Nets @ Boys and Girls Club

If there is anything I admire and have the up-most respect for is community service.  On Wednesday, January 29th the Brooklyn Nets along with forward Andray Blatche visited the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn to promote a heart and health awareness event that I had the opportunity to attend and cover.  The Boys and Girls club is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to enabling young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.  The Madison branch was founded in 1884 and provided after school and summer activities for children in New York’s most disadvantaged communities.  With these activities the club attempts to embark on three principles which include Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship , and adoption of a Healthy lifestyle.  The club partnered with the Brooklyn Nets Assist program in a joint effort to provide an experience worth remembering as Nets forward Andray Blatche attended.  Similar to the Boys and Girls club the Nets Assist program was created to support four significant pillars which are education, athletics, health and awareness, and community development.  They also have other organizations affiliated that sponsor and support the movement of youth development.

When I initially entered the building I could tell their was an anticipation and excitement from the kids as they were running wildly with joy.  Being involved in the Boys and Girls club as a child myself I related to the kids having a place to attend after school that provided a positive atmosphere.  The kids were separated by age group and they anxiously waited for the workshop to begin.  The intentions of the event was to promote health so they were required to complete stations such as blood pressure, height and weight.  As they completed these stations the biggest treat was the chance to meet and play some hoops with an NBA player and receive autographs.  Blatche who stated he grew up in the Boys and Girls club was very involved with the kids as he interacted, joked and laughed with them.  The overall event was a success and their was a great vibe from the kids, faculty and staff.

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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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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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Wizards Sweep NY

After winning in dramatic fashion at the Garden the Wizards traveled to Barclays and took care of the Brooklyn Nets making it a clean sweep of the New York teams.  The Wizards are led by their young explosive and emerging point guard John Wall who is putting together a solid year.  He led the Wizards with 21 points and made two big defensive plays down the stretch against Deron Williams.(steal, block)   The story early on was their amazing field goal percentage from the arc, as the Wizards netted 7 of their first 9.  By halftime the Wizards were up six,  as the Nets displayed mental toughness despite the 3 point makes.  The Nets made a run in the second half but wasn’t able to completely switch the momentum over in their favor.  At the end of regulation the Nets lost 107-113.  They will play the Sixers next, the team they just blew out by 30.

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KNICKS STRUGGLE FOR WIN!

The Knicks find a way to get a victory in double OT last night in Milwaukee. Getting a win is always great news, taking two overtimes to get it done against the worse team in the league is nothing to brag about.  As I watched the game last night there seems to be one consistent trait with the Knicks.  And that sadly is the amount of mental errors the team makes, especially in closing games.  In the previous game the Knicks failed to foul or use a timeout against the Wizards making the task at hand way more difficult than it needed to be.  To not even get a decent shot to try to win the game was so disappointing considering they were winning majority of the game.  Last night the Knicks never built a sufficient enough lead to even get comfortable.  They are playing the Bucks whose best player is Brandon Knight. (that played) They were without OJ Mayo and Larry Sanders and I couldn’t imagine what the results have been had they played.  Either way the Knicks came out as if the game was in the bag and their hustle and effort was proof of it.  I’m not a big stats kind of guy, I am more interested in the quality of basketball being played itself.  However somethings I just can’t ignore, primarily JR Smith shooting 17 3 point field goals.  I want the Knicks as a team to shoot more 3 point field goals, but one person shooting 17 is ridiculous.  Along with JR shooting so many and poorly I might add, a bonehead play by Andrea Bargnani resulted in a second overtime.  The Knicks secured an offensive rebound with a lead and fourteen seconds left, instead of securing the ball and getting fouled Bargnani with no hesitation launched a three.  Little mental errors like these hurt teams, if you don’t believe me look at the picture.  This is the reaction of the team after Bargnani’s mistake.  In the second overtime the game was basically iced after a Carmelo Anthony 3 with a final score of 107-103.  Another big story was the return of Tyson Chandler, who returned from an leg injury and had to log thirty plus minutes. The anchor finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.  Clearly not anticipating to play this much the center started cramping in the extra periods.  It is no secret the Knicks have a lot to work on.  The Knicks play Memphis next, in my opinion is a winnable game but they have to play smart.  Frankly that isn’t the teams identity right now.

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Yea Joe yea Joe

While the Knicks were crumbling at home last night, their crosstown rivals were handling business in Brooklyn.  The Nets played a struggling Sixer team and blew them out by 30.  The story of the night was Joe Johnson who finished the game with 37 but literally took over in the 3rd quarter.  He ended up canning 10 3 pointers in total, while getting fouled on one of them.  The Nets have won 4 of their last 5 games and have been playing good basketball.  The even better news is they have been doing it without all-star center Brook Lopez.  Deron Williams after returning from injury has led the charge as he is more aggressive but also managing to get his other teammates shots.  You can only imagine the team will be better once Lopez returns. Besides the return of DWill,  another change that was made but hardly gets talked about was bringing Paul Pierce off the bench.  I think this was the best move Jason Kidd has made as a coach thus far.  Bringing Pierce off the bench gives the other guys opportunity to score like Joe and Deron.  It also gives them depth past the starting five which had been an issue in the beginning of the season.  The Nets after last night are now 9-15 and third in the Atlantic Division.  Their next game will be home at the Barclays as the Wizards look to sweep the NY teams on their road trip.

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Knicks lose at Mecca to Wizards

Being down 1 with a foul to give, the Knicks fail to do so as Bradley Beal gets an uncontested layup to win the game for Washington.  Martel Webster a lethal 3 point shooter led the Wizards in scoring with 30 points but it was Beal who scored the last seven to give Washington the edge in the end.  Beno Udrih who was defending Beal on the last possession gave the two guard a lane to the basket where he was expecting help but it was never there.  To make matters worse the Knicks didn’t use a timeout to advance the ball to half-court and draw up a play.  Instead the ball is in-bounded to Carmelo Anthony who gingerly walks the ball up the court with 6 seconds left, eventually launching a one-legged three pointer that hits all glass.  As a fan and critic of the sport I have never seen such a bizarre ending to a game.  After the game, Coach Woodson took full responsibility for not calling the timeout to at least try to get a better shot.  The miscommunication on defense can also be pointed in his direction as well because the play occurred after a timeout.  Woodson’s coaching or lack there of have been a hot topic with the NY media.  And for some, his time as a Head Coach of the Knicks is narrowing by the day.

The Knicks after the loss last night are now (7-17) and fourth place in the Atlantic Division.  Luckily for them, the majority of the Eastern Conference is struggling.  The Boston Celtics lead the Atlantic Division with a (12-14) record when this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them.  To add insult the Knicks are constantly struggling with injuries.  As of today, Pablo Prigioni broke his toe and will miss two weeks.  Kenyon Martin is also expected to miss two weeks with an abdominal strain.  Amare’s surgically repaired knee started to swell up and his time-table of return is to be determined.  On a more positive note Tyson Chandler is expected to be back for the next game Wednesday and the Knicks desperately need his intensity especially on the defensive side.  To also help the Knicks have called Chris Smith (younger brother of J.R.) to help with the point guard duty.  Let’s just say it will be interesting to see how the next few weeks play out for the New York Knicks.

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Top Plays from Last NIght

Here are the Top Plays from last night in the NBA

I want to salute John Wall….scoring 30 on 3 consecutive nights…..kid is finally developing into the PG everyone thought he would be…..I hope he continues his good play