Via NY Post
“Winning a scoring title is all fine and dandy. But May and June is when legacies and legends are made. You are what your record says you are. And Melo is 23-43 in the postseason.
He had been the Invisible Man in the fourth quarters of Games 3 and 4. Two free throws. And as many field goals as Jason Kidd.
For so long last night, he was Bernard King, he was Ewing, he was Clyde Frazier in Game 7 against the Lakers.
But in his team’s most desperate hour, he choked.”
Tommy Dee, theKnicksBlog.com
Fair or unfair Melo’s 4th quarter numbers speak for themselves. And for the third consecutive post season as a Knick his teammates folded around him forcing him to have to be extra special and take all the heat upon defeat.
Part of the gig.
I think Melo just ran out of gas and for a long time during the 4th quarter, after he beautifully found JR for an open 3, a pass that no one thought he ever made and a pass no one in the media will ever remember, he was playing 1 on 8. I compare his game yesterday to a 3 or 4 hitter in baseball going 3 for 5 with a HR and 4 RBIs in a playoff game but popping up with the tying runs on base in the 8th. Melo had to be perfect last night and expect help and instead he was only perfect for 3 quarters. His moment could have been a dunk on Hibbert that was arm-wrestled away by the series biggest x-factor.
Some media “experts” crack me up with their shallowness. Blame Melo for choking and for not rising to the occasion. No one mentioned Frank Vogel the tactician and not one that I’ve studied predicted Hibbert’s dominance and the emergence of Lance Stephenson.
The Pacers played their best basketball at the right time, to a man. The Knicks to a man were dreadful with some bright spots from Iman Shumpert and Chris Copeland.
But if you read ink papers you’d think that Melo had nothing to do with almost taking this series the distance.
Yes, Melo needs to get better and he has to strengthen some weaknesses. But let’s be fair they were never getting past Miami. It’s a process and I think they made a major step forward this year.
Gotta love New York media.
By: Adam Zagoria
The Knicks skipped Lance Stephenson in the 2010 NBA Draft, not once but twice.
And on Saturday night, the Brooklyn native finally got a measure of revenge.
Three years after the Knicks opted to take Andy Rautins and Landry Fields in the second round of the 2010 Draft, Stephenson went off for a playoff career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Pacers oust the Knicks from the Eastern Conference semifinals, 106-99, in Game 6 in Indiana.
To read more of this story, click here
By: Adam Zagoria
Roy Hibbert’s monster block on Carmelo Anthony at the rim may well have been the difference between the Knicks forcing a Game 7 on Monday night and them going on summer vacation.
“It was a helluva block, big play by Hibbert,” Anthony said of the Pacers’ big man’s one-handed stuff when the Knicks led by two points in Game 6 in Indiana.
“That block I think spearheaded that momentum run that they made.
To read more of this story, click here
Tommy Dee, theKnicksBlog.com
This was a game that the Knicks had to chase uphill again and for a brief moment after the explosion from Iman Shumpert and Carmelo in the 3rd quarter you allowed the thoughts to trickle in. Can they win despite more rancid play from JR Smith? Can they force a Game 7 despite Roy Hibbert playing like Bill Russell yet again? Can they play one more game at MSG for all the marbles despite Ray Felton being a complete and utter zero and them allowing the Pacers to outwork them on the boards and hit big shot after big shot. Could they be one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals despite their head coach being overmatched by Frank Vogel for the 5th time in 6 games?
All of those things happened and the Knicks were still in the game in the 4th quarter. That’s how good Melo was for the first 3.
Melo will be held accountable for yet another dreadful 4th quarter. And the block and turnover to Lance Lebron James Stephenson will be the first witnesses at the trial. And that’s completely fair, but let’s please keep in mind that without Melo’s heroics they would have lost this game by 20 points.
Where do they go from here? Great question. I for one am looking forward to the answer to many questions heading into the summer.
Stay tuned.
On Saturday night, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Knicks (#2 Seed, 54-28) were defeated by the Indiana Pacers (#3 Seed, 49-32) 106-99.
The Pacers have won the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 4-2 and will advance to play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Box Score
In Case You Missed It…
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in scoring with 39 points on 15-29 shooting from the floor. He added seven rebounds and two assists.
Iman Shumpert was 5-6 shooting from three on route to 19 points. He added three points and ended up fouling out of the games.
J.R. Smith scored 15 points off the bench on 4-15 shooting from the floor. He lead the team in rebounds with 10 and had three assists.
Lance Stephenson led the Pacers in scoring with 25 points on 9-13 from the line. He was 7-8 from the line. He added 10 rebounds, three assists and one block.
Paul George scored 23 points on 9-15 from the floor. He was only 3-9 from the line and added five rebounds, four assists.
Roy Hibbert scored 21 points on 6-13 from the floor. He was 9-12 from the line and added a game high 12 rebounds along with five blocks.
