Sunday April 15th 1:00 P.M. ET
Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks
The Knicks continue their three game home stand Sunday afternoon in a matinee game against the Miami Heat and their big 3. The Knicks are coming off an easy victory over the Washington Wizards, which improved their record to 31-28. The Knicks currently hold a 2 ½ game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoff race and sit in 7th place holding the tiebreaker over the Philadelphia 76ers. They also sit 3 games behind the Orlando Magic for 6th place in the Eastern Conference and 3 ½ games behind the Boston Celtics for the Atlantic Division crown.
-Defensive Intensity
Since Mike Woodson has taken over as the Knicks head coach, the team has gone 13-4 and been a top defensive team. They have been holding opponents to 88.8 points per game, ranking 2nd in the NBA. This is going to be key in the game against the Heat. The Heat sport the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference, but struggle against some of the top defensive teams in the NBA. This month alone the Heat have lost to the Grizzlies, Bulls, and Celtics twice, teams who all sport top rated defenses. The Knicks are looking to add their names to that list by using the same tactics.
-Small Ball Match-ups
With the injuries the Knicks are suffering through, they have been using a smaller lineup with Carmelo Anthony at the Power Forward position with Iman Shumpert moving into the lineup. Some teams can over power the Knicks because of the smaller lineup, but the Heat are actually one team the Knicks match up with well. You could even argue the Knicks hold the edge in the matchups depending on how the Heat play it.
The Knicks have had a potent offense with Anthony playing the 4. There is no Power Forward in the NBA who can contain Anthony on the offensive end, giving the Knicks a huge edge. You would think the Knicks would have the same problem, but Anthony can hold his own on the defensive end. Also, throwing the ball into the post can throw teams off and change their game plans all together.
Luckily for the Knicks, the Heat do not have dominant big men to worry about. Instead, the Heat are the ones who will have all the problems to answer. Anthony and Lebron James are expected to be matched up for most of the game with Dwayne Wade and Iman Shumpert squaring off as well.
Where does this leave the last member of the Heat’s big 3 you ask? They are in a quagmire of sorts with him. Does Erik Spoelstra trust Chris Bosh in handling Tyson Chandler going small against the Knicks, or does he go with a traditional lineup and just hope Bosh can slow down Carmelo Anthony and leave bangers Ronny Turiaf and Joel Anthony to deal with Chandler? It will be an interesting development to keep an eye on. Game pace and tempo will be what dictates the moves being made.
Friday March 23rd, 7:00 P.M. ET
New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors
The Knicks look to continue their stellar play under Mike Woodson tonight in Toronto going for their 6th straight victory. A win tonight will being the Knicks back to .500 for the first time since the last night of February when the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers.
-Loss of Jared Jeffries
The Knicks will be without defensive stalwart Jared Jeffries for tonight’s game, and also Saturday night. The Knicks will miss his presence on the defensive end, but Jeffries brings more to the table than just taking charges. For more of what Jeffries brings to the Knicks, check out this link: espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knic
Steve Novak and Josh Harrellson area expected to pick up the minutes available with Jeffries on the shelf. Novak will have to continue his great shooting while Harrellson brings an added dimension of a versatile big with 3 point range. Harrellson is valuable because he is not afraid to mix it up in the middle with opposing bigs, and also has quickness you would not expect from a player of his stature.
-Continue to Dominate the Paint
The Raptors do not have much when it comes to big men, lacking size when it comes to the paint. Andrea Bargnani is their starting Center, but he like a lot of European players prefers to play on the perimeter. The Knicks should be able to exploit this with Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. If the Knicks can dominate the paint it will lead to easy looks for snipers J.R. Smith and Steve Novak.
-Pick-and-Roll Defense
The last time the Knicks and Raptors met the Knicks struggled with guarding the pick-and-roll throughout the last game in Toronto, until the Knicks made a concentrated effort to stop it in a ferocious 4th quarter comeback. Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani work well on the pick-and-roll because of Bargnani’s deadly outside shooting. If the Knicks can contain these two, a win should not be far behind.
-Get into the Open Court
The Knicks have been successful all season forcing turnovers and converting those turnovers into points. The Raptors struggled with the defensive intensity the Knicks brought to end the game in their last meeting in Toronto, so bringing that intensity should be at the top of the Knicks to do list for this game. If the Knicks are able to open up a big lead from the start, it should deflate a Raptors team heading for yet another lottery bid this off-season.
-Carmelo Anthony’s Shooting
Carmelo Anthony has been struggling with his shot since spraining his wrist against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 12th. It will be interesting to see how Anthony bounces back after a 5-15 shooting performance Wednesday against the 76ers. One positive thing about Anthony’s performance is that he has not let it affect the rest of his game. He has shown much more effort on the defensive end, and is still continuing to rebound and be a part of the offense, evidence of the 4.4 assists per game since Woodson took over as head coach.
