[Game] Kings @ Knicks, 02/15/12 4:30PM PT

[PurpleHaze]

Welcome sports fans to the Lin-sane Asylum inside Madison Square Garden with guest opponent our road waring Sacramento Kings. (it's some hours before tip yet so much to talk about getting ready for this one - right?!)

Lin-sanity Act VII buildup begins again into mythical, hysterical, surreal, frenzy. Jeremy Lin walks into a roaring standing ovation this evening as emperor of the Big Apple or is it the entire NBA universe?

How will Kings react to all the tabloid megalomania surrounding the “NBAs Tebow.” Actually, considering Tim Tebow was a collegiate All-American, Heisman Trophy winner and National Champ – Lin out of absolute nowhere seems even more - Linderella.

Enough of the hype – #17 is a darn good NBA point guard in the D’Antoni scheme – let’s now be first opponent to stop young hot shot Jeremy by putting L for loss by his name finally, after six straight Lins he's carved out.

Can Tyreke Evans do anything to upset the apple cart? Can he wear Lin into submission by the sheer force of his physical advantage - or wilt away like all others of late? Reke needs to lead from the get go and lead his team dynamically throughout. Thornton starting to get dialed in can insure that Kings backcourt provides the firepower.

IMO, Kings man-to-man defense is so utterly mediocre to utterly horrible why not just zone up - you're going to have to play some zone D during stretches of this road trip. Apply maximum pressure on Lin with endless top of the key traps, pressure pick and roll as he moves around the paint, and keep Big Cuz out of foul trouble - which with Chandler/Amare delivering their inside attack won't be easy.

Kings should play 2-3 zone (in heavy doses) and force Knicks to shoot over it and then sag in late in shot clock to stop their dangerous inside game. Meanwhile, attack relentlessly with our own inside power game behind the force of DMC. Our bench must show up, hopefully some good minutes from NY native son Jimmer as well.

I'm not worried about Kings offense one bit as long as they make shots, rebound, and limit turnovers - of course easier said than done with young Kings team.

Now everyone sit back and enjoy this must see spectacle from the Garden.

GO KINGS!!


No more of this tonight or I'm blaming it on Year of the Dragon or something: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-sinks-game-winning-three-vs-raptors/related/

 

[UK_King]

Tyreke just needs to stay infront of Lin, i watched 1 half of him last night and if he gets the first step forget it.

Jimmer shouldn't be matched up with him thats for sure, I.T would be a good idea.

he had his "worst" game against mini, so I'm not sure how they played him.

 

[Rookie]

Jeremy Lin I enjoy your run but your run ends tonight!

Go Kings

 

[LWP777]

The run Lin and the Knicks have had during the past 6 games is something else. It's almost spooky. The Knicks were 8-15 and then Mello goes down and Amare misses a bunch of games. Bring in some undrafted guy out of Harvard who was averaging 2.5 ppg and he leads the team to a 6-0 record, all while averaging like 25-8-4. WTF? How does that happen?

 

[rexb_kings]

This will be a great game! As much as i love the Kings, you can't help but root for Lin. The guy just have the confidence, savvy and great feel for the game. He's got it for sure. Hoping Kings won't get blown out early again and make this a close game.

On the otherside, i was kind of expecting somewhat like this effect for the Jimmer Mania, i guess that has to wait..as for now it's Linsanity!

 

[Kingster]

The run Lin and the Knicks have had during the past 6 games is something else. It's almost spooky. The Knicks were 8-15 and then Mello goes down and Amare misses a bunch of games. Bring in some undrafted guy out of Harvard who was averaging 2.5 ppg and he leads the team to a 6-0 record, all while averaging like 25-8-4. WTF? How does that happen?

That's why it is so great. The guy won the game last night with a 3 pointer with less than one second to go. Is this a basketball version of Damn Yankees? Has Lin made the deal with the devil? With Carmelo, they lose. With Lin, they win. The juxtaposition of the two is stark and it tells quite the tale. A guy like Lin makes the team better; a guy like Carmelo doesn't. Adding the fact that Denver, not NY, got better in the Carmelo trade, and Carmelo's stock isn't exactly soaring these days. I hope Lin keeps it up (with the exception of the Kings game, of course) and gets All-Star consideration next year.

