That's crazy, timvp.
Crazy enough to work.
I don't know anything about the timvp madness but I agree with this starting lineup more than Thomas as PF/C against teams like Knicks or Heat. However Pop'll start with Hill Mason Bowen Duncan and Thomas. Like last game (now without Tony) and I guess he doesn't change it maybe for a long time.
Don't sleep on the Knicks this year. League pass allows you to be a pretty good scout and the Knicks have been playing good ball. They are still learning but they have bought into what D'Antoni has been preaching. They actually look like a team this year. Suprisingly they actually play pretty good defense as well. You may think it was a fluke that they beat the Jazz, but they just flat out beat them from start to finish. The kids are drinking the koolaid and it's been good so far. This is not the every man for himself Knicks anymore. It's going to be hard for us to get a victory tomorrow.Just when the Spurs are down, seem to be nearing bottom, and need a big emotional win, who shows up on the schedule?
D'Antoni talking about defense is a little disorienting. Start Tolliver.
it was a sight to see Mason/Tolliver/Hill(Duncan in the bench), in the 4Q of the Spurs vs Heat game when they managed to bring down the lead from 24 to just 9. Quite a scare for the heat, huh!
if we will lose again and 0-5 @ AT &T I will put the blame on the Coyote.
Why he isn't wearing that white with 2! number on it ecently?
Knicks’ Randolph Is Not Jumping Well, but Rising Quickly
By Jonathan Abrams
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Slide a piece of paper in front of Zach Randolph, and he would be hard pressed to jump over it. It is not a knock, but a credit to Randolph’s knack. He gobbles rebounds with an ungainly efficiency, a vertically challenged forward who defies the basic law of the game that those who jump the highest succeed the most.
After the Knicks’ victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, their third straight win, Coach Mike D’Antoni joked that Randolph “can’t jump at all.”
“He is different,” D’Antoni said at Monday’s practice before the Knicks departed for games on consecutive nights against the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies.
“He throws his body in there and he’s going after every rebound and he’s not afraid to take big shots, so you’ve got to like a guy like that. He’s not a racehorse or a thoroughbred. Sometimes, I think he’s misunderstood because he plays so low to the ground in that he doesn’t have the big dunks or the “SportsCenter” moments. But over all, he’s effective as heck.”
Against Utah, Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds. He created his own do-overs on several of his shot attempts, keeping his position while following his misses.
“Zach is a guy you look up and you don’t know how he got 14, 15 rebounds,” Randolph’s teammate Jamal Crawford said. “He barely jumps. But he has a knack for it and he gets it done.”
When D’Antoni signed with the Knicks, it was unclear how Randolph would fit into his uptempo offense. The inside pairing of Randolph with Eddy Curry struggled mightily under the former coach Isiah Thomas, and the Knicks explored trading both players in the off-season.
An injured Curry still appears to be on the outside looking in, but Randolph has found a niche in helping nudge the Knicks to a 4-2 start.
“It’s just playing with heart,” Randolph said. “Getting easy put-backs, grind here, shot in, shot there.”
There remain rough spots. Once the ball goes inside to Randolph, it rarely comes out. When it does, his passes are often deflected or stolen. He had five turnovers against the Jazz, and D’Antoni said he had to remind him which team he ought to pass to during the game.
The Knicks still won. That is something D’Antoni would have hardly taken notice of when he coached Phoenix, nothing more than a win over a quality team. On Sunday, however, victory meant congratulations from James L. Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman.
D’Antoni continued to issue a plea for caution. The franchise’s image was not soiled within a couple of weeks, but neither will it be resurrected in such a short time.
“We’re only talking three games, so I don’t want to get too excited,” D’Antoni said. “It’s a long way, but I’m happy with our progress and I’m happy with how they’re treating each other.”
The Knicks have been the benefactors of playing ailing teams. They beat the Washington Wizards, who did not have Gilbert Arenas, and the Jazz, who lacked Deron Williams. On Tuesday night, they play the 1-4 Spurs without the injured Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker.
“They’re struggling,” point guard Chris Duhon said. “Obviously, they don’t have Manu Ginóbili, and that takes away from them. And Tony Parker’s going to be out for a while, so we’re not going to get the true San Antonio team.”
D’Antoni will stick with the same starters, meaning Wilson Chandler, who struggled against Utah, will start a third straight game in front of David Lee.
“I have confidence in certain guys that just won’t be shaken,” D’Antoni said.
REBOUNDS
Danilo Gallinari, the first-round draft pick whom Mike D’Antoni chose not to play in the last four games, is doubtful against San Antonio with a sore lower back. It is the same injury that caused Gallinari to miss the preseason. “His back is hurting a little bit again,” D’Antoni said Monday. “He was trying to push himself and get ready, but he had a little bit of a setback.”... Mardy Collins (upper respiratory infection) and David Lee (sore left ankle) were probable.
