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NYK NEWS
dez
9/10/18 4:20PM (ayye)
As the final buzzer sounded, and Bulls fans erupted after a wire to wire, dominant 105-80 win over a team many believed to be competitors for an NBA title. Reality began to set in for New York's Knicks.. "At that time we were 11-14.. lost some games we probably should have won, and things where turning on us fast.. we werent performing nearly as well, as we knew we were capable of [..] so a few of us older guys got together and held a players only meeting.. to air out any opinons or concerns but most importantly to get everyone on one page.." starting center Tyson Chandler explained
"Its a long season, and anything can happen.. but you never want to start off behind. Its hard playing catchup when you dig yourself a hole and all of a sudden, look up, and your 11 games out of the race, so the meeting was just the start of it all, I believe it helped guys understand their roles better.. and what was expected of them.
We have a slogan here in NY .."Everyone has a role but no-one is confined to that role." and it really helped our guys, especially the younger ones, become more comfortable with what we needed of them..
One player that seemed to benefit most, was un-drafted rookie Patrick Beverley.. "Bev maan [laughs] that kid is something else.." Chandler explains.. "But you can tell from the first practice when he VOLUNTARILY took on the assignment of guarding Kobe, that the kid was hungry.. from there on out it was history.." Apparently that caught the eye of head coach Mike D'Antoni.. which ultimately earned Beverley, the starting Point Guard spot..
Head Coach D'Antoni was quoted back in November saying : "His passion, his intensity the focus in that kid isnt something you can teach.. his love for the game is genuine and he ended up in a great spot, ther perfect spot for him.. been a fan favorite since day 1 for his grittiness and defensive acumen.. and he's only going to get better playing alongside a future HOFer like Kobe and great locker guys like Tyson and Elton.. I think his future is very bright.."
Where some teams saw a weakness, New York saw an advantage: "we knew teams werent neccesarily game planning for Pat" so I pushed him each game to look for his shot, dig into your defenders.. I told him I want you to share the same f*cking pair of shorts as your matchup does.. thats the type of intensity we need out of you every night" Bryant described "And he brought it every night.. kid really grew on me." Bryant said with a smirk.. Beverley went on to earn Rookie of the Month honors after the first month of the season as well as a spot on the NBA's All Rookie 2nd team.. though with the question of who will play point man for this team answered, the Knicks still found themseleves hovering around .500.
The turning point, however, came at a time when most would expect the complete opposite.. "I think at the time we were 22-15 and picking up some momentum, had won 8 of our last 11.. then Kobe goes down.." Carmelo Anthony told YAHOO! sports.. "I mean seeing him grab his ankle after that fall was scary.. but with the fortitude this team has.. it honestly brung us even closer together.."
The Knicks went on to win 5 of 6 games as Kobe sat .. led by his successor and fellow #CHUCKBro, Carmelo Anthony. Who himself, said his time as the main scoring option did wonders for his own confidence. "Kobe is well .. Kobe.. he's on you for every little mistake, which is a good thing dont get me wrong, but it can mess with you.. stay in that little corner in the back of you mind, cause you to 2nd guess.. and I think I did alot of that, a little too much of that .. having free reign of the offense re-assured me.. so when he returned I was just that more confident." [Melo] .. And it showed in the teams performance ...
New York would go on to finish with a 49-33 record , good for 3rd in the East, battling for home court advantage with the likes of Orlando (50-32) New Orleans (49-33) Philly, Washington And Toronto.. all of whom who were only separated by 4 games on the East, and for all their hard work, they found themselves matched against NBA MVP Chris Paul and the Toronto Raptors.. a team that for most of the 2nd half of the season, held the Easts top spot.
"We knew coming in they had been dealing with some minor injuries and kinda slowed down, hit somewhat of a rough patch.. so we felt pretty confident heading into that matchup.. I dont think anyone expected us sweep, but taking game 3 gave us all the confidence we needed to close out." D'Antoni says
That particular game wasnt a very pretty one, New York pulled out a gutty defensive performance (88-73) holding Toronto (NBAs 9th ranked offense) to 24 points fewer then their average, led by a combined 47pts from the #ChuckBros they went on to take a commanding 3-0 lead. "We kinda knew from there it was in the bag.." [Melo]
.. And we went into game 4 expecting to close out.. and we did." New Yorks next task proved to have a little more fight...
