ducks
11-24-2006, 10:09 AM
Win a "You, Me & Dupree" DVD Sports Print EditionTIMBERWOLVES 107, KNICKS 89
Divided they fall
Steph, Francis score more separately, but defensive lapses hurt
BY ALAN HAHN
Newsday Staff Correspondent
November 23, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS - An attempt to improve the confounding Knicks seemed to only make things worse. The move to break up the Stephon Marbury-Steve Francis backcourt resulted in a flatline effort that was a 107-89 loss to the Timberwolves (4-6) last night at the Target Center.
With Francis voluntarily taking a seat in favor of Jamal Crawford, the Knicks (4-9) started off trailing 30-13 after one quarter. Alarmingly, they looked a lot like last season's dispassionate bunch that tuned out Larry Brown, who used a league-record 42 different starting lineups. After his first lineup change of the season and after 12 games, Isiah Thomas must have seen the similarity. He also must have seen that the change didn't produce immediate dividends.
"If tonight is an indication of how it's going to be," he said, "then it definitely won't continue like this because this was unacceptable."
Marbury, who had 18 points and shot 7 of 15, said, "It's one game."
Before the game, Thomas optimistically suggested the lineup change could be "the thing that kind of puts us over the hump." Instead, they fell into a rut.
"Just a weird game," said Quentin Richardson, the team's second-leading scorer coming into the game who failed to take a single shot in 18:29 and was scoreless.
But if it's a harbinger, the Knicks appear to be in serious trouble. The bench, which usually is the spark, provided little more than Francis' 19 points, which equaled Crawford's output. Nate Robinson seemed to be lost in the lineup shuffle and played just 16:08. He had one point.
The greater concern for Thomas doesn't lie in the backcourt, but up front, where Eddy Curry and Channing Frye were invisible in the first half against Kevin Garnett and Mark Blount.
Garnett did whatever he wanted on the low post against a defensively passive Frye and had nine points in the first quarter. Garnett had 19 points with nine rebounds in 30:28 and Blount had 17 points and six boards for the Timberwolves, who led by 23 points (40-17) with 7:38 left in the second quarter. The Wolves shot a sizzling 54.1 percent from the floor in the first half, with 22 of their 56 points in the paint and 15 others on free throws earned from drives.
The Knicks' bigs also were late consistently helping out on defense and the Knicks looked confused overall on the defensive end. It also didn't help that the Knicks' guards were beaten off the dribble several times. Ricky Davis had 21 points - mostly on post-ups - and added seven assists.
"Defensively, 1-through-5, we have to focus more on help and recovery," said Francis, who fouled out with 50.2 seconds left in the game. "And, you know, not missing so many assignments. I think that's something we really have to work on."
One of many items on the list.
Thomas tried to take the responsibility for the backcourt shakeup, but just about everyone saw this coming since training camp. Both players, who made their money as scoring guards, looked terribly out of sync offensively as they attempted to be conduits in an offense that really needed a go-to guy.
Marbury said he'd try to be that go-to guy again, though he fell short of last season's pronouncement that he was going back to being "Starbury."
After Monday's loss to Houston, Francis offered the idea of him going to the bench and Thomas quickly accepted it. The Knicks were in spin mode before the game, heaping praise on Francis for being a team player. But it's not as if he has many other choices, especially not to ask for a trade. With three years and $48 million left on his contract, Francis will have to become a supersub to make himself marketable again.
"I'm not going to make an issue about coming off the bench," Francis said. "We're just going to move on and hopefully it will help us get better."
TIMBERWOLVES 107
KNICKS 89
Tomorrow
Knicks at Boston
7:30 p.m.
TV: MSG
Radio: WEPN (1050)
Divided they fall
Steph, Francis score more separately, but defensive lapses hurt
BY ALAN HAHN
Newsday Staff Correspondent
November 23, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS - An attempt to improve the confounding Knicks seemed to only make things worse. The move to break up the Stephon Marbury-Steve Francis backcourt resulted in a flatline effort that was a 107-89 loss to the Timberwolves (4-6) last night at the Target Center.
With Francis voluntarily taking a seat in favor of Jamal Crawford, the Knicks (4-9) started off trailing 30-13 after one quarter. Alarmingly, they looked a lot like last season's dispassionate bunch that tuned out Larry Brown, who used a league-record 42 different starting lineups. After his first lineup change of the season and after 12 games, Isiah Thomas must have seen the similarity. He also must have seen that the change didn't produce immediate dividends.
"If tonight is an indication of how it's going to be," he said, "then it definitely won't continue like this because this was unacceptable."
Marbury, who had 18 points and shot 7 of 15, said, "It's one game."
Before the game, Thomas optimistically suggested the lineup change could be "the thing that kind of puts us over the hump." Instead, they fell into a rut.
"Just a weird game," said Quentin Richardson, the team's second-leading scorer coming into the game who failed to take a single shot in 18:29 and was scoreless.
But if it's a harbinger, the Knicks appear to be in serious trouble. The bench, which usually is the spark, provided little more than Francis' 19 points, which equaled Crawford's output. Nate Robinson seemed to be lost in the lineup shuffle and played just 16:08. He had one point.
The greater concern for Thomas doesn't lie in the backcourt, but up front, where Eddy Curry and Channing Frye were invisible in the first half against Kevin Garnett and Mark Blount.
Garnett did whatever he wanted on the low post against a defensively passive Frye and had nine points in the first quarter. Garnett had 19 points with nine rebounds in 30:28 and Blount had 17 points and six boards for the Timberwolves, who led by 23 points (40-17) with 7:38 left in the second quarter. The Wolves shot a sizzling 54.1 percent from the floor in the first half, with 22 of their 56 points in the paint and 15 others on free throws earned from drives.
The Knicks' bigs also were late consistently helping out on defense and the Knicks looked confused overall on the defensive end. It also didn't help that the Knicks' guards were beaten off the dribble several times. Ricky Davis had 21 points - mostly on post-ups - and added seven assists.
"Defensively, 1-through-5, we have to focus more on help and recovery," said Francis, who fouled out with 50.2 seconds left in the game. "And, you know, not missing so many assignments. I think that's something we really have to work on."
One of many items on the list.
Thomas tried to take the responsibility for the backcourt shakeup, but just about everyone saw this coming since training camp. Both players, who made their money as scoring guards, looked terribly out of sync offensively as they attempted to be conduits in an offense that really needed a go-to guy.
Marbury said he'd try to be that go-to guy again, though he fell short of last season's pronouncement that he was going back to being "Starbury."
After Monday's loss to Houston, Francis offered the idea of him going to the bench and Thomas quickly accepted it. The Knicks were in spin mode before the game, heaping praise on Francis for being a team player. But it's not as if he has many other choices, especially not to ask for a trade. With three years and $48 million left on his contract, Francis will have to become a supersub to make himself marketable again.
"I'm not going to make an issue about coming off the bench," Francis said. "We're just going to move on and hopefully it will help us get better."
TIMBERWOLVES 107
KNICKS 89
Tomorrow
Knicks at Boston
7:30 p.m.
TV: MSG
Radio: WEPN (1050)