Tuesday: Spurs (1-4) vs. Knicks (4-2)
Express-News
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - KNICKS
PG - 3 George Hill (6-1, 1st yr) - 1 Chris Duhon (6-1, 5th yr)
If Hill earns nod, he would be first Spurs rookie to start since 2004-05.
SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 11 Jamal Crawford (6-5, 9th yr)
Mason earned first start vs. Miami, finished with 18 points.
SF - 12 Bruce Bowen (6-7, 13th yr) - 23 Quentin Richardson (6-6, 9th yr)
In Mike D’Antoni’s offense, Richardson always has green light.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 21 Wilson Chandler (6-8, 2nd yr)
Scoring load falls to Duncan with Parker and Ginobili sidelined.
C - 40 Kurt Thomas (6-9, 14th yr) - 50 Zach Randolph (6-9, 8th yr)
Randolph has logged four consecutive double-doubles.
SPURS RESERVES
15 Matt Bonner, F, 6-10, 5th yr
33 Desmon Farmer, G, 6-5, 2nd yr
4 Michael Finley, G, 6-7, 14th yr
7 Fabricio Oberto, C, 6-10, 4th yr
35 Anthony Tolliver, C, 6-8, 1st yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr
KNICKS RESERVES
4 Nate Robinson, C, 5-9, 4th yr
5 Anthony Roberson, G, 6-2, 3rd yr
8 Danilo Gallinari, F, 6-10, 1st yr
13 Jerome James, C, 7-1, 9th yr
25 Mardy Collins, G, 6-6, 3rd yr
31 Malik Rose, F, 6-7, 13th yr
42 David Lee, F, 6-9, 4th yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Knicks: Mike D’Antoni
INJURIES
Spurs: Tony Parker (left ankle sprain), Manu Ginobili (left ankle surgery) and Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle) are out.
Knicks: Jared Jeffries (fractured left fibula) is out.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, Mahinmi.
Knicks: Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Jeffries.
NOTABLE
New York has lost five straight in San Antonio, dating to March of 2003. ... Knicks are 4-0 this season when scoring 100 points or more, 0-2 when they don’t. ... Spurs have been out-rebounded in all four of their losses.
- Jeff McDonald
Cold sweat for a hot coach: Mike D'Antoni
Mike Monroe
When Mike D'Antoni walks into the AT&T Center for this morning's pregame shootaround with his New York Knickerbockers, he knows his nervous system will immediately lock on autopilot.
“There's no doubt,” said the NBA's leading proponent of speed basketball, “I will break out in a cold sweat.”
In four full seasons, D'Antoni led the Phoenix Suns to 232 victories while averaging 109.7 points and bringing the fun back to a pro game that badly needed a jolt of excitement.
What he couldn't do was lead them past the Spurs. It didn't matter if it was in the first round (2008), second round (2007) or Western Conference finals (2005), D'Antoni's teams couldn't run fast enough to eliminate a team built not for speed, but defense.
The AT&T Center is where D'Antoni's NBA le quest ended the past two seasons. No wonder walking through the door makes his skin crawl. Now, though, facing one of the league's biggest turnaround efforts, he can be philosophical about the heartache he found there.
“I was just one of the 29 coaches who couldn't get his team past San Antonio,” he said before boarding the Knicks' plane for a Monday trip to South Texas.
When winning 71 percent of his regular-season games was deemed a failure by Suns management, there was an unseemly parting of the ways in Phoenix. Technically, D'Antoni wasn't fired by general manager Steve Kerr, but he was given a hard shove towards the door. That Kerr happened to be a former Spur seemed a final San Antonio indignity.
“Regrets?” D'Antoni said. “Oh, yeah. A lot. I hated that it ended the way it ended and that we didn't realize a championship. But, at the same time, there are a lot of great memories. I'm forever indebted for those four years. Up to now, they're the greatest four years I've ever had in basketball.”
Now, D'Antoni has an opportunity to succeed in sports' toughest market, where every fan knows more than any coach, and if you don't think so, just ask.
If he believed he would get a honeymoon period as the Knicks began a turnaround from years of torpor under the Isiah Thomas regime, reality smacked him in the face on opening night. Then, a team that was a Big Apple embarrassment last season raced to a 120-115 victory over the Heat. Instead of roaring approval, much of the Madison Square Garden audience screamed for D'Antoni to play Stephon Marbury, the talented point guard who has wasted singular skill by failing to understand basketball is a plural pursuit.
D'Antoni was caught on tape mouthing a curse at the fickle fans. Quickly, he got his first taste of the Big Apple tabloid treatment. But the league's most media-friendly coach understands that nothing succeeds like success. Win at the Garden, and all those Bronx cheers will be shouts of approval.
“I don't find anything negative in it,” he said. “It keeps you on your toes. I think they're looking to latch on to something, and we're trying to build that and give them that.”