New Orleans. Many would say NO was the favorite to win it all, after a few deadline moves that helped bring in veteran big David West and guard Devin Harris, the Hornets boasted one of, if not the best roster in the postseason and were fresh off of a 7 game series against a surprisingly scrappy Indiana team, and it showed the first 4 games, as NYK won 3 of those. Once again led by the tandem of Kobe (28ppg 5.7rpg 6.5apg) Melo (24.7ppg 10.5rpg 4.7apg) and a inspiring defensive effort from rookie Patrick Beverley. Still, NO proved to be a much tougher out then the previous opponent, and despite being down 3-1 they fought back, ultimately tying the series up 3-3 before returning home for a pivotal game 7. "DRose.. he's the quiet assassin .. he took over .. we tried everything from Pat to Kobe to doubles before we realized they only way to stop him was to just score more.. and thats .. well thats what they hired me for [laughs] D'Antoni "We have a not so secret weapon that had yet to really be unleashed all season in Carmelo.. for the most part he had taken a backseat to Kobe.. and played the role of student.. but at this point the season seemed to catch up to Kobe and his legs just werent under him.. in a early timeout in game 7, I made a point to really push him [Melo] to take control, I literally told him this is your time.. look at who's guarding you.. its your time.. and Id be damned if he didn't respond.." Anthony went on to score 32 points grab 11 rebounds and even dished 7 assists (0 TO's) leading New York to a game 7 win in front of a raucous New Orleans crowd, "And the reigns shifted.. from there on out he became the man.. this is his team now, Hes finally ready I told him after." Kobe Bryant tells YAHOO! sports
The ECF's brought along a match-up the NBA has long hoped for:
LeBron/Carmelo.
Orlando, top seeded team in the East, fresh off of series wins against Chicago (4-2) and Washington (4-1) also boasted arguably the leagues greatest talent in LeBron James .. after taking the season series 3-1, Orlando jumped out to a 1-0 lead by their own duo of James and Kevin Martin outscoring NYK's 52-46, taking the first on their home court.. Only to drop the 2nd in heart breaking fashion...
With 7 seconds left in regulation, trailing by 1 after 2 clutch free throws by LeBron, the Knicks followed with their final timeout.. Coach D'Antoni initially drew a play for Kobe .. he explained how that play later ended in Melo's hands: "So we draw the play up, one we've run a million times before, a wide curl for Kobe coming off the baseline, as we break, Kobe pulls Melo aside and says something to him .. I brush it off thinking nothing of it, and before you know it Melo is the one coming off the screen.. "
"I got the ball at the top of the key.. Bron is locked in, my 2nd screen comes late cause Tyson was hedged by one of their guards so I .. gave Bron the hesi.. he presses, I body up, as i drive to kind of force some contact, knowing he doesnt want to foul he lets up, opening up enough space for me to get my jumper off.. rest is history.." [Melo].. Anthony's buzzer beating jumper from mid-right was the boost they needed to win 87-86 and split the first 2.. Heading home, NY's chances to close out, looked bright following a game 3 109-85 blowout as well as a 110-103 game 4 win .. but Orlando would take games 5 and 6, led by their own duo ... New York finds themselves in a similar predicament .. unable to closeout and in risk of having an all-time meltdown.
"We never looked at it that way, we never saw losing game 7 as a option." Bryant says.. "We had been here before, a game 7 on the road... Did it before.. why not again?" and again the Knicks would step up to the task, led by Carmelo Anthony (32pts 13-20, 4reb 2ast) .. Who showed critics and fans alike.. he can hang with the NBA's best after arguably outplaying his 06 draft counterpart..
In unfamiliar territory, the Knicks found themselves in the NBA Finals, 4 wins away from the ultimate goal. A Championship.
But just like the series' that preceeded, this was no cake walk, Minnesota has held the top spot in the league since day 3 of the season, and boasted the NBAs deadliest offense.. led by "EasyMoneySniper" Kevin Durant and the leagues top scoring trio.. New York would have to depend on their role players to step up..
