New York @ Boston

[Mr. J]

<div align="center">

*made by Knicks Analyst

@

Knicks 19-30 / Celtics 25-25</div>
<font size="3">
Date: 2/10/05
Time 7:30
TV: MSG, NBALP</font>

<font size="4">Season Stats</font>

Previous Games:
Knicks: 116-110 OT L vs Miami
Celtics: 94-89L vs LA Clippers

Knicks
Record: 19-30 (.388)
Standings: Fifth, Atlantic
At Home: 12-12
On Road: 7-18

PPG: 95.5 Opp PPG: 99.0
FG%: .445 Opp FG%: .467
RPG: 40.9 Opp RPG: 42.2

Celtics:
Record: 25-25 (.500)
Standings: First, Atlantic
At Home: 17-8
On Road: 8-17

PPG: 101.0 Opp PPG: 99.9
FG%: .464 Opp FG%: .446
RPG: 40.4 Opp RPG: 42.6


*BOLD leader in particular stat.
<font size="4">
<font color="DarkOrange">Knicks Starters</font></font>
PG: Stephon Marbury
39.9pg 21.2ppg 3.0rpg 8.2apg

SG: Jamal Crawford<font size="4">???</font>
36.9mpg 18.6ppg 2.8rpg 3.7apg

SF: Trevor Ariza
18.3mpg 6.1ppg 2.9rpg 1.3apg

PF: Kurt Thomas
36.9mpg 11.4ppg 10.1rpg 2.0apg

C: Nazr Mohammed<font size="4">???</font>
29.2mpg 11.7ppg 8.6rpg 0.4apg

<font size="3">Knicks Bench:</font>
Jerome Williams
16.7mpg 4.8ppg 3.7rpg 0.6apg

Tim Thomas<font size="4">???</font>
26.4mpg 10.4ppg 3.4rpg 1.2apg

Penny Hardaway
24.4mpg 7.7ppg 2.6rpg 2.0apg

Mike Sweetney
17.3mpg 7.5ppg 4.7rpg 0.6apg

Jamison Brewer
10.6mpg 1.8ppg 1.3rpg 0.7apg

Vin Baker
8.1mpg 1.4ppg 1.5rpg 0.3apg

Bruno Sundov
4.7mpg 1.8ppg 0.9rpg 0.1apg

Complete Knicks Stats

<font size="4">
<font color="Green">Celtics Starters</font></font>
PG: Gary Payton
32.8mpg 12.2ppg 2.9rpg 6.2apg

SG: Tony Allen
15.4mpg 6.0ppg 2.8apg 0.9rpg

SF: Paul Pierce
36.2mpg 22.1ppg 6.9rpg 4.3apg

PF: Raef LaFrentz
27.8mpg 11.2ppg 7.5rpg 1.2apg

C: Mark Blount
28.6mpg 10.3ppg 5.3rpg 1.8apg

<font size="3">Celtics Bench</font>
Ricky Davis
31.2mpg 14.7ppg 2.8rpg 2.8apg

Jiri Welsch
21.2mpg 7.9ppg 2.6rpg 1.6apg

Marcus Banks
14.2mpg 5.1ppg 1.5rpg 1.7apg

Kendrick Perkins
8.6mpg 2.2ppg 2.6pg 0.4apg

Delonte West
8.1mpg 2.6ppg 1.0pg 1.1apg

Tom Gugliotta
10.8mpg 1.7ppg 2.1pg 0.6apg

Justin Reed
3.6mpg 2.1ppg 0.3pg 0.6apg

Complete Celtics Stats


<font size="4">
<font color="Red">Injuries:</font></font>
<font size="4">?</font>=Questionable
<font color="DarkOrange">NYK:</font>

<font size="4">?</font>

<font size="4">?</font>

<font size="4">?</font>
Norris, Houston, Crawford, T.Thomas, Mohammed

<font color="RED">BOS:</font>

and

Al Jefferson and Michael Stewart

<font size="4">
<font color="Green">Matchups:</font></font>

vs.

PG: Well it is Marbury against a future hall of famer, Gary Payton. He is aging and his less than stellar playoff performance with the Lakers last season caused people to ask, does the glove still fit? Even if it?s not too snugly like it used to be Payton can still cause problems with his defense. I think he will have a little bit of trouble keeping up with Marbury though who has been playing good basketball as of late and really has proved to us he belongs in an orange and blue uniform. If he can continue his prolific scoring and smart basketball play he can easily exploit this matchup with Gary Payton to the fullest. Gary Payton despite Payton declining he can still produce. He will not give you his superstar numbers like what he used to do in Seattle however, 12 points and 6 assists are very solid numbers. He still has that post up game, and gives you those intangibles like leadership and the way he ran a team.

<font size="4">???</font> vs.