The roster D'Antoni inherited wasn't devoid of talent. Jamal Crawford is one of the Eastern Conference's best shooting guards. When focused, Zach Randolph always has been capable of a nightly double-double. D'Antoni has discovered that Nate Robinson is the sort of point guard he needs to run his score-in-seven-seconds-or-less attack. He loves the undersized guard's compe ive fire and team-first approach.
He determined, though, that he had to make a clean break with some of the mistakes of the Thomas past. That included sitting Marbury and an overweight Eddy Curry, who may be able to help if he can stop dunking donuts.
“We charted our course and which way we wanted to go,” D'Antoni said, “and though we knew there would be bumps, we didn't want to deviate. We had to stay true to the long-term course and what our plans are.”
It's not easy sitting two players whose combined salaries exceed $30 million, but it was the previous Knicks regime that made idiotic payroll decisions. New basketball operations chief Donnie Walsh has D'Antoni's back, and their MSG boss, James L. Dolan, wasn't believed to be among those chanting “We Want Steph” on opening night.
D'Antoni believes his team has a legitimate shot at returning to the Eastern Conference playoffs. Its 4-2 start backs such optimism.
“Obviously, with winning three in a row and playing better basketball, things are good,” he said, “but we've got to be realistic. The season is long, and we've got to improve in a lot of areas.
“These guys are such good guys, and have such a good spirit and have come together so unselfishly that it's been great to see. You never know, but they are that.”
That, and about 40 more victories, will make D'Antoni a Big Apple hero.
The starting lineup looks about like I thought it would be. I figured Hill would start and Tolliver would be a energy bench guy. We will see how long KT can hang in there before Tolliver gets the call. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens fairly quickly and Tolliver winds up playing over 30 minutes.
tolliver definitely looked good last game, lets hope he keeps it up!
Tim Duncan has proven many times he can win with new players alongside him almost every yr.STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - KNICKS
PG - 3 George Hill (6-1, 1st yr) - 1 Chris Duhon (6-1, 5th yr)
If Hill earns nod, he would be first Spurs rookie to start since 2004-05.
SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 11 Jamal Crawford (6-5, 9th yr)
Mason earned first start vs. Miami, finished with 18 points.
SF - 12 Bruce Bowen (6-7, 13th yr) - 23 Quentin Richardson (6-6, 9th yr)
In Mike D’Antoni’s offense, Richardson always has green light.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 21 Wilson Chandler (6-8, 2nd yr)
Scoring load falls to Duncan with Parker and Ginobili sidelined.
C - 40 Kurt Thomas (6-9, 14th yr) - 50 Zach Randolph (6-9, 8th yr)
Let's see if he can work this out. It's also up to these new players if they can step it up. It's their chance before Manu and TP return to the line-up. Otherwise, it will be lesser minutes for them the rest of the season after December.
rebound, rebound, rebound....
I like the match ups in the starting unit, but the bench is where I am worried. It is going to be a tough match up for our second unit if they do not bring intensity on the defensive end. Lee and Nate can fill it up and they play hard.
Knicks by 40. Malik Rose with a tripa dub.
limit TD to 35-37 min
expecting a blowout win for the knicks...
i checkd the odds, we are favorite to win hahaha lame...i like the knicks odds of beating us
, I want a rotation of Hill, Mason, Farmer, Bowen, Tim, Fab, KT, Tolliver, and Bonner. Everyone should get at least 30 minutes, except for bonner, he should only have 10, unless Fab or KT play even worse than usual.
I know it won't happen, though, cuz Fin and JV will get 15+ minutes, which is ten too much.
NO Bonner NO JV = good news
To have a chance we need Defense and to have Defense we need a very good Bruce Bowen. If it's the Bowen of the last 5 games, we have 0 chance to win this one.
Pop & the Spurs addressed some of the notables:NOTABLE
New York has lost five straight in San Antonio, dating to March of 2003. ... Knicks are 4-0 this season when scoring 100 points or more, 0-2 when they don’t. ... Spurs have been out-rebounded in all four of their losses.
- Jeff McDonald
-they outrebounded the Knicks( I think they might have)
-limit them below 100 in scoring
result Knicks lost 6 straight in SA since March 2003.
Damn, D'Antoni just can't win against the Spurs no matter what team he coaches or San Antonio's health status for that matter, LOLOL!!!
Damn, I'm good.Just when the Spurs are down, seem to be nearing bottom, and need a big emotional win, who shows up on the schedule?
Nice.
oh, ohThe Knicks have been the benefactors of playing ailing teams. They beat the Washington Wizards, who did not have Gilbert Arenas, and the Jazz, who lacked Deron Williams. On Tuesday night, they play the 1-4 Spurs without the injured Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker.
“They’re struggling,” point guard Chris Duhon said. “Obviously, they don’t have Manu Ginóbili, and that takes away from them. And Tony Parker’s going to be out for a while, so we’re not going to get the true San Antonio team.”
no TP & Manu.
Still, D' Antoni left SA AT&T with a heartache
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