 

[Hadlowe]

On the otherside, i was kind of expecting somewhat like this effect for the Jimmer Mania, i guess that has to wait..as for now it's Linsanity!

Disparate coaching styles. Lin was given the keys to the house. Jimmer's on a fairly short leash. He has had moments, like the second quarter against the Grizzlies and T-Wolves, but he seems to be more than happy to try to be a good teammate first and foremost. Pretty much as it should be for the Kings.

 

[Mad D]

The Lin streak ends tonight.

Some team will eventually have to end it. I hope the Kings on the hallowed grounds of MSG are the team to do it. With all the media attention this is getting it would be nice to bring some to the Kings (and hopefully the vote that just passed) with a win.

he had his "worst" game against mini, so I'm not sure how they played him.

How to stop him? Well it looks a little like a scouting report on Tyreke. Similar to the ROY version of Reke, in his games starting at point he is leading the league in getting to the rim. He is averaging 8 attempts and it's the staple of his game. The TWolves made a concentrated effort forcing Lin to go left. It also helped that they caught him on a back to back and had a long armed Rubio around to defend him.

In the half court Lin relies more on his ball handling ability than his quickness. He is crafty and smart in his ball handling and able of changing his direction quickly but he has a tendency to dribble his way into a turnover. He is turning the ball over at a Russell Westbrook, young Wade pace.

One advantage that he does have over Reke is that Lin is showing that he can run a pick and roll offense. With Amare back that is only going to help his game. Still when he goes to the basket he is looking first to score.

Last night in his game winner against the Raptors he asked Di'antoni if he could run an iso for himself. Di'antoni responded "you don't even have to ask." They went into a 1-4 flat and left him do what ever he wanted. It's like Evans and Westphal all over again.

I can't find the quote but a reporter even mentioned if Linsanity was happening in Sacramento only a handful of media writers would be paying attention to it. Possibly referencing Reke's rookie year before the Kings media had to draw attention to it themselves. The fact that he is doing this in under the microscope of the basketball mecca of NYC is magnifying the attention. To Lin's credit he is not backing down from it either and it's resulting in wins.


One last thing:

Oh, crap - I just realized - Lin is going to have more motivation than ever before to show up his former coach who almost submarined his career.

 

[IfAt1st]

What I hope is brought up in this game is how Keith Smart criminally overlooked Lin's game all last year.
Smart had Lin riding the bench and even gave some nobody the backup PG minutes.

Think about that for a second - Coach Smart had an All-Star on his squad, practicing every day and seeing what skills he possessed, and chose to not play him.
Don't tell me Lin couldn't have done any of this stuff last year - guys don't just learn how to drop 25-8-4 with game-winning shots by studying over an offseason.

Lin didn't just magically appear on the Knicks this year - he was Smart's player an entire year and he never gave him the chance to show what he could do, labeling him a backup PG at best. And the entire NBA trusted Smart's take on Lin, since the Rockets didn't give him a chance either, and the Knicks only gave him the shot cause they were so desperate on a back-to-back night.

I hope this game puts Coach Smart's feet to the fire and exposes him as being personally responsible for the glaring oversight of not playing Lin all last year, even after Lin dumped a triple-double on the NBADL.
I would hope to hear some REAL answers which frankly discuss whether there is a racial bias in the NBA which almost torpedoed Lin's career, but I'd have more hope that the government would volunteer its own candidates for wasteful spending (not gonna happen).

 

[jcwkings]

Tyreke and IT will be key tonight, the Knicks success is based solely on Lins ability to penetrate, the rest of their players are shooters and finishers (Amare is a little more).

 

[Hadlowe]

What I hope is brought up in this game is how Keith Smart criminally overlooked Lin's game all last year.
Smart had Lin riding the bench and even gave some nobody the backup PG minutes.

Think about that for a second - Coach Smart had an All-Star on his squad, practicing every day and seeing what skills he possessed, and chose to not play him.
Don't tell me Lin couldn't have done any of this stuff last year - guys don't just learn how to drop 25-8-4 with game-winning shots by studying over an offseason.