Game 1 went to Minnesota 115-109.
Durant (27pts 11reb 4ast) led much of the way with help from Danny Granger (24pts 4reb) BigAL Jefferson (18pts 12reb) and veteran guard Jameer Nelson (13pts 14ast).. The Wolves provided too much firepower for a obviously tired Knicks squad. Carmelo Anthony continued his hot run leading the Knicks with 28pts (13-24) a playoff career high 9 assists and 5 rebounds.. with help from veteran big and NY native Elton Brand (25pts 8reb 5ast) who would prove to be a major piece for NY down the road.. The Knicks fell short to Minny's outside attack.
Game 2 would have the opposite outcome, in similar fashion though. New York would score upwards of 120 for just the 2nd time in postseason play, defeating Minnesota 121-104 on the road, once again, putting the Knicks in position to turn home court advantage. This time it was Tyson Chandler leading the way.. usually an after-thought on the offensive end the bigman erupted for a playoff high 23pts 15 rebounds followed by Anthony's 22pts 6reb 5ast. To be noted was Melo and Durants (22pts 10reb 9-19fg) little skirmish at the end of the 4th.. just further heating up a very scrappy matchup. heading into the Mecca.
Game 3 New York once again won in convincing fashion 110-91, as the ecstatic New York crowd was wowed in what seemed a vintage "#8 Kobe-like" performance by a 32 year old Bryant as he posted 35pts 6reb 8ast 6stl 1TO.. and twisted, contorted and snarled his way into a dominating performance .. Elton Brand also chipped in with 22pts 15reb 5blk in front of his hometown crowd. To be noted again was the constant back and forth between Melo (16pts 7reb) and KD (14pts 9reb) which ended in disqualifications to both after what Durant deemed to be an unnecessary foul with roughly 3mins left in regulation. Neither player commented on the foul or preceding face to face they shared before being separated by teammates.
Game 4 was a mix of great defense and sharing shots for NYK as they won 99-90, holding the Wolves to 38% shooting. Led by Carmelo's 19pts 10reb 6ast and new found intensity on defense.. Yes you read that right... The Knicks would smother the Wolve's offensive gameplan and Durant (22pts 7reb), who had one of the worst shooting games (9-23) he's seen in the playoffs. "I just stayed on him, .. you know KD is slithery, he's an incredible scorer and its impossible to stop him so I just bodied him as much as I could.. any chance I got hoping to tire him out.. seemed to work.." Melo explained.. "great win.. but no reason to be comfortable.. being up 3-1 hadnt gone exactly perfect for us before so we expected for them to come out swinging game 5."
And thats exactly what Minnesota did in the stretch of the 4th in Game 5, defeating NYK 100-94. For much of the game, Anthony (28pts 4reb) got the better of KD (21pts 7reb) before ultimately gasing out at the end and surrendering a crucial three point play to Durant that ended being the difference in the game. "Fans let him have it [laughs] .. so I didnt feel the need to after the game." Bryant tells us "I told him next game is yours."
Boy did Anthony show up. New York would close out on the road. Again. This time no game 7, another lockdown defensive performance saw New York take the game and Larry O'Brien trophy, 95-85. Carmelo (Finals MVP) would not only provide his usual scoring (25pts 6reb 6ast 4-6 3pt) but locked up a player many say have eclipsed him. Holding Durant to 6-19 shooting and a playoff low 13pts 6reb, New York would celebrate their first title in 38 years.. smashing narratives that their 1/2 punch wouldnt work.. that Melo would never win a ring. Kobe would never catch MJ. That a coach that didnt coach defense (apparently false) would never win it all. That NY isnt a place you could win anymore.
The New York Knicks are your reigning champions. And though there were many storylines that led to this point, and still many to be written.. theres a new banner coming to The Garden.
