HOMECOMING
Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd return to Big D, where they
led the Mavericks to victory in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami
Heat. Although Dirk was the Finals MVP,
Tyson made up for Nowitzki's lacking defensive presence and allowed him to
focus on scoring the rock. Kidd guided
the Mavs in the same way he does the Knicks, playing the role of the
floor-general and bringing the intangibles that allows the team to keep its
focus in pressure-packed situations. The fact that Mavericks' owner Marc Cuban
has proclaimed that he will not retire Kidd's jersey, despite the fact that
Kidd personified leadership during his entire stint in Dallas, is a
travesty. I expect the Knicks to come out with a vengeance early in this game
and blow the Mavericks out of the water.
MELO THE MVP
Melo may not have the all-around game of a LeBron, but his
importance to this Knicks squad cannot be understated. Look no further than last night's game; the
Knicks dominated the first quarter because Melo couldn't miss. He will go
through stretches where is truly unstoppable, and can flick the switch on
quicker than anyone in the league. When Coach Woodson gave Melo his normal rest
to start the 2nd quarter, the Knicks offense came out flat and they lost all
momentum. This lack of effort and
continuity carried over to their defensive effort and they let up 31 points to the lowly
Hornets.
Melo has been hustling on defense and hasn't been putting huge numbers
just because he's a volume shooter; he's playing smart basketball, taking good
shots, and showcasing his all-around talent with phenomenal passing and solid defense. He's playing the best ball of his career
and should he keep this pace all year, the Knicks will be right at the top of
the Eastern Conference come April.
PREDICTION
I fully expect the Knicks to wipe the floor with the
Mavericks all night long. Without Dirk,
Dallas is not have a consistent offense. They have lost 5 of 7 games and lack the talent to beat a team as hot as NY. Meanwhile, the Knicks have won 8 of 9
games this year and shouldn't be
too tired after last night's victory; nobody played more than 31 minutes and
the game was over by the 3rd quarter.
Jason Kidd will be lights out tonight, although it may not show up on
the stat sheet. The hockey-assists and deflections he consistently has night-in
and night-out are not counted, but they do not go unnoticed. Look for Woodson to give him big minutes and
let him guide this team to victory.
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