- There is NO way the Ravens are going to beat the Patriots, so everybody must stop saying this game is a potential road block for New England. If Steve McNair, who is clearly done, struggled this mightily against the Steelers, how is he going to mount any type of an offensive threat against a Belichick led defense in Foxborough?
- In the post-game interviews Ray Lewis bragged about how the Ravens defense shut down the Steelers offense in the 2nd half. Raymond, the Steelers were up by 28 points at half time. Do you think Pittsburgh was trying to score points at 38-7 or milking the clock during a game played in a monsoon?
- We knew Pittsburgh was good going into the Ravens game. The question was how good? Beating Baltimore isn't a great barometer of Pittsburgh's prowess because the Ravens lost fumbles on three straight possessions in the first half in their own territory - essentially gift wrapping the game for the Steelers. Pittsburgh's defense looked great BUT remember they were playing an anemic offense in a monsoon. We'll learn more about Pittsburgh in Week 10 against the Browns.
Weekly Irony Blunder Award: Tony Kornheiser
As I mentioned in my last column: My biggest pet peeve is the misuse of the word irony, which I believe is the most egregiously misused word by sportscasters. On Monday Night Football, Tony Kornheiser discussed how the ownership of the Steelers was responsible for the creation of the rule that requires any NFL team hiring a head coach to interview at least one minority candidate. He then said it was ironic ("the irony of ironies" was his direct quote) that current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, was a minority interview. How is this irony - an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected. The Steelers are responsible for the minority interview rule, why would them hiring a minority coach be the opposite of what might have been expected?? They're the one team most likely to hire a minority coach. Irony would have been the apt terminology if the Steelers refused to give Tomlin the interview.
Knicks Notes
Quote of the Week - "But he's had his hands on a lot of balls tonight" - Knicks announcer Mike Breen
Honorable Mention: When Breen said "There's Kenyon Martin in his street clothes," I couldn't help laughing. Yeah, I'm sure a tatted-up Kenyon Martin wears a pinstriped Armani suit when he goes to Applebees.
Heading into Tuesday's Nuggets @ Knicks game, here are the questions I was looking to answer about the New York squad:
- How will Eddie Curry and Zach Randolph work together? Will they get in each other's way?
- What is the Knicks' best 5-man lineup?
- What do the Knicks do well? What do they struggle with?
- Is Stephon Marbury a good fit? Can the Knicks win with him at the helm?
- Should I be excited about the Knicks?
Before I answer these 5 questions, let me first explain how the Knicks beat the Nuggets. In short, both teams got into a fast paced shootout from the get go. Denver figured that with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony they can outscore the Knicks, as both teams decided early on they wouldn't being playing anything resembling defense. Denver led for the better part of 45 minutes. But everything changed late in the 4th quarter. Knicks 2nd year forward Ronaldo Balkman shifted the entire dynamic of the game. He shut down Carmelo Anthony, blocked shots, played the passing lanes, started fast breaks, dunked, passed, and most importantly - injected energy into his team and the Garden. Don't worry about his line in the boxscore - Balkman won the game.
The Knicks went on a 14-3 comeback run with the following 5: Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Ronaldo Balkman, David Lee, and Zach Randolph.
Evaluating Isiah Thomas: I don't know why Thomas allowed his team to play run and gun with the Nuggest in the first half when they have a clear advantage in the half court set with Curry and Randolph working the post. Not to mention, the Knicks simply refused to hustle back in transition, which is half the battle when playing fast break basketball - but I'll get to this later. It wasn't until after halftime that the Knicks started slowing down the pace of the game to their advantage. I will give Thomas credit for his ability to tweak the lineup at the correct juncture of the game.
Answering Question 1: Offensively, Curry and Randolph work fine together. They share the ball with each other surprisingly well and they both command double teams, which made it extremely difficult for Denver to handle down the stretch run of the 4th quarter. I like them best when they work a high-low offensive set, with Curry on the low block and Randolph around the elbow. With Zach's ability to shoot the mid-range jumper effectively the defense can't collapse on Curry in the post. Defensively, these two are a nightmare. But again, we'll discuss defense later.
Interesting Observation: Before the game, the MSG channel did a piece on the chemistry between Eddie Curry and Jamal Crawford, which they said dates back to when they played together on the Bulls. I was dubious and thought it was just some MSG channel, feel-good Knick propaganda. To my surprise, time and time against Denver, Crawford had an uncanny knack for feeding Curry and finding him at the most opportune times.
Answering Question 2: The Knicks current starting lineup is Marbury, Crawford, Richardson, Randolph, Curry. Personally, I like that lineup minus Richardson and with Balkman playing small forward. David Lee and Nate Robinson would still provide the spark off the bench and the starting five would be better on defense with the size, speed, and tenacity of Balkman. I don't like Richardson and Crawford on the court together. They compete for shots which makes them try to do too much.
Answering Question 3: What the Knicks do well is offense. They have two elite low post scorers (Curry & Randolph), a point guard that can beat his man at will (Marbury), a creative perimeter threat and shooter (Crawford), and good long-range bomber and transition scorer (Richardson). The Knicks can score with any offense in the NBA and they also have a cast of players that really thrive on the fast break - Lee, Balkman, Robinson, Crawford, Marbury, Richardson. But...
The Knicks have two glaring weaknesses that reared their ugly head against Denver. The first is obviously defense. My notebook is peppered with defensive blunders the Knicks made Tuesday night. Jamal Crawford is the worst perimeter defender in the NBA - hands down. He is just lost on defense. In one sequence Crawford was burned on an alley-oop pass; he completely had his back turned to the play. It was embarrassing. Marbury and Nate Robinson took their turns having their ankles broken by Iverson. Curry and Randolph were late with help on countless occasions. Quentin Richardosn didn't run after an errant pass and allowed Iverson to chase it down for a layup. Marbury played defense for the first 3 minutes of the game, draping himself on Iverson. He threw in the towel after AI beat him for a reverse layup. Then there's the small fact that the Knicks pick and chose when its convenient for them to hustle back in transition. They don't challenge outside shots either. Denver started the game 5 for 5 from the 3-point line.
The Knicks other weakness is turnovers. They don't take care of the ball well at all. How else can you explain trailing for most of a game when you're shooting close to 60% from the field?
Answering Question 4: I preface this but saying I'm not a Stephon Marbury fan. Steph has become a great fit for this Knick team. He has turned himself into a efficient offensive player with a nice 3-point touch. His passing is unbelievable at times. He plays unselfishly, acting mostly as a distributor. Every now and then you can tell he wants to revert back to his old Starbury form, but that's only for a possession or two throughout the game. And I'll say it again, his passing is stellar. This guy was throwing darts against Denver. Defensively, he's OK when he gives the necessary effort. I'll give him a pass for struggling against Iverson since he might be the toughest one on one cover in the NBA.
Answering Question 5: Should I be excited about the Knicks? For now, I'll remain cautiously optimistic.
Lines directly from my notebook...
#1: "YES, Randolph is the worst help defender in the NBA"
#2: "Curry looks great on offense but he has ZERO presence on defense"
#3: "If you're gonna run and gun you have to run back the other way too, right?"
#4: "Marbury is DISHING"
#5: "Balkman is playing smothering defense. Just stuffed 'Melo"
Thursday - NCAA Picks
Friday - NFL Picks
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Welp, See Ya Later - Lloyd Christmas
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