Tony Allen is a good athlete who is just like Crawford in the flashiness department. Something that separates them is Crawford is obviously more experienced with a jumper. Allen is stronger than Crawford but, he is slightly shorter as well. If Jamal brings it to the basket and just plays smart he can give Allen some problems. This is usually the case for him. Smart basketball is what Crawford needs to do every single game. Allen needs a body on him and can not be taken for granted because he is a rookie. Rookies love those types of opportunities to shine when you give them that type of nonchalant defense.

vs.

SF: We have the truth against the future truth of our Knicks. Ariza has more than a tough game against the Truth Paul Pierce. He just recently received a player of the week award. Paul Pierce is one of my favorite players and Shaq says that Pierce is one of the few players that his sons are allowed to watch. Pierce is a great leader and example and a nice little rookie is not a matchup that is necessarily benefiting us too well. Again rookies will shine if you let them I do think Pierce will not sleep on anyone but if he does, Ariza will wake him up!

vs.

PF: Raef LaFrentz and Mr. Fundamentals Jr. Kurt Thomas. I have forgotten all about him! He was originally traded from Antoine Walker along with Jiri Welsch. When he was originally traded, he missed the season with an injury. Danny Ainge said he sees potential in him. I do too but, not for Pierce?s sidekick and best friend Walker. They used to always give the Knicks troubles. Well now that he is gone Kurt Thomas? has an easier job. What Kurt Thomas needs to remember is LaFrentz can shoot the 3 ball so he needs to keep a body on him all the time. I do not see him as much of a threat at all unless left open. We defend his position the best so I don?t see him having a very prosperous night.

<font size="4">???</font> vs.

C: He definitely improved his game and now he is one of the most improved players in the league. He has a decent game with a decent midrange jumper. A good shot blocker as well. I hope Nazr Mohammed is playing tonight. If he is not we are stuck with Vin ?Booze? Baker. We do not need him playing Blount. He is really not what he used to be, not even from last season. After what Mohammed did last night against SHAQ I am convinced he can give Blount trouble. If he comes with that same fire and desire he played against Shaq, he can give Blount more than enough trouble. That is if Mohammed is playing, if he?s not we are in a little bit of trouble. Bruno starting? I don?t think so. Maybe if he stays in the paint Bruno can thrive with the jumper. Hopefully Mohammed is playing but, I wouldn?t want him to re aggravate his injury and exacerbate the problem.

<font size="3"><font color="DarkOrange">Knicks Bench Summary</font></font>
Injuries are killing us. If Mohammed is out and Jamal Crawford and Tim Thomas, we need the starters to step up. So many injuries. I wonder if there will be a time where we will be ineligible to play because there are less than 5 people. We are in need of someone. Injuries have taken a toll on us.

<font size="3"><font color="Green">Celtics Bench Summary:</font></font>
They have a decent bench with Ricky Davis and Jiri Welsch coming off. They get a huge boost of energy from Ricky Davis and some shooting from Welsch. These are two guys the Knicks have to watch out for off the bench. Of they can keep these guys from doing anything spectacular, we can focus more on the starters like Paul Pierce. Their bench is obviously stronger than ours due to so many injuries.

<font size="4"><font color="Green">Key Matchup:</font></font>
New School vs. Old School
?Starbury?

vs.

?The Glove?
We have Gary Payton against Stephon Marbury. This is a clash of a former superstar in the NBA who was at a point maybe the best point guard in the league, against someone who is still climbing up that plateau. If Marbury worked on his leadership more and played more defense than maybe he could be almost as good as Payton was. Well Payton is well passed his prime while Marbury is in his prime currently. We will see if Payton can keep us with this new style of basketball and can keep up with the legs of a 27 year old. These floor generals are trying to lead their teams in the Atlantic division and preserve their leads for the rest of the season. This is a good matchup that we are watching right here. Very exciting one.


<font size="4">My Prediction:</font>
This is the best game for us. We need to win to get us up in the division. If we win tonight, we automatically move up and they move down. The way Knicks have been playing as of late, I am going with them by a score of 102-95. I think we would have had a better game but, you know how we are with big leads so I see us only winning by 7.
<font color="RED"><font size="4">THIS GAME IS AT THE REGUALR 7:30!!! </font></font>

 

[Tribute to H2O]

Nice preview. This injury thing is really getting out of hand. I know every team has some sort of key injury during the season but not many have it like this. I dont think Mohammed will be playing. His particular injury will only go away with time. Kurt Thomas will probably start at center and Sweetney at powerforward if Mohammed doesnt play. I cant really make a prediction since I'm not sure who will be playing and who wont but we'll probably choke on a double digit lead sometime during the 4th quarter and lose another heartbreaker because we have no player who can hit shots from the field or from the charity stripe under pressure. But I'll call the Knicks to win anyway, 97-92.

 

[jbbHardaway]

why the preview always haven't penny?

 

[CeltsMan54]

The thing I'll be watching is if Banks get in the game. He was very good in slowing Marbury down on the offensive end the last time the two teams played, but he's apparently down on the depth chart behind Doc's new favorite player, Delonte West. I'll be curious to see if West can handle the task.

