Tommy Dee, theKnicksBlog.com

Early on in the game last night the thought that fans and myself had a million times with Mike D’Antoni came to mind (thanks Lontos) “why don’t the Knicks run pick and roll with Melo and Amar’e?” Of course the thought was there because Melo and Amar’e were isolated on the left side and Melo made a slick bounce pass off a Stoudemire screen which Amar’e caught, shifted and slammed home.

Mike D’Antoni, the player, was a point guard. He was a damned good one in Europe too. His style and offensive concept was to make sure that his primary point guard was his decision maker within the offense, specifically within the pick and roll. His system was designed based off of trust. Mike Woodson, the player, was a wing. He played off the ball and his role was to receive the ball from his guards in the right spots. What he has learned as a coach is to make sure that scorers are put in the best position to score at the right time. Woodson’s main job is to get Melo and Amar’e on the same page and, to me, that means running action away from the ball for his forwards and especially the already mentioned two-man half court isolation. Who can guard Melo and Amar’e 2 on 2 in the league? This mismatch forces double teams and with good ball movement open shots. I think Woodson’s decision to really focus on this last night is very smart, and it can work, it just needs reps and timing to make it go.