the Celtics, Cavaliers, and lastly the Heat.   It will be interesting to see how Carmelo finishes the remaining games after dropping 62, he finished with 35 tonight against the Lakers.

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ROAD TO SUPERBOWL

It is finally here folks, the AFC and NFC championship games will be played tomorrow and the winners get to battle for all the marbles next month in NJ.  The anticipation for these heated rivalries has been at a premium.  There has been non-stop media coverage of the four teams leading into tomorrow.  Each game will display the brilliance of football on both ends.  While the AFC championship will be directly correlated on the offensive side, the NFC championship will be a battle of defense.   So whether you’re a fan of high-powered offenses and touchdowns or big time hits, tomorrow you will be glued to your television from 3 o’clock to bout 9 as these games promise to deliver.

Manning vs Brady, Brady vs Manning that is basically all you heard about this week.  The two future hall of fame quarterbacks will play each other for the third time in the AFC championship with advantage Tom.   For Peyton, it’s a chance to beat his nemesis, the opportunity to play in his 3rd Super Bowl and eclipse which has been a remarkable season thus far for the 37-year-old. Manning has basically broke every passing, yardage and touchdown record possible.  However his success or lack there of in the post-season has always been his downfall or stain to his legacy. Not to mention he only has one Super Bowl ring, when baby brother Eli has two . Ironically those two were against Tom Brady.  Brady on the other hand, with a win will play in his 6th Superbowl if the Patriots make it to Met Life.  Brady along with Belichick are a dangerous combination to deal with and their post-season record proves that.  Can you imagine if Brady actually had 5 Superbowl rings? Regardless Brady has proven regardless of who you surround him with, when he is under center you have a legit shot of winning football games.  The Patriots season has been plagued with injuries, yet none of that seems to matter.  The franchise is proof in the theory next man up.  While the team isn’t as high-powered as past championship teams they find ways to get it done through preparation and execution on the field.  I think Peyton finds a way to get it done in Denver and moving one step closer to that trophy.

The NFC title game will highlight two of the best defenses in the league.  The teams will be very intense, physical and passionate as both teams have something to prove.  Unlike the experienced veteran QBs of the AFC championship the NFC game will feature the young and up-coming in Russell Wilson and Kap. For the Niners it is the third straight conference championship and chance to play in consecutive Super Bowls.  They have played on the road this entire playoff and have to do it one more time.  However this time, it’s not going to be easy. Aside from also having a great defense, the Seahawks take full advantage of playing at home.  The 12th man is real and the Hawks are a combined 16-1 in two seasons.  Not to mention they handed the Niners losses the last 4 of 5 games.  In the end I see San Fran completing the road cycle and battling Denver in the Super Bowl.  I think their experience will prevail against the Hawks and I see Kap having a better game then Wilson.

New York Serves Miami

Defending champions? who cares.  It definitely appeared like the Knicks or Nets didn’t for that matter.  This week the defending champs on their road trip traveled to the Mecca and following night visited Brooklyn.  A much-anticipated match-up because the New York teams since the new year surprisingly are winning games after such a horrible start. For Knick fans beating the Heat shouldn’t be a surprise as they have won their last 4 of 5 against them.  Thursday night the team was led by scoring machine Carmelo Anthony who finished with 29 points.  The team executed great ball movement and because of it Felton had 13 points and 14 assists.  The former tar heel was everything the team needed him to be controlling the game and running the offense often penetrating the lane and forcing the defense to rotate.  Second leading scorer Bargnani had 19 points as he had an incredible first quarter.  When he is aggressive and knocking down his mid-range jumpers he spreads the floor making it difficult for opposing defenses to crowd the paint.  Miami’s featured MVP Lebron James went for 32 including some great highlight plays but it just wasn’t enough.  Chris Bosh the 3rd component of the big three didn’t show up as he finished with 6 points on 3 of 10 shooting.  The Heat didn’t have starters Mario Chalmers or Shane Battier, while the Knicks didn’t have Tyson Chandler and JR Smith received a DNPCD.  This game was very exciting and entertaining as each teams delivered blows throughout the game.  The Knicks really started to separate from the Heat in the 4th as they scored 7 straight to open the quarter.  With a 102-92 victory the Knicks travel to Philly today to keep the 3 game win streak alive.