Shocker, I'll pick a Celtics win, 110-105.

 

[Mr. J]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Hardaway:</div><div class="quote_post">why the preview always haven't penny?</div>
Thank you! I forgot all about Penny. Once returned from injury, I never made him. At least I know someone is reading the previews!

 

[Beat]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">Thank you! I forgot all about Penny. Once returned from injury, I never made him. At least I know someone is reading the previews!

</div>
Or he just scrolled down and did a double take after not seeing penny. But he probably did read it

 

[Penny]

Yeah I always noticed that too, lol. Last time we lost because we couldn't contain Paul Pierce, and I think the same thing is going to happen here. Add in Ricky Davis off the bench, I cannot see how we're going to win this, they have some scorers and we have no defense.
I am interested in the Gary Payton | Stephon Marbury match-up. Stephon Marbury needs another one of his 30+ point efforts, and we need to monster the boards, otherwise ................

New York Knicks 96
Boston Celtics 101

 

[Mr. J]

I had this feeling that we are going to lose too but, the Knicks have been playing really INSPIRED basketball. Yeah they choked up on Wednesday, but they showed a lot of heart to even stay in the game and hold the heat to 3 points in the last 5 minutes while they dropped 17! It's all about heart and the Knicks have been playing with that as of late and that playing an evenly matched Boston Celtics team will give us a win.

 

[Penny]

Actually that is true even in their recent losses they never really got blown. The New York Knicks have been pretty much losing games themselves, it's a shame alot of those losses deal with free throw shooting.

Nevertheless their playing well against the Boston Celtics, but we must slow down Ricky Davis before he gets too hot. Tim Thomas is playing well, come to think it seems like everyone is playing well.

The New York Knicks cannot allow themselves to fall behind too far, as long as it's close entering the 4th Quarter, there is a chance to get an important win on the road.

 

[Mr. J]

Halftime

<font size="7">Halftime</font>
Knicks 51

He already has 11 in the first half! Excellent all around game by Kurt Thomas and hopefully he continues this. The way he has been playing as of late, makes me think no trading him away. He is too valuable for us.


<font size="4">My Prediction:</font>
Again we trail at the half. We have almost always trailed at halftime. Well again, no defense and Celtics shoot 50+ from the field. Knicks will probably step it up as the game continues but, the only question is if we make a run can we hold on to our lead. Last time we couldn?t and Boston beat us. We need to keep our heads up and put an end to this right now. We are shooting badly from the line as well. I?m still going with my Knicks 102-99 in a nail biter. Herb will flood their minds with the attitude to win. Come on guys, we need a win especially against the Celtics.

 

[KnicksUK]

Another loss coming up! I've forgotten what it feels like for the Knicks to totally out play a team. The sooner this season ends the better.

I've tried being optimistic before but can't anymore.

 

[KnicksUK]

I was right.

Lottery pick here we come!

 

[Beat]

What a lose. Maybe next game.

 

[Mr. J]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KnicksUK:</div><div class="quote_post">Another loss coming up! I've forgotten what it feels like for the Knicks to totally out play a team. The sooner this season ends the better.

I've tried being optimistic before but can't anymore.</div>
For real. I'm trying to keep my head up but, it's too heavy with losses. This is rediculous. What is Isiah doing??? NOTHING.

mrj18=Smily on the right. Isiah Thomas=Smily on the left.

 

[TnNeG]

another day, another loss.

 

[jbbHardaway]

Marbury take a great game..but can't win the game...
why not put penny to starting-lineup??He is good when he back this month

 

[Mr. J]

It was alright. Payton was giving him some real problems. Marbury's points are a bit overrated. When they know they're going to lose, he purposefully plays hard and gets to the paint to cut the deficit to 18. He hogs the ball when no one plays defense at the end. He ahd to have at least 7 points from doing that. I wish we still had Frank Williams though.

 

[Penny]

What's funny is that everytime the New York Knicks play, I expect them to lose. When I go nba.com and see that they lost it's either:

a) Oh we came close this time
or

Yeah I knew they would get blown

If, or whenever they do win I am usually surprised. I still remember prior to the season starting we were all talking about how it is realistic that we could reach the 2nd round even a Conference Finals birth if we played really well.
The ironic part was that we thought that a playoff birth was certain with our line-up and the issue was; how far could we go?
I would always get frustrated and confused when people would say that either Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers would finish ahead of the New York Knicks.

Oh boy............ how wrong we were.

The New York Knicks belong with this group in my opinion, in order from worst to best:
<ul>[*] Atlanta Hawks
[*] New Orleans Hornets
[*] Charlotte Bobcats
[*] Golden State Warriors
[*] New York Knicks
[*] Toronto Raptors
[*] Utah Jazz
[/list]

 

[CeltsMan54]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">When they know they're going to lose, he purposefully plays hard and gets to the paint to cut the deficit to 18.</div>
Yeah, he seemed to always be at the line in the fourth, I was wondering why he waited so long to do it, cause it was working for him.