Friday, November 16, 2012

HALFTIME: GRIZZLIES 54, KNICKS 49

WAR
This game has been a war thus far and I expect it to get even chippier as the game progresses.  Forget the techs on Smith, Bayless, and Gay.  The battle between the 4s and 5s  in the paint has been nasty all game.  Zach Randolph, who already has a double-double is crushing the Knicks with his second chance points.  The Knicks are shooting extremely well because they have a nice flow going on offense.  This game is going to the wire and I expect the level of intensity to increase as the game progresses.

2ND UNITS
Late in the 3rd and early in the 4th, I expect the Knicks second unit to hold their own against Memphis' bench.  This will be a critical juncture in the game.  No Knicks have logged too many minutes and only Rasheed and Kidd have 3 fouls, so the Knicks can use their deep rotation to gain some ground on Memphis or take the lead, depending how the beginning of the 3rd goes.

ENTER SANDMAN
If the Knicks can tie up the game by the time they bring in the closers [Kidd, Felton, Smith, Melo, and Chandler] with about 8 minutes left, I expect Kidd to manage the flow of the offense and find Melo and Smith in good shots.  So long as they can contain Randolph on the offensive glass, the Knicks have a great chance at pulling this one out.  

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