Lin didn't just magically appear on the Knicks this year - he was Smart's player an entire year and he never gave him the chance to show what he could do, labeling him a backup PG at best. And the entire NBA trusted Smart's take on Lin, since the Rockets didn't give him a chance either, and the Knicks only gave him the shot cause they were so desperate on a back-to-back night.

I hope this game puts Coach Smart's feet to the fire and exposes him as being personally responsible for the glaring oversight of not playing Lin all last year, even after Lin dumped a triple-double on the NBADL.
I would hope to hear some REAL answers which frankly discuss whether there is a racial bias in the NBA which almost torpedoed Lin's career, but I'd have more hope that the government would volunteer its own candidates for wasteful spending (not gonna happen).

There is something to that, however I really doubt that Lin would have ever taken over from Curry or Ellis.

But, it is interesting that Golden State may have had the opportunity to trade away one or the other with a guy like Lin waiting in the wings. Direct some of that money toward a Nene acquisition and the western conference looks very different than it does right now.

 

[Bricklayer]

this Lin stuff is getting out of hand. And I was one of the very first people to like him back in summer league of his rookie year. I also like him as a fellow Ivy Leaguer doing the brains over brawn thing. I like him as a New Yorker for makingthe kNicks watchable. BUT...BUT...he ain't nearly waht everybody is trying to make him into now. Its the same stupidity of the Tebow thing, amplified by New York. Kid could play. First time I saw him he reminded me a lot of Beno. But he's nto a 20ppg scorer, not an All Star, none of that. He is however something new, fresh, on a hot streak, playing in the ultimate PG ruin n gun system, and for the time being dangerous.

 

[spudfan]

Give me a break, the situations are so different between NY and GS. There is no way Lin would have been an "all star" as you call him, in GS, sitting behind Monta and Curry. He sure as hell wasn't going to start over them, and he wouldn't have had the minutes to put up the numbers he has now. D'Antoni's offense is a perfect for the kind of player he is, Golden State's was not.

And LOL and thinking it was the ENTIRE NBA that trusted Smart's decision on Lin, and that is why the "Rockets" didn't give him a chance. From everything I have seen both the Rockets AND Warriors were sad they couldn't keep him. They had to have every $ of cap space to make a run at the free agents they wanted. That had nothing to do with Smart's opinion on Lin, it had practically nothing to do with Lin at all.

As for the racial bias part, I think it's silly to think a GM or coach would be reluctant to look at an Asian player when their job relies on finding the best talent.

 

[RDub21]

Over/Under on Lin for 20 pts tonight?

 

[spudfan]

Over/Under on Lin for 20 pts tonight?

Should be over the way we handle screens and him averaging about 20 shots per game.

 

[UK_King]

this Lin stuff is getting out of hand. And I was one of the very first people to like him back in summer league of his rookie year. I also like him as a fellow Ivy Leaguer doing the brains over brawn thing. I like him as a New Yorker for makingthe kNicks watchable. BUT...BUT...he ain't nearly waht everybody is trying to make him into now. Its the same stupidity of the Tebow thing, amplified by New York. Kid could play. First time I saw him he reminded me a lot of Beno. But he's nto a 20ppg scorer, not an All Star, none of that. He is however something new, fresh, on a hot streak, playing in the ultimate PG ruin n gun system, and for the time being dangerous.

Woah, woah, woah!

How dare you go against linsanity.

If you were a former player or commentator there'd be four hundred articles written about how you're wrong by now.

 

[Spike]

So is a Lin led Lin considered a Lin for the Kings? I didn't think we were talking about Lins and Wosses yet.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I'm not some crazy Lin guy, but I see no reason why we'll be the team to stop him .. or the Knicks tonight.

