Preview
Knicks Take on Pacers Amid Blizzard
Buried in snow, MSG is open for the tank show featuring the New York Knickerbockers
New York, and the entire Northeastern region of the United States, is snowed in. Shops are closed, metro service has been cut back, and the NBA seriously considered cancelling the Knicks versus the Pacers game at Madison Square Garden tonight.
But the show goes on:
State of the Knicks
New York is coming off a catastrophic road trip, losing three of their last four. In a season with playoff aspirations, and Derrick-Rose-incited “super team” comments, the Knicks are now three spots out of last place in the East. And to make matters worse, they almost certainly won’t out-tank the last-place Nets, who are still 13 games behind the Knicks (and who owe their first round pick to the Boston Celtics).
If the Knicks want a chance at Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz, the two top point guard prospects in the 2017 draft class, then they’ll have to pray for a miracle when Lottery drawing night comes around.
For now, they’re stuck with the roster they have, and Kristaps Porzingis’ performance continues to dip. After starting off the first 10 games of the season scoring 19.3 points a game on 48.2 percent shooting from the field, the Unicorn has averaged just 16.8 points on 42.7 percent shooting since the All-Star Break (per BBall_Ref).
Amidst the storm, Carmelo Anthony has been a steadying presence, although he hasn’t shown the ability to take over games in the fourth quarter like he used to. Since the All-Star Break, Anthony is averaging 20.8 points on 40 percent shooting and 30.4 percent three-point shooting, right in line with his season averages (via NBA.com/Stats). Much to the disappointment of Knicks fans, he hasn’t been able to carry the team by himself like he could three or four years ago. But as an aging scorer on the wrong side of 30, he should at least be praised for his consistency.
Matching up against the Pacers
The Knicks lead the season series 2–1, although the Pacers are starting to figure things out as the postseason approaches, with wins over the feisty Heat and Pistons over their last three games.
Paul George has been on fire over his last five contests, averaging 27.4 points on 53.9 percent shooting. He’s also added 8.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals over that stretch, showing flashes of the player he was before his gruesome leg injury in 2014 during a Team USA showcase (via NBA.com/Stats). His diminished explosiveness means he can’t bully his way to the free-throw line like he used to, but the smoothness with which he gets to his spots out of the high pick-and-roll is pretty much inimitable. He’s like a veteran quarterback stepping into the pocket when he comes off a high screen, coolly pulling up for a 15-footer that will barely touch the net as it drops through for two points.
Which is a huge problem for the Knicks, who have the sixth worst Defensive Rating in the league, per NBA.com (that would be 108.8). They allow the fifth most points in the paint for opponents, which the Pacers’ springy frontcourt of Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young can feast on, opening up a ton of outside space for George to go to work in.
If the Knicks are to win:
- Porzingis has to be able to contend with Turner and Young’s physicality. He looked completely outmatched from a strength standpoint against Andre Drummond on Saturday, and seemed frustrated that he couldn’t box Drummond out effectively.
- The Knicks shooters have to get hot. Granted, they don’t have many shooters to begin with, since their best outside threat, Anthony, is a career 34.7 percent three-point shooter. But the Knicks take nearly three quarters of their shots from inside the three-point line, meaning if they can’t hit a few triples to keep the defense honest, their spacing will cramp up fast.
Prediction: Pacers defeat the Knicks, 102–85.
Tip-off is at 7:30 pm EST. Enjoy the snow day basketball game!
— Harrison Liao, site writer
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