RayTrey

Thank you.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/4923/carmelopic.jpg What to take away from Carmelos first game back With Carmelo Anthony sidelined by strained groin the last two weeks, the New York Knicks have won seven of eight and become relevant and dangerous in the Eastern Conference. One the biggest reasons for New York's new found success is of course the exceptional play and stability that Jeremy Lin has brought at the point guard position, but also the overall strong team play. Floor spacing and ball movement have been excellent. And they've even had to rely on their improved defense at times to stay in games. Known as a somebody who tends to dominate the ball too much at times, there's been speculation all week about how well Anthony would fit back into the Knicks lineup. He played his first game back Monday night in a 100-92 loss to the New Jersey Nets. His game was a bit rusty as expected. He turned the ball over six times, and hit on just 4-11 from the field, and 3-6 from the line for 11 points. And also added three rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes of work. His return was overall a mixed bag for the Knicks. It's going to take time for him and Lin, their primary ball handlers, to gell and really figure out how to play together. And it's evident they're not going to be the same team defensively, something Mike D'Antoni is going to have try and help sort out by playing with his rotation and find some balance in that respect. Despite all that there was moments, especially early in the game, where you could see how this could work, and New York could continue to play at a high level with Anthony. When both Lin and Anthony were on the floor, is was mostly Lin who was handling the ball and running the offense while Carmelo did the majority of his work off the ball. Something that will have to keep happening if the Knicks want to have continued success. And it looked as if it could work in the long run once things are more fine tuned. Anthony got his first basket early in the first off a pick and roll with Lin who set him up with an open 15 footer. A few possessions later Carmelo then worked the pick and roll with Amare this time setting him up for an easy basket inside. The two hooked up again in the fourth as Anthony worked the post and found Stoudemire cutting to the basket on a great pass for another easy bucket. Although his shot wasn't falling for much of the night his six assists were second to only Lin for both teams. A healthy Iman Shumpert, who missed the game with a knee injury, will be able to help solidify the defense when he returns. Deron Williams torched them for 38 points, but had Shumpert been available he might have been able to do a better job slowing him down. If Carmelo can produce at a high level offensively while playing off Lin, the defensive play of guys like Shumpert, Landry Fields, Jared Jeffries, and Tyson Chandler could help make-up for Anthony's short comings on that side of the ball. But that may be a tough task though when you have to account for Stoudemire who is also another sub-par defender who sees heavy minutes. The Knicks got off to a quick start and jumped out to a double digit lead early thanks to crisp ball movement, unselfish play and solid floor spacing. As the game wore on though things got a bit stagnant in the second half. There was no fast break game to speak of. The floor spacing deteriorated, and at times late Lin didn't know if he should take over or defer to Anthony as they were trying to mount a comeback. Something that will of course be worked out as the two get more time on the floor together. The shots are there for everyone. Lin had 18 attempts, Stoudemire 17, and Anthony had 11. But as Anthony becomes more comfortable with this shot, turns some of those turnovers into attempts, the tempo speeds up, and takes more of the load from Lin and Stoudemire, that number should increase. Meaning Anthony will have a chance to produce at a high level offensively without taking away from anyone else. There are many questions surrounding this team, questions that should be answered within the coming weeks. The Knicks are loaded with talent from top to bottom, but it will be interesting if they can put all those pieces together and become a legit title contender. Stay tuned. Written by: RayTrey

I think that was after the timeout.

Great game by D-Will. Got his payback for their last game.

What the hell was Chandler thinking walking over to the Nets bench like that?

Deron Williams is doing work. Damn.

LOL @ Humphries being 2-9 and shushing the crowd after splitting a pair of free-throws.

Thanks!

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/5594/mavericksknicksbasketba.jpg JR Smith's first showing a win for the Knicks In his Knicks debut, JR Smith gave the fans a little taste of exactly what they can expect from him the rest of the season - someone who will score in bunches but often go through his struggles as well. Smith played his first game in a Knicks uniform Sunday at home in a 104-97 victory over the Mavericks. He finished with 15 points off the bench on 6-16 shooting, including 3-9 from three point range. He also added three rebounds and two assists. He checked into the game at the 5:43 mark of the first quarter, and just a minute later knocked down a three pointer on his first attempt, wasting little time making his presence felt. But he wasn't done there, he was just getting started. He followed that up with another a couple possessions later and had the crowd in a frenzy after forcing the Mavericks to call a time out. And for good measure hit one more off a step back dribble from the left wing letting everyone know he was officially back. And showing a certain swagger in his step while playing with a lot of confidence. He hit three of his first four shots --all threes-- and had a quick nine points before the first quarter came to a close. Then came a little bit of the inconsistent Smith. He cooled off considerably the rest of the way and hit just three of his last 12 attempts - often missing bad including clanking one off the backboard that led to an eventual shot clock violation. But taking into account that just a couple days ago Smith was playing in China, that he hasn't had a chance to practice with his new team yet, and had to play on one of the biggest stages in sports his first game back - we can all cut him a little bit of slack. Although known mostly for his explosive and sometimes sporadic play, Smith didn't turn the ball over in 29 minutes, worked hard on the defensive end, and made some nice plays setting up open looks for his teammates as well. It's just one game, and Smith's sometimes historical out of control play and suspect shot selection may lead to some frustration among Knicks faithful down the road, but he gets a passing grade here. This team is gelling incredibly well right now, and Smith looked at home in a familiar role providing instant offense off the bench. If Carmelo can come back and keep from disrupting what they've recently put together, this team has a chance to do some damage the rest of the way, and Smith has a chance to be an integral part of that. Written by: RayTrey