Steve Kerr was right before the game: "This is all about the Knicks." But while Kerr went on to rave about how the Knicks have looked better than the Celtics all series, this is about something else: the Knicks inability to get their offense going. After having the 3rd most efficient offense in the regular season paired with the fourth worst efficient defense among playoff teams, Knicks coach Mike Woodson has chosen to shorten his playoff rotation focusing more on defense. Which is fine and got ME raving last week:
The problem is that while the Knicks have now the most efficient defense in the playoffs, their offense has gone lost. Entering tonight's game, the Knicks were 13th among the playoff teams in offensive efficiency, the one team with a worse defense (edit2: of course it's "offense" at this spot) that is still alive of course being the Celtics. One main reason is to exclude the stretch fours Steve Novak and Chris Copeland basically from the lineup in favor of more minutes distributed between the Knicks guards and wings and basically going with Carmelo at the four for his full playing time instead of switching it up with him moving occasionally to the three like he did in the regular season. Woodson's mantra of having two point guards on the floor is fine, when you have the shooters spaced out, not THAT fine, if you isolate on every other possession.That was - beautiful!
I know, I know... winning a quarter 13-12 doesn't sound THAT pretty, but for Knicks fans it was, because the team had already done the damage to the Celtics in the third quarter and held Boston to a franchise low 23 points in the second half - after holding them to a then franchise low 25 points in the second half in Game 1.
- All the positives surrounding this team just a week ago feel like ages ago.
- Carmelo Anthony is now shooting under 40 percent (39.4) from the field for the series. The three point shooting of his that lead to one of the most efficient offensive regular seasons in his career is gone (0-13 combined in the two possible close-out games, 28.6 percent overall), so once again he gives his critics fodder with playing subpar in the playoffs in comparison to his regular season heroics. Which sucks.
- J.R. Smith is shooting it a little bit better (43% from the field, 33.3 from three; edit: my bad, he is shooting it as badly: he is now at 38.3 percent from the field...), but not getting to the line enough, which means he is also not playing as efficient as he was in the regular season and has missed a game with a suspension. Followed by talking the talk - "the series would be over, I would be playing golf today" - without walking the walk.
- After Melo went 10-35 in game 4 on his mission to close the series out as the ultimate hero, Smith and Melo combined for 11-38 with less trips to the free throw line (12 instead of 20).
- Prigioni is now shooting 5 of 18 for the series, Kidd 3 of 16.
- The pick-and-roll game that opened up everything during the start of the season is if not dead at least on life-support now. With no one in the main rotation shooting it deadly from the outside other than Iman Shumpert, that might not change without altering the rotation.
- The Knicks lost all three first halves in their home games against the Celtics this postseason.
Here we are again. Waiting for a savior. Someone to save us from our offensive woes. Will it be Woody deciding to play one of Novak or Copeland (who combined for 30.5 minutes during the regular season instead of their combined 13 minutes in the playoffs) more to open the floor or do we have to wait on Amare Stoudemire to check back in, to open it up from the inside instead of drawing defenders out? Or will Woodson find another solution from within the main eight men rotation?
Only one thing is for sure: the defensive pressure of the opponent will not get worse from now on.
Game 6.