And thats all that matters.
dez
9/10/18 4:20PM (ayye)
As the final buzzer sounded, and Bulls fans erupted after a wire to wire, dominant 105-80 win over a team many believed to be competitors for an NBA title. Reality began to set in for New York's Knicks.. "At that time we were 11-14.. lost some games we probably should have won, and things where turning on us fast.. we werent performing nearly as well, as we knew we were capable of [..] so a few of us older guys got together and held a players only meeting.. to air out any opinons or concerns but most importantly to get everyone on one page.." starting center Tyson Chandler explained
"Its a long season, and anything can happen.. but you never want to start off behind. Its hard playing catchup when you dig yourself a hole and all of a sudden, look up, and your 11 games out of the race, so the meeting was just the start of it all, I believe it helped guys understand their roles better.. and what was expected of them.
We have a slogan here in NY .."Everyone has a role but no-one is confined to that role." and it really helped our guys, especially the younger ones, become more comfortable with what we needed of them..
Undrafted PG Patrick Beverley, one of NY's many question marks, heading into the season
One player that seemed to benefit most, was un-drafted rookie Patrick Beverley.. "Bev maan [laughs] that kid is something else.." Chandler explains.. "But you can tell from the first practice when he VOLUNTARILY took on the assignment of guarding Kobe, that the kid was hungry.. from there on out it was history.." Apparently that caught the eye of head coach Mike D'Antoni.. which ultimately earned Beverley, the starting Point Guard spot..
Head Coach D'Antoni was quoted back in November saying : "His passion, his intensity the focus in that kid isnt something you can teach.. his love for the game is genuine and he ended up in a great spot, ther perfect spot for him.. been a fan favorite since day 1 for his grittiness and defensive acumen.. and he's only going to get better playing alongside a future HOFer like Kobe and great locker guys like Tyson and Elton.. I think his future is very bright.."
Where some teams saw a weakness, New York saw an advantage: "we knew teams werent neccesarily game planning for Pat" so I pushed him each game to look for his shot, dig into your defenders.. I told him I want you to share the same f*cking pair of shorts as your matchup does.. thats the type of intensity we need out of you every night" Bryant described "And he brought it every night.. kid really grew on me." Bryant said with a smirk.. Beverley went on to earn Rookie of the Month honors after the first month of the season as well as a spot on the NBA's All Rookie 2nd team.. though with the question of who will play point man for this team answered, the Knicks still found themseleves hovering around .500.
The turning point, however, came at a time when most would expect the complete opposite.. "I think at the time we were 22-15 and picking up some momentum, had won 8 of our last 11.. then Kobe goes down.." Carmelo Anthony told YAHOO! sports.. "I mean seeing him grab his ankle after that fall was scary.. but with the fortitude this team has.. it honestly brung us even closer together.."
A severely sprained ankle would bench team captain, Kobe Bryant, for a pivitol 6 game stretch
The Knicks went on to win 5 of 6 games as Kobe sat .. led by his successor and fellow #CHUCKBro, Carmelo Anthony. Who himself, said his time as the main scoring option did wonders for his own confidence. "Kobe is well .. Kobe.. he's on you for every little mistake, which is a good thing dont get me wrong, but it can mess with you.. stay in that little corner in the back of you mind, cause you to 2nd guess.. and I think I did alot of that, a little too much of that .. having free reign of the offense re-assured me.. so when he returned I was just that more confident." [Melo] .. And it showed in the teams performance ...
New York would go on to finish with a 49-33 record , good for 3rd in the East, battling for home court advantage with the likes of Orlando (50-32) New Orleans (49-33) Philly, Washington And Toronto.. all of whom who were only separated by 4 games on the East, and for all their hard work, they found themselves matched against NBA MVP Chris Paul and the Toronto Raptors.. a team that for most of the 2nd half of the season, held the Easts top spot.
"We knew coming in they had been dealing with some minor injuries and kinda slowed down, hit somewhat of a rough patch.. so we felt pretty confident heading into that matchup.. I dont think anyone expected us sweep, but taking game 3 gave us all the confidence we needed to close out." D'Antoni says
That particular game wasnt a very pretty one, New York pulled out a gutty defensive performance (88-73) holding Toronto (NBAs 9th ranked offense) to 24 points fewer then their average, led by a combined 47pts from the #ChuckBros they went on to take a commanding 3-0 lead. "We kinda knew from there it was in the bag.." [Melo]
.. And we went into game 4 expecting to close out.. and we did." New Yorks next task proved to have a little more fight...
