With no Andre Iguodala you would think that the Knicks would have had this game in the bag but no. They found away to lose which was utterly ridiculous.
Despite what some fools in this city may think this loss had nothing to do with Amare Stoudemire not "taking over the game". Amare had a solid game. Solid enough for the Knicks to have won without last minute heroics which he has shown early this season he is incapable of right now as he finds his way in this system and around this current group of players. The Knicks lost simply because they are stupid and have poor fundamentals.
The Sixers aren't good and have no real three point shooters except for Nocioni who struggled yesterday so why the Knicks thought it was a good idea to be suckered time and time again into going for pump fakes was unbelievable.
The farther a player is from the basket the more difficult his shot becomes. The Sixers did nothing to prove from the guard position yesterday that they were capable of beating the Knicks with jump shots but they knew how to employ pump fakes and the Trickerbockers couldn't contain themselves. If anyone of the Knicks are reading this let me offer a definition that I found on Wikipedia for you in case you guys never saw this before.
"A pump fake is a feigned attempt at a jump shot, restrained before the feet leave the ground. The pump fake is a fundamental move in basketball, used to cause defenders to jump (known in basketball slang as "lifting" the defender), or be shifted off-balance. Its main applications are in the low post area, where a player is much more likely to have his or her shot blocked. On the perimeter, it is useful in creating open lanes to the basket by "showing" the ball enough to entice a defender to attempt to block or steal it, allowing the dribbler to penetrate easily." -Wikipedia
Got it now guys? Now hopefully you won't allow lesser opponents to whoop you in your own house with such fundamental tomfoolery. There is time for the Knicks to get smart and improve their fundamentals, but only if they want to. Good game Amare.
Oh, my bad. Philly over the Knicks 106-96
Why the New York Knicks lost from a free thinking and informed former fan's perspective.
Showing posts with label Amare Stoudemire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amare Stoudemire. Show all posts
Monday, November 8, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Al Harrington's Disease Strikes Stoudemire
The
Knicks had awakened from the early game jitters that were easily
attributed to opening night in Madison Square Garden and were poised
to make a statement to themselves, the city of New York and to the
league. They were well on their way to beating the Portland
Trailblazers when a deadly virus struck the newest Knick.
Amare'
Stoudemire who had a history playing in the vaunted Mike D'Antoni
system knows full well to rotate the basketball, not get caught in
double teams along the baseline and definitely not to force one on
one play, but it happened.
Stoudemire
became a one man wrecking crew in the second half hell bent to put on
a show and score his points without a single care of winning. This
was completely contrary to the rhetoric Amare' fed the media when he
was courted by the Knicks and before the season began. He was full of
declarations of team basketball, bringing a winner to NYC and raising
the game of all the young talent on the team which had so much
potential, so what went wrong tonight? Why did Stoudemire destroy any
hopes of a win with his selfish, erratic and out of control brand of
basketball?
It
was only when I replayed the game did I see the signs. Dilated pupils
when you catch a basketball, uncontrollable twitching of the leg on
your non-pivot foot, tunnel vision and bull in a china closet moves
to the basket. I gasped, clutched my heart and noticed a tear rolling
down my face. It was another case of Al Harrington's Disease.
For
those who don't know Al Harrington's Disease, which will be referred
to as AHD from now on, is a neurological disease that affects
unsuspecting men over six feet eight inches tall when exposed to the
D'Antoni System. Common symptoms are uncontrollable leg movements,
running wild in the paint, disregard for your teammates, thinking you
are open when you are clearly not, false confidence in your shooting
ability and an inability to pass the ball to the open man.
There
is no known cure for AHD but with time players have learned to
control their issues with herbal tea, slow ninja breathing techniques
and trips to the massage parlor, happy endings a must, before each
game is played. Al Harrington himself was able to settle in after a
few months and be productive after being exposed to the D'Antoni
System. But I am worried about Amare' Stoudemire's prognosis.
You
see Stoudemire had been exposed to the D'Antoni System years ago and
should have built up antibodies to protect him from being overcome by
AHD but I think this new strand of AHD might have mutated making
Stoudemire no match for its potency which leads to the obvious
question. Why sign Stoudemire and lock the team into 100 million
dollars when Al Harrington himself would have been cheaper and had
learned to overcome this new version of AHD?
Hopefully
the Knicks' doctors quickly diagnose Amare''s case of AHD and begin
vigorous treatment before the season is completely lost but I fear
the worse. I think this case might be terminal and lingering for the
next six years.
Tonight
AHD attacked and the Knicks lost to the Portland Trailblazers 100-95
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