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NBA Roundup: New York Knicks Rahul Shah 15'
By: Rrashid Date: December 5, 2012, 6:57 pm
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NBA Roundup: New York Knicks
Rahul Shah
The New York Knicks have caught everyone by surprise this
season. Their unexpected 8-3 record, including a 6-0 start, has
garnered a lot of attention and deservingly so. Their offense
has been synchronized, and they are third in points per game so
far this season. Although their offense has been stellar, the
Knicks have always been known as an offensive team that can
score a lot of points quickly, led by star small forward Carmelo
Anthony. Their defense, however, has experienced an unexpected
improvement relative to previous seasons.
For the past five years, the Knicks have always had one of the
worst defenses in the league, mostly because of former head
coach Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni’s coaching style placed an
emphasis on offense instead of defense. His teams have always
lacked intensity on the defensive end, partly because he has
chosen to ignore coaching defense to have his players play more
vigorous offense.
One such case is when the Knicks were getting blown out a few
years ago to a subpar team. At half-time, a player asked
D’Antoni what they were going to do in the second half in order
to stop their opponent from scoring at will on them. D’Antoni
simply told him to forget about it and continued to draw up a
few offensive plays, showing that D’Antoni values a high scoring
team over a strong defensive one.
However, since Mike Woodson took over as head coach, the
Knicks’s defense has enhanced prodigiously. So far they rank
eleventh in points allowed per game, a huge improvement from the
high twenties they finished in that category in previous years.
Surprisingly, what has really given this team its newfound
defensive identity is the performance of their star, Carmelo
Anthony. Anthony has widely been known as a very talented and
clutch scorer throughout his career, but a player that has had
little regard for defense. But this season, he has bought into
Mike Woodson’s defensive philosophy and is playing the best
defense of his career. His hustle and energy is something that
has never been witnessed by fans before.
On opening night against the defending champions, the Miami
Heat, the Knicks pulled off a stunning win which was mainly
credited to their improved defense.
Their defense was symbolized by one inspiring play. Carmelo
Anthony chased down a loose ball on the defensive end and dove
into the stands. When his teammates saw that their superstar was
committed to playing defense and was risking his body, they knew
that they had to pick up the slack and play forty-eight minutes
of team defense.
It is still very early in the season, and anything can happen,
but the Knicks look like a team that will be a force to reckon
with if they continue to play defense the way they are playing.
Their offense may not be there every game, but if their defense
is, this team can undoubtedly go a long way.
As the age-old saying goes, “Offense wins games, but defense
wins championsips.”
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