KP returns and the entire rotation falls into place, incredible how transformative one guy can be. The defensive grit was there but with some caveats. The Grizzlies are pretty awful to begin with and Marc Gasol got hurt in the first half and played through injury in the second which hamstrings an already bitten team. That's not to discount that KP's presence changes everything or that Beasley going to the bench was beneficial as all hell. The offense flows so much better when KP is around that it's insane and having a shot blocker on the floor means that Kanter doesn't have so much added weight defensively. It also helps when we can hide Jack on somebody who won't light him up which was looking tougher and tougher after watching him struggle to keep up with Thaddeous Young off switches (shout out to Harrison and Mclemore). Anyway, this was "can't lose" game as long KP made it out there and the Knicks did what is expected. They have a soft schedule coming and need to capitalize otherwise a week from today they'll be staring at murderer's row and I'll be playing with trade generators.
Lee: I'm glad that Courtney Lee got to have a night like this in the Garden. Leading scorer, clutch baskets, trademark D and presence of mind to go coach youngsters while he's out there working (wait...it was Beasley he was coaching? point stands). 24 pts, 3 asts, 1 board on 10/17 to go with 4/6 from three for the man. We needed points, so he focused on giving us points. It was reliable Lee with that new aggressive edge doing everything we needed including taking it to Tyreke Evans on the defensive end after dude started hot. Great game! I love his presence, but if it looks like we're out of the hunt I want to see him shipped to a playoff team. He deserves to compete.
KP: KP saw a lot of rapid double teams which blew up a concerted attempt to post him up often. He looked rusty, missing some good looks and getting snuck up on from doubles at times. But he also made some clutch baskets and was a defensive presence inside that we've been missing. 8/19 from the field for 18 pts, 5 boards, a steal and a block...not a pretty stat-line but he's coming back from an ankle injury (and he always rushes back from injuries) and he came up with some big baskets in the fourth. Even struggling, his presence really changed the look of everyone else.
Jack: Jarrett Jack had his best game in a long while. 10 pts, 10 asts, 6 boards and he wasn't exposed on defense either. Jack made some heady plays, did a nice job getting inside and dishing and also spread the love well. I've been losing patience with his godawful defensive play in recent games but he got back to an effective all-around game on this one.
Kanter: Marc Gasol is a tough assignment for any C and the Kanter struggled offensively. 4/10 for 12 pts, 12 boards but add 4 TO's to boot with some memorable strip steals on him. Gasol didn't abuse him on the other end though and while he always has a couple of late rotations, you could see that his instincts were there and he was making some better decisions about where to be on the floor. We're past the point of talking about his rebounding unless he grabs less than 15 because he's that good on the glass, you EXPECT double digits. Far from his best game but still solid overall.
Lance: For the first time in my life, I saw Lance starting and applauded because it meant no worrying about Beasley starting and throwing the chemistry off. With the starters, Lance didn't need to force things offensively and focused on being a defensive presence which he did well. 8 pts, 4 boards on 2/2 shooting with a three included. The only blemish were his two TO's including one travel where he had a couple of open players to feed but shuffled his feet looking to drive instead.
Frank: There's a bit of momentum building for the kid as he's actually attacking aggressive defenders instead of picking up his dribble. Chalmers was on him tight and the kid didn't fold. 8 pts, 2 asts, 3 stls but 3 TO's as well; he's making mistakes but playing through them well. He got his feet in the paint multiple times. Once for a kickout to McDermott, once he missed a floater, another time he got inside on a give and go with KP off the break but didn't finish and then one TO where he had his man beat but forced a kickout instead of looking to draw the shooting foul. Frank had 8 FTA's, four off fouls drawn off the dribble in the bonus but that he's drawing foul calls is a nice sign of improvement regardless. Defensively, the deflections continue and the steals were there. He's shooting and driving more confidently, defending hard and just needs to keep getting reps and avoid some of the fouls. I'm loving the upside.
Doug: Forgettable game from McDermott but not awful. 5 pts, 3 boards, 1 ast, a steal and a block on 2/4 from the field. It's not terrible production for 21 minutes out there and defensively he did alright too but that was the word for his entire game...it was alright.
KOQ: The ebbs and flows of Kyle O'Quinn's energy continue. No points, no FGA's, 0/2 FT's, 3 boards, 2 asts and 3 TO's in 17 minutes. He made some really lazy passes right across half court, one picked for a lay-up and a second that just barely missed being his fourth TO. That going through the motions look happens from time to time with him and if you see it early, you might as well bench him. Especially considering Willy has been doing really well in his last 3 appearances.
Beas: Put this dude against a second unit, surround him with defenders and just let him score for 5 minute stanzas. 14 pts, 4 boards and 2 asts in 18 minutes off 5 of 7 shooting. He added a steal too and overall looked more aggressive on defense even if he still had enough brain farts to get called aside by Courtney Lee. His man defense on Parsons did stand out, just off of his focus there. When he's motivated, he can create chaos but the role reversal with Lance was crucial to get him in the right mindset.
Dotson: 2 boards in 5 minutes after starting the previous couple of games. Honestly, I'd have been really interested to see what he looked like with KP in the starting unit or what he looked like playing significant second unit minutes after competing with starters. Alas, the team won and played well enough that I can't complain too hard.
Jeff: I've been complaining about Jeff losing our identity with his rotations but he addressed that quickly. Flipping Lance and Beas was a great move, helped doubly by the return of KP. Making sure there were three plus-defenders on the floor with Beasley was another stroke of "well duh" but also "nailed it." My two complaints are that KOQ was low energy and Willy has done enough to get a shot when that happens...because we know it's going to happen with Kyle at this point; and that KP played 34 minutes after missing time with an injury. The second one is minor and more me worrying about our star player when we're playing such a weak team but KP made clutch plays so we may have needed him out there that long. This was a good one from the coach focused on winning, a bad one for youth development as the rookies and sophomores didn't or barely played besides Frank. We're still caught between making a run (Dotson plays five mins) or going for youth (Dotson starts the two games prior); but if we're back to a more defensive mentality then I'll be patient and see how it plays itself out.