Pushing the Limits of My Fandom

So the Bockers lost again, and it was an absolutely putrid offensive display. Before the game I told my Girlfriend's Dad that it would be an ugly one, most likely with scoring in the 70's. Now, lets be clear, that wasn't exactly a bold prediction. The Pacers came into the game with a 21-14 record despite averaging a mere 90.9 points per game (good for second worst in the league). So how does a team have a winning record with one of the leagues worst offenses? Simple, as Sr. Charles Barkley said on the TNT halftime show: they always give a good effort on the defensive end. They currently lead the league in opponents field goal percentage (41.7%) and they only give up 89.1 point per game (tied with Memphis for best in the association). In short these guys know how to play some D. So the Pacers suffocating defense in combination with Carmelo Anthony's conspicuous absence (in case you've been living under a rock here's a video of him waiting for KG after the game plus the buildup) ensured that this game was never going to be an offensive showcase. Here are the highlights as shown on NBA.com.



The Knicks, for the vast majority of the game, did exactly what you're not supposed to do against a stellar defensive squad. They stood around, passed minimally, were careless with the ball (evidenced by Paul George's career high 6 steals), and took contested jump-shots. While Carmelo may have been the missing Knick everyone was talking about, Raymond Felton's absence was far more noticeable (yes this guy). The Knicks inability to penetrate and keep the ball moving was brought to the surface in full force. Both Pablo and Jason Kidd brought the offense to a stand-still by picking up their dribble numerous times. The offense badly needs an injection of energy. Apart from JR, no one was consistently able to penetrate; as a result, the Pacers could afford not to hedge down and stay close on our potent deep threats. Subsequently, the Knicks finished an atrocious 4-20 from the 3 point line to go along with a "scintillating" 34.8% from the field. Raymond please come back, we need you (also 4-6 weeks for a pinkie? C'mon man can't you get a splint or something?)!!

Speaking of JR penetration, holy shit look at this dunk!!! I have to hype it up because it was really the only notable thing the Knicks did on the offensive side of the ball all night.

Also Amar'e did not improve, his jump-shot has completely deserted him and apart from two nice spin moves he looked utterly lost on both ends of the floor. While he finished the game a mediocre 4-11, two of his field goals came at the end of the game when the result had already been decided. So really he was 2-9 and played like garbage. I know we have to be patient with the man but its really infuriating that he gets a max contract when a guy like Paul George is scheduled to make a little more than 3 million this year (side note this kid can ball out, he might not be an all-star this year but he really should be, he's like Gerald Wallace 7 years ago with a more consistent jump-shot--scary I know).

Bottom line the Knicks looked dazed and they have some very serious issues that need to be addressed before they play the Bulls in about an hour and a half. Either way it should be a doozy!

Until next time,

Stay Fly fanatics