New Orleans. Many would say NO was the favorite to win it all, after a few deadline moves that helped bring in veteran big David West and guard Devin Harris, the Hornets boasted one of, if not the best roster in the postseason and were fresh off of a 7 game series against a surprisingly scrappy Indiana team, and it showed the first 4 games, as NYK won 3 of those. Once again led by the tandem of Kobe (28ppg 5.7rpg 6.5apg) Melo (24.7ppg 10.5rpg 4.7apg) and a inspiring defensive effort from rookie Patrick Beverley. Still, NO proved to be a much tougher out then the previous opponent, and despite being down 3-1 they fought back, ultimately tying the series up 3-3 before returning home for a pivotal game 7. "DRose.. he's the quiet assassin .. he took over .. we tried everything from Pat to Kobe to doubles before we realized they only way to stop him was to just score more.. and thats .. well thats what they hired me for [laughs] D'Antoni "We have a not so secret weapon that had yet to really be unleashed all season in Carmelo.. for the most part he had taken a backseat to Kobe.. and played the role of student.. but at this point the season seemed to catch up to Kobe and his legs just werent under him.. in a early timeout in game 7, I made a point to really push him [Melo] to take control, I literally told him this is your time.. look at who's guarding you.. its your time.. and Id be damned if he didn't respond.." Anthony went on to score 32 points grab 11 rebounds and even dished 7 assists (0 TO's) leading New York to a game 7 win in front of a raucous New Orleans crowd, "And the reigns shifted.. from there on out he became the man.. this is his team now, Hes finally ready I told him after." Kobe Bryant tells YAHOO! sports
Melo's toughest tests were ahead of him.. was he ready for the challenge?
The ECF's brought along a match-up the NBA has long hoped for:
LeBron/Carmelo.
Orlando, top seeded team in the East, fresh off of series wins against Chicago (4-2) and Washington (4-1) also boasted arguably the leagues greatest talent in LeBron James .. after taking the season series 3-1, Orlando jumped out to a 1-0 lead by their own duo of James and Kevin Martin outscoring NYK's 52-46, taking the first on their home court.. Only to drop the 2nd in heart breaking fashion...
With 7 seconds left in regulation, trailing by 1 after 2 clutch free throws by LeBron, the Knicks followed with their final timeout.. Coach D'Antoni initially drew a play for Kobe .. he explained how that play later ended in Melo's hands: "So we draw the play up, one we've run a million times before, a wide curl for Kobe coming off the baseline, as we break, Kobe pulls Melo aside and says something to him .. I brush it off thinking nothing of it, and before you know it Melo is the one coming off the screen.. "
"I got the ball at the top of the key.. Bron is locked in, my 2nd screen comes late cause Tyson was hedged by one of their guards so I .. gave Bron the hesi.. he presses, I body up, as i drive to kind of force some contact, knowing he doesnt want to foul he lets up, opening up enough space for me to get my jumper off.. rest is history.." [Melo].. Anthony's buzzer beating jumper from mid-right was the boost they needed to win 87-86 and split the first 2.. Heading home, NY's chances to close out, looked bright following a game 3 109-85 blowout as well as a 110-103 game 4 win .. but Orlando would take games 5 and 6, led by their own duo ... New York finds themselves in a similar predicament .. unable to closeout and in risk of having an all-time meltdown.
"We never looked at it that way, we never saw losing game 7 as a option." Bryant says.. "We had been here before, a game 7 on the road... Did it before.. why not again?" and again the Knicks would step up to the task, led by Carmelo Anthony (32pts 13-20, 4reb 2ast) .. Who showed critics and fans alike.. he can hang with the NBA's best after arguably outplaying his 06 draft counterpart..
A back and forth between greats, saw Carmelo Anthony (24.2ppg 7rpg) go toe to toe with ORL's LeBron James (23.1ppg 8.4rpg 5.8apg) in 7 games
In unfamiliar territory, the Knicks found themselves in the NBA Finals, 4 wins away from the ultimate goal. A Championship.
