Tag Archives: Mike Woodson

J.R. Smith earns player of the week honors

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The Knicks are in the middle of an 8-game win streak, in part behind J.R. Smith. And because of his efforts he was given Eastern Conference Player of the Week today.

This past week the Knicks have gone 4-0 beating Boston twice, Memphis, and Charlotte. During this span Smith has been averaging 29.8 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game. He had three straight games with 30-plus points, a franchise record.

J.R. Smith

He has evolved into a solid second scoring option for the Knicks behind Carmelo Anthony. Anthony returned from an injury just before the Knicks started this win streak. Smith has taken his game to the next level this season becoming a more consistent player.

Smith has had trouble in the past with his coaches, George Karl of the Nuggets to name one. He has admitted to doing certain things back in Denver just to make Karl mad. But he doesn’t feel the same way about current coach Mike Woodson. He told Newsday,

More than anything, if I go out and do something I’m not supposed to be doing and not preparing right for the game, not only do I feel like I let my teammates down, I feel I let my coach down. It’s the first time in a long time I really care about not letting my coach down.

When he is as locked into the game and everything that comes with it as he is right now he can make these types of things happen.

With Ama’re Stoudemire currently sidelined for what looks to be the remainder of the regular season, Smith needs to keep up his play. His productive play and energy off the bench is needed for the Knicks to make any sort of noise in the playoffs.

The Knicks look to keep their momentum going full steam ahead behind Smith as they play the Heat in Miami tomorrow night. Look for Smith to continue his hot play as he’s making his way into the sixth-man of the year conversation.

A depleted Knicks team puts a stop to their 4 game skid

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The Knicks entered Monday nights game against the Utah Jazz, on a 4 game losing streak. All of these loses have come on the road and have been embarrassing to say the least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5id5ML9HJwk

The Knicks had faced the Warriors, Nuggets, Trailblazers, and Clippers previously. They had lost all of these games by an average of 20 points. For a team that was once right behind Miami in the East, the Knicks have now slipped to third behind the Pacers.

There is no denying the fact that this severe drop off as of late is due to the lack of star power. The Knicks are without Carmelo Anthony, Ama’re Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler. Coach Mike Woodson has been forced to adapt and play around with the starting line up.

Last night the starters for the Knicks were Raymond Felton, Pablo Prigioni, Iman Shumpert, Chris Copeland, and Kenyon Martin. Not the lineup you expected to see on the floor for the Knicks to start a game before the season started.

Chris Copeland and Woodson

Chris Copeland finished last nights game with 14 points and 6 rebounds. He has started to emerge as a real scorer for the Knicks in the absence of Anthony and Stoudemire. Copeland, a rookie out of Colorado, has shown flashes of promise for the team.

While he might not be the most efficient scorer, he has been able to score when needed.

The Knicks will need production out of players like Copeland not only until the stars comeback, but for the rest of the season. The more firepower off the bench for the Knicks better. What they can’t afford is another losing streak.

Madison Square Garden

The seasons end is near and the Knicks are in danger of dropping lower then just to the 3 spot. They head back for a much needed game at home against a struggling Orlando Magic team tomorrow night.

Knicks end 4-game skid behind another big game by Stoudemire

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Both the Knicks and the 76er’s entered Sunday, on a 4-game losing streak. Only one of them could put it to an end. The Knicks came out victorious behind a solid performance from Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench.

Amar'e Stoudemire

In 22 minutes of playing time, Stoudemire scored 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the field, to go with his 5 rebounds. He continues his productive play off the bench for the Knicks where it looks as if he might stay for the rest of the season. According to Coach Mike Woodson, Stoudemire is on a minutes limit because of the health of the Knicks superstar.

However the game Stoudemire put together wasn’t the only buzz about the game Sunday night. A skirmish between Tyson Chandler and Spencer Hawes in the third quarter, that Carmelo Anthony seemingly started was much of the talk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mML7s0eOZaI

However this afternoon it was announced that there will be no suspension handed down by the league to Anthony. The Knicks can’t afford to lose Anthony for any games this season as he is their leading scorer. They follow this win with another one against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Knicks blowout Kings behind 82 bench points

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J.R. Smith led the Knicks in scoring Saturday in a win over the Sacramento Kings, with 25 points. Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Novak scored 21 and 15 points, respectively while coming off the bench as well. The bench combined for a total of 82 points, outscoring the entire Kings roster.

J.R. Smith slams it home

This type of explosiveness off the bench is more then the Knicks could’ve ever dreamed of when they entered the season. J.R. Smith is a dynamic scorer for the Knicks who can shoot from behind the arc and take his defender off the dribble.

Smith is becoming a more consistent scoring threat for the Knicks off the bench and gives Coach Mike Woodson the majority of the credit. Since entering the NBA right out of high school in 2004, Smith has been a problem for his coaches. But under Coach Woodson and the multitude of veterans on the Knicks roster, Smith is finally starting to grow up.

Smith wasn’t the only one to score as Stoudemire had yet another great game off the bench for the Knicks. He totaled 21 points on 10 of 10 shooting with 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. He continues to have explosive games off the bench for the Knicks since coming back from injury.

Amare Stoudemire throwing down

With this kind of explosion off the bench for the Knicks on any given night, teams should be scared. Very few teams have a second unit that can come in and out score their starters any given night. Watch out for the Knicks as they continue a strong push for the Championship as they pull within half a game of the defending champion Miami Heat.

Iman Shumpert is taking his career beyond the boundaries

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Second year guard, Iman Shumpert, suffered a torn ACL in the Knicks visit to the playoffs last season. During his time away from the game not only was he working on getting healthy, but also his rap career.

Shumpert has already made a great contribution to the Knicks back court his his intense defense and energy. He has also begun to do so in the music world by making his first official mixtape. The mixtape was released December 21, 2012 including 5 different tracks. Like many other artists Shumpert goes by a different name in the music world, calling himself 2wo 1ne. The name is representative of the number that he wears for the Knicks.

Nearly a month after the mixtape was released Shumpert made his return to the court for the Knicks. After making the All-Rookie first team last year, he can only hope to continue to improve his game from where he left off last season.

Iman Shumpert

In his second year in the NBA, Shumpert is in the starting line-up but is getting the minutes of a player who is coming off of the bench. Coming off of a serious injury like his, Coach Mike Woodson doesn’t want to risk him aggravating it. The Knicks can’t afford to lose a key piece like him if they want to make a run for the Championship.

The Knicks can hope that Shumpert still has the same defense intensity he had before he went down with the injury. But also that his role in the offense will expand with more time. He ended last season averaging just over 9 points per game. If his offensive presence in the offense expanding it could bring a whole other dimension to an already versatile New York Knicks offense.