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Originally Posted by alphadog
1) Most of the guys you are talking about have gotten their points doing 1 on 1 stuff...not in the flow of a team oriented offense. Their are few players that can survive the extra defensive attention that type of play will bring in the playoffs. Thats one of the reason the Spurs are so tuff. Stop one guy and another option opens up...team play.
2) Billups is NOT an improved offensive player. He gets more looks in this type of offense that Flip runs. Is the team better off for it? I'm not sure they are since scoring was not a problem for the Pistons and defense wins. The Wolves could ALWAYS score when they were healthy, but it came primarily from one guy and then they couldn't stop anybody on a regular basis.
3) It is exciting to watch an offense oriented team but defense really DOES win titles. I would rather the Knicks play to their defensive potential. If they had been playing the type of defense they played in the first part of the season, they'd be close to .500 now. (That plus hit some damn FTs).
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Actually, according to analysts offense WAS a problem for the Pistons in the Finals. And that is said to be the cause of their losses.
And to China, the reason Q isn't doing what he did last year is because in Phoenix he was probably the 4th and 5th option on the court. Actually, come to think of it, he wasn't exactly an option. He'd spot of and knock down threes. They didn't regularly run plays for him. It's just pick and rolls with Amare, and if they converged on him or Nash the Q would go to the open spot and hit the three. Under Larry Brown's offense this isn't possible. They are not a running team. If you watch the Knicks, they are a stand-still team without a flow or a rhythm.
Also, though I've criticized Larry Brown in recent weeks, the Knicks are just a bad ballclub. Aside from Antonio Davis, no one on that team that gets significant minutes has a high basketball IQ or even remotely high. And on the defensive end, they don't play good team defense. Marbury and Nate, at times play tenacious individual defense, but they are inconsistent. Nate always brings the hustle and effort but he just doesn't know how to play defense. He tends to foul the guy or pressure too hard and let the guy pass him after getting picked off.
Overall, there's enough blame to go around, the players, the coach, but I think most of the blame should be placed on Isiah. He worked so hard on trying to make the Knicks an athletic team that he forgot there were other important characteristics and skills needed on the floor. Last year, while Ariza's stock was still high, they should've traded him along with another player for a decent SF. Ariza's lack of basketball IQ, virtually no ball handling ability, bad lateral movement, and slow leaping ability hurts the team. Brown plays him because really he's the only SF on the team. Then there's Curry, great physical specimen. Ends there, though. On the offensive end, I can tolerate him. But watching him play defense is like watching Shaq shoot free throws. For someone as long and athletic as Curry, you'd think he would play at least a little defense. But that's the thing with the Knicks, besides Davis, no one wants to play defense. Everyone else just wants to score. Hell, even retardedly terrible players like Jerome James starts calling for the ball and taking fadeaway jumpers. If the Knicks are to succeed now or even in the future, they must stick to their young crop of talent.
Lineup:
PG Crawford (better pg than marbury. doesn't mean he's good, but he's better)
SG Marbury (better at the 2. he's the best offensive player on the squad and the pg responsibilities keep him from using his strengths plus he's just a bad pg. I wouldn't even call him that)
SF Lee
PF Davis
C Frye (Curry injured)
Players that should rotate in:
Robinson
Richardson
Taylor (he has shown effort in recent weeks. he's starting to rebound and defend.)
Butler (I don't know why he only gets garbage time. he has very polished offensive skills for such a young player who hasn't played much.)
Hardaway