But just like the series' that preceeded, this was no cake walk, Minnesota has held the top spot in the league since day 3 of the season, and boasted the NBAs deadliest offense.. led by "EasyMoneySniper" Kevin Durant and the leagues top scoring trio.. New York would have to depend on their role players to step up..
Game 1 went to Minnesota 115-109.
Durant (27pts 11reb 4ast) led much of the way with help from Danny Granger (24pts 4reb) BigAL Jefferson (18pts 12reb) and veteran guard Jameer Nelson (13pts 14ast).. The Wolves provided too much firepower for a obviously tired Knicks squad. Carmelo Anthony continued his hot run leading the Knicks with 28pts (13-24) a playoff career high 9 assists and 5 rebounds.. with help from veteran big and NY native Elton Brand (25pts 8reb 5ast) who would prove to be a major piece for NY down the road.. The Knicks fell short to Minny's outside attack.
Game 2 would have the opposite outcome, in similar fashion though. New York would score upwards of 120 for just the 2nd time in postseason play, defeating Minnesota 121-104 on the road, once again, putting the Knicks in position to turn home court advantage. This time it was Tyson Chandler leading the way.. usually an after-thought on the offensive end the bigman erupted for a playoff high 23pts 15 rebounds followed by Anthony's 22pts 6reb 5ast. To be noted was Melo and Durants (22pts 10reb 9-19fg) little skirmish at the end of the 4th.. just further heating up a very scrappy matchup. heading into the Mecca.
Game 3 New York once again won in convincing fashion 110-91, as the ecstatic New York crowd was wowed in what seemed a vintage "#8 Kobe-like" performance by a 32 year old Bryant as he posted 35pts 6reb 8ast 6stl 1TO.. and twisted, contorted and snarled his way into a dominating performance .. Elton Brand also chipped in with 22pts 15reb 5blk in front of his hometown crowd. To be noted again was the constant back and forth between Melo (16pts 7reb) and KD (14pts 9reb) which ended in disqualifications to both after what Durant deemed to be an unnecessary foul with roughly 3mins left in regulation. Neither player commented on the foul or preceding face to face they shared before being separated by teammates.
Game 4 was a mix of great defense and sharing shots for NYK as they won 99-90, holding the Wolves to 38% shooting. Led by Carmelo's 19pts 10reb 6ast and new found intensity on defense.. Yes you read that right... The Knicks would smother the Wolve's offensive gameplan and Durant (22pts 7reb), who had one of the worst shooting games (9-23) he's seen in the playoffs. "I just stayed on him, .. you know KD is slithery, he's an incredible scorer and its impossible to stop him so I just bodied him as much as I could.. any chance I got hoping to tire him out.. seemed to work.." Melo explained.. "great win.. but no reason to be comfortable.. being up 3-1 hadnt gone exactly perfect for us before so we expected for them to come out swinging game 5."
And thats exactly what Minnesota did in the stretch of the 4th in Game 5, defeating NYK 100-94. For much of the game, Anthony (28pts 4reb) got the better of KD (21pts 7reb) before ultimately gasing out at the end and surrendering a crucial three point play to Durant that ended being the difference in the game. "Fans let him have it [laughs] .. so I didnt feel the need to after the game." Bryant tells us "I told him next game is yours."
Boy did Anthony show up. New York would close out on the road. Again. This time no game 7, another lockdown defensive performance saw New York take the game and Larry O'Brien trophy, 95-85. Carmelo (Finals MVP) would not only provide his usual scoring (25pts 6reb 6ast 4-6 3pt) but locked up a player many say have eclipsed him. Holding Durant to 6-19 shooting and a playoff low 13pts 6reb, New York would celebrate their first title in 38 years.. smashing narratives that their 1/2 punch wouldnt work.. that Melo would never win a ring. Kobe would never catch MJ. That a coach that didnt coach defense (apparently false) would never win it all. That NY isnt a place you could win anymore.
The New York Knicks are your reigning champions. And though there were many storylines that led to this point, and still many to be written.. theres a new banner coming to The Garden.
And thats all that matters.