King James scores the lay-up on The Truth late in the 4th quarter last night.  That’s right the nickname jerseys were on full display last night in Brooklyn as the Nets beat the Heat 104-95 in Double OT .  Lebron’s first time fouling out since 2008, that stat line is ridiculous but also very believable.  And you could argue be the reason the Nets handled the Heat in the 2nd Overtime as Lebron watched from the sideline.  From tip, you could tell this would be an interesting night in Brooklyn .  All the attention initially was focused on Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson or “JJ” last night as he was on fire.  And by on fire I mean he scored 22 of his 32 points in the first quarter.  The Nets maintained the lead all the way into the 4th quarter when an angry Lebron and Miami team made one last push at it overcoming a 14 point deficit.  James finished with 36 points and 7 rebounds as Wade sat out this game.    Bosh had 10 points and for consecutive nights wasn’t really a factor.  With great games from Joe, Pierce, and Shaun Livingston the Nets found a way to remain undefeated in 2014 as they battle the Raptors tonight in Toronto.

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Joe Clutch Johnson

The new year started off great with road victories for both New York teams.  While the Knicks defeated the Spurs, the Nets gave OKC and the Thunder an home court loss in dramatic fashion.  Being down 10 with seven minutes left in regulation the Nets went on an 14-0 run to go up 93-89 with several minutes left.  The rally was sparked by Paul Pierce who finished with 18 and Deron Williams who ended his night with 29 points.  Being tied at 93 after an Ibaka layup, the Nets gave all-star guard Joe Johnson the rock and he delivered with an isolation play at the top of the key. Joe Johnson who finished the night with 9 points and 4/11 of shooting made the biggest one of the night, the one that sealed the deal.

In order for the Nets to win games Deron Williams has to be in attack mode.  By him being aggressive it allowed other players to get shots and have important roles in the offense.  I think Deron is starting to realize his play and tempo he sets will ultimately decide how the team will react.  If they are feeding off his energy the team starts to play with confidence.  They could have easily thrown in the towel against the Thunder as they were down by 16 at one point.  However they found a way to persevere and get a huge win against an elite team in the West.   I’m not a fan of superstitions but in the two games that the Nets have won Jason Kidd has not worn a tie.  So expect to see Jason Kidd tie-less for the next few games.  The Nets are currently on a 2 game win streak, after beating OKC they beat the handicapped  Cavs two days later without Kyrie Irving.

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KNICKS 2-1 IN TEXAS

There is no secret the Knicks have been struggling this season, especially on the road.  And nobody would have thought going into Texas for 3 games they would have finished 2-1.  It could have been a perfect 3-0 if it weren’t for minor mental errors late in games but let’s focus on the positive.  The positive is they beat San Antonio and Dallas and looked like a completely different team to start off the new year.  One of the biggest factors to the Knicks most recent success aside from Carmelo is the emergence of guard Iman Shumpert.  Shumpert primarily known for his defensive abilities went off for 20 plus games consecutively and basically didn’t miss from the three point line.   Shumpert is the X factor of this team and the coaches and players have been waiting for this breakout type of game.  He is one of the very few players the Knicks have that play both ways.  And for the first time this season I watched a kid play with confidence and no remorse.  His play really boosted the team both offensively and defensively and they fed off of his energy.  To make matters more impressive it was against a San Antonio team who are one of the elite teams in the West.  It just goes to show that with energy and effort the Knicks do have the capability to maintain with any team in the league.  Shumpert and Melo each had 27 in an 105-101 victory over the Spurs.

The next night Shumpert continued his incredible shooting percentages against Houston as he finished his night with 26.  The team exchanged blows all the way to the end of the game. After a secured offensive rebound with the game tied, JR Smith launches a wide open 3 instead of holding for the last shot with 19 seconds.  Rebounded by Aaron Brooks who was then fouled nailed the 2 free throws ultimately game winning for Houston.  It was a tough loss for New York who played well enough to win but didn’t come out with the victory.

The team finished their road trip in Dallas winning by 12 with a final score of 80-92.  The Knicks were up by 19 at one point and Dallas battled to make the game competitive.  However the Knicks were able to sustain and not surrender the lead.  Shumpert hit a 3 late in the game from a Melo pass out of the double team to secure the victory.  Shump finished 13-17 from the 3 point line on the road trip.  Aside from the great play of Shump it was finally nice to see a couple of complete games from the Knicks.  They finally didn’t look completely lost on the defensive side of the ball and were for the most part on time with their rotations.  On the offensive side they swung the ball beautifully and shooters were able to knock down open jumpers.  Chandler did leave after four minutes of play due to an upper respiratory illness.  Kenyon Martin stepped up big to fill the void down low.  It was a great overall team effort.  I am curious to see how the team plays with the return of Felton and Pablo, and whether Murry remains in the rotation when they return.  After a successful road trip it is back home at the Garden against the Pistons tomorrow night. 

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