For me there are many things I think the first thing is consistant defense from mutombo on players like martin and getting back on defense if the nets get free on the break with a healthy jason kidd and kenyon martin they will be tough to beat. Second is getting production out of young player such as sweetny and williams both are young williams is in his second year and sweetny obviously in his rookie season they will need some rebound production from sweetny and some good minutes from frank williams at the point. Three have vets like penny and anderson and players like tim thomas at full health penny has proven since ariving in new york he can still play very well not up to his first four years in the league well but very decent play and thomas is a streacky player who has been out some games with back spasms hopefully those are cleared up And the x factor for the knicks is kurt thomas during the regular season he has been steady as a rock for the knicks playing ver good basketball and imo having the best season of his career with the knicks he amtchs up perfectly with kenyon martin on defense and can be just as if not more productive on offense and if he plays well on martin that will free up mutombo to do some damage underneath the basket. So thats what I think the knicks need to win.
This will be a goos series Stephon will step up but the role players will be the major factor.I remember J-Kidd after the ASG in a interview thing and when the reporters finished asking him all the questions he left by say,"see yall in the finals."That statement still rings in my head.
Stephon Marbury and Mike Sweetney are the 2 biggest keys in this series i think. Sweetney when he's on the floor can push KMart around easily, and definitely frusterate him on defense. Starbury has to play better than he's played all season way way better and prove the haters wrong, he should have been in the allstar game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PG2:</div><div class="quote_post">Stephon Marbury and Mike Sweetney are the 2 biggest keys in this series i think. Sweetney when he's on the floor can push KMart around easily, and definitely frusterate him on defense. Starbury has to play better than he's played all season way way better and prove the haters wrong, he should have been in the allstar game.</div> Yea marbury needs to attack kidd today he is not 100% and marbury needs to also get the knicks offense running up and down on the break tiring out an injured kidd this is marbury's chance to prove that all the critizism he got when he was traded to phonex was wrongly placed on him
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Nylex:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, Game 1 looked terrible. Mutombo needs to start the next one.</div>Mutombo looked terrible to me. The Knicks can and will compete with the Nets. They got embarrased today but Lenny Wilkins will get this team ready for game two. The Nets got way too many fast break points and they seemed to score at will on the break. If the Knicks can make transition defense and Marbury can start to take over games and step up to the challenge, the Knicks will have a great shot and making this series go the distance. But these are some big IFs.
It's gonna be hard for Marbury though, NJ's double/triple teaming looks like it was effective. No doubt they'll do it in Game 2. They're gonna need someone else to score, with TT being questionable for the next game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Nylex:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, Game 1 looked terrible. Mutombo needs to start the next one.</div> Naw mutombo shouldnt start because as good a defensive pressence as mutombo is he is a liability on the nets fast break the knicks had 20 something turn overs yesterday and the nets got a layup or dunk off of all of them. They need to let marbury have the ball more the nets where playing a shadow defense were they kept taking the ball out of marbury's hands and the knicks cant win like that also they need to play marbury a couple more minutes and not sit him down when the game is close. Kurt Thomas also had a horrible game he prduced nothing on offense for the knicks and very little on defense sweetny looked good though for his first nba playoff game he played very well. Anyway we will see how game two goes because this one was all nets.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting New York Baller:</div><div class="quote_post"> Kurt Thomas also had a horrible game he prduced nothing on offense for the knicks </div> I know man. It's usally his ass when the Knicks get into trouble or something. He has score in the paint than outside his range.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting New York Baller:</div><div class="quote_post"> Kurt Thomas also had a horrible game he prduced nothing on offense for the knicks and very little on defense sweetny looked good though for his first nba playoff game he played very well. Anyway we will see how game two goes because this one was all nets.</div> Don't look at this as just another reason for the loss. It was the MAJOR reason for the loss. Kurt and Tim Thomas are Marbury's main offensive options without Houston. The Nets would double Marbury and put pressure on him, then with the Thomas' out he would have to throw it to someone like Mike Sweetney. It was easy to see; whenever Kurt and Tim were in the game the Knicks did well. Go Nets!
kurt and tim also got into foul trouble, which didn't help at all. marbury is going to be on fire in game two. he will be on a mission and i bet he will penetrate and get our big guys in foul trouble early, a guy like jason collins.
The Knicks might even be in more trouble now. Looks like Tim Thomas will miss atleast game 2 and possibly more with bruised bones. Plain and simple: Marbury needs to step it up and carry this team.
The problem is, the other Knicks are making it hard for Starbury. They're not setting picks, they're not draining their shots from a Starbury pass, they're not moving well without the ball and etc. Kittles is doing great against Starbury. He's settling with jumpers and Kittles' long arms makes him change his shot. You can't start Mutombo or even play him for more than 10 mins. Sure he'll do a great defensive play every now and then but you can expect the Nets to take advantage of this by running the break everytime he's in.
nor should he. if knicks don't play defense, then it wont matter what #'s marbury puts up. its as simple as that.
In order for the Knicks to win. They need to stop trying to play like the Nets. The Knicks arent the greatest Fastbreak team so they need to calm down. They also need to stop turning the ball over and be patient. BTW does anyone know the status of Tim Thomas? I heard on ESPN that he left the arena in a strecher.
He's questionable right now but there's a great chance that he's not going to play. If I were the Knicks, I would stop fighting the Nets with words. Now Kidd and KMart is pissed off and y'all know what's gonna happen if they're pissed off.