After seeing what Boozer and Noah did to us last night, Chandler and Amare are going to murder us inside. Reke has the ability to shut down Lin, but It depends how locked in he is, and if he is even guarding him... Smart could put MT on him. I hope its Evans, but we'll see. Plus the Knicks crowd are a bunch on Linatics right now. It will be loudddd.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Just heard courtside seats are going between $7,500-$10,000 for tonights game at MSG. Also, media outlets from all over the planet are decending on site at unpresendented level for perhaps any NBA regular season game ever played. And Sacramento Kings are about to spoil the Linsanity party - WOW!

 

[cuad]

I am totally a Lin guy. In his first game he dominated Deron Williams. then he dominated Devin Harris. Then it was John Wall. Then Kobe called him out and J-Lin dropped 38 on him, but people were screaming Derek Fisher. Then, while Rubio put up the best fight yet, Jeremy Lin hit the game winning free throw while Rubio dribbled it off his foot on the next possession. Then came the Raptors, who nearly beat them until a 10-1 Knick's run in the final minutes, capped off by a jaw dropping three point chuck.

But the most important thing he has done is elevate the play of the entire Knicks team.

 

[Fear the Putin]

I'm not some crazy Lin guy, but I see no reason why we'll be the team to stop him .. or the Knicks tonight.

After seeing what Boozer and Noah did to us last night, Chandler and Amare are going to murder us inside. Reke has the ability to shut down Lin, but It depends how locked in he is, and if he is even guarding him... Smart could put MT on him. I hope its Evans, but we'll see. Plus the Knicks crowd are a bunch on Linatics right now. It will be loudddd.

we put Thornton on Lin and he'll be on the front page of the NY Times for topping another career high.

 

[kingsboi]

Reke needs to be on Lin all game long. However the Knicks will pick and roll us to death with Chandler and/or Amare so the guy switching needs to stop penetration or it's going to be a 3 point barrage. Cousins needs to have another good game and get Tyson in foul trouble, I am confident that if Big Cuz can take it to Noah he can do the same to Chandler. The scrub of the game who will light us up in this one is going to be no other than Steve Novak.

 

[rainmaker]

The big issue with Lin won't be him vs Reke/IT/Thornton, although I doubt Thornton would fair well. The issue will be our help defense from our frontline. Which of those am I worried about you ask(no one did, but I'll pretend anyway)? Not our starting frontline, but our completely inept bench pairing of Hayes/JJ. That could turn into a nightmare if they don't wake the hell up and start defending. Having both out there at the same time could hurt us more tonight than last.

I am looking forward to this though. Cousins vs Chandler will be interesting. How our guys handle the crazy media in the building will also be interesting. My brother is in the house tonight, so I might have some close up pics to post later depending on when he gets home and if he has time to send them.

 

[Sac.1989]

completely confident we will shut down LIN tonight and add to the hype behind us. Were at the Garden so we will front for sure. Tyreke will do well and we will roll

 

[Bricklayer]

completely confident we will shut down LIN tonight and add to the hype behind us. Were at the Garden so we will front for sure. Tyreke will do well and we will roll

We jsut better have our legs after last night. That's the biggest concern. Lack of energy/getting back and we'll get run out of the building.

 

[mac]

completely confident we will shut down LIN tonight and add to the hype
behind us. Were at the Garden so we will front for sure. Tyreke will do well and we will roll

I have a bad feeling that Chandler's length and athleticism will take Cousins and Tyreke out of the game .. Highly doubt we're going to win this by taking the ball inside. Problem is, that's the only way we know how to win.

 

[PurpleHaze]

We jsut better have our legs after last night. That's the biggest concern. Lack of energy/getting back and we'll get run out of the building.

I suppose Knicks faithful are concerned with same thing since they played last night in Canada. If both teams lack energy with tired legs I suppose home court advantage would give New York the edge.

 

[xrzn]

I still can't get my NBA league pass to work. So frustrating.

 

[annihilator_33]

Let's Go Kings!!!! Stop the Linsanity

 

[rainmaker]

I suppose Knicks faithful are concerned with same thing since they played last night in Canada. If both teams lack energy with tired legs I suppose home court advantage would give New York the edge.

I'd expect Amare to be a little tired as well, B2B after not playing/practicing for over a week. Mental toll as well.

Brick, I thought you'd be in the building tonight.