The Knicks bench outscored the Pacers bench 31-8
The Pacers out rebounded the Knicks 43-37 but the Knicks had an advantage on the offensive glass 14-11. The turnovers were even at nine.
The Pacers shot 50% from the field but were only 4-15 from three while the Knicks shot 40% from the field but 43% from three.
The Knicks were 0-6 this postseason when allowed a team to score more than 80 points.
The Knicks are now 7-6 all-time in Game 6 when trailing a best-of-seven series 3-2.
This is the first time the Knicks season ends in the second round of the playoffs since 1998 when losing in five games to the Pacers.
Matthew Falkenbury, theKnicksBlog.com
A frustrating and tough way for the season to end for the Knicks tonight. This game was going to be the biggest hill to climb and though they did a great job getting back in it, they did not finish.
The Pacers played their best game offensively since Game One. Roy Hibbert was allowed to do whatever he wanted and Lance Stephenson played the best game of his career.
It also did not hurt that the Pacers had some help tonight. The three men that helped end the Knicks season tonight were Officials Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy and Tom Washington. The Knicks were called for 34 fouls, including Chandler, Martin and Shumpert fouling out, with the Pacers getting 46 free throws.
The Pacers were not called for the same fouls that the Knicks were called for. It became comical at points and I hope none of them are allowed to set foot on the court again for the rest of the post season.
But, the Knicks can look to Game One and tonight as the two games where they could have won the game but did not make it happen. It was the loss in Game One that allowed Indy to have a chance to close it out at home tonight.
J.R. Smith was bad again except for a couple of big shots in the second half. Tyson Chandler was awful and Raymond Felton was a non factor.
Carmelo Anthony was great. Yes his shot didn’t fall in the fourth and the two turnovers were killer. One of the missed shots was that insane block by Hibbert and two other shots rimmed out. It happens. But, the Knicks are not even in this game without him.
The Pacers did what teams that don’t have home court need to do. They got the one road win and then defended home court. The Knicks inability to win Indiana and match the Pacers intensity for 48 minutes in those games were a killer.
This season has come to an end and it was truly a fun ride. No matter what your expectations were for this team, calling it a disappointment would be wrong.
This was a year of first time in a long time moments. This franchise is finally out of the woods they found themselves in while under Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas and the early years of Donnie Walsh.
A Division Title, A playoff series win, and 50+ wins are just some of the accomplishments they had this year that can’t be overlooked. Stuff they had not done in over a decade. Those facts are now gone. Thankfully.
29 teams this year and every year forward will end their season at some level of disappointment for not winning a title. That is the nature of sports.
But the 2012-2013 Knicks should not be disappointed with their overall body of work. They should use this as fuel to do it all again next year and try to win that elusive championship.
At the end of the day, all Knicks fans should hold their heads up high. Amar’e Stoudemire’s promise from the Summer of 2010 has finally come true.
The Knicks are back.
Series: Pacers Lead 3-2
When: 8:00 PM
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Network: ESPN
Starting Lineups (Subject To Change)
Pacers (#3 Seed, 49-32)
PG: George Hill
SG: Lance Stephenson
SF: Paul George
PF: David West
C: Roy Hibbert
Knicks (#2 Seed, 54-28)
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Pablo Prigioni
SF: Iman Shumpert
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Tyson Chandler
Matthew Falkenbury, theKnicksBlog.com
Step One of the Knicks attempt at the “Miracle” comeback was completed with a win in Game Five on Thursday.
Now comes the hard part.
Winning in Indiana this year has been unbelievably hard for the Knicks this season. They are 0-4 and only one of those games was really even close.
The effort and energy shown by the Pacers in the two games played there this series has been much better than what the Knicks brought.
It was the difference in the wins that Indy had to take control of this series. In Game Five, things changed as the Knicks, with their backs against the wall, played like it and got the win.
The law of averages say that the open shots the Knicks were missing in Indy will start to fall. If only we knew that was going to be a guarantee.
To me the key points to beating the Pacers are keeping the rebounding edge for Indy in check, force them into turnovers and be aggressive on offense.
In Game Five the edge in rebounding for the Pacers was only 3 (compared to +18 in Game Four), the Pacers turned it over 19 times and the offense did a nice job balancing isolation with pick and roll.
If the Knicks can duplicate that in Game Six, they will be heading back home for Game Seven and not heading home for the season.
Indiana earned the chance to clinch the series at home by stealing Game One from the Knicks at the Garden. They are 5-0 at home this postseason and have won by double digits in every one of those games.
We have seen this team rise up on the road in this postseason in the Boston series and get a big win. They are going to have to do it all again except this time they don’t have the cushion of a Game Seven.
In 1994, 1995 and 1999 this franchise walked into Indiana needing a win and got it. Lets all hope that the 2012-2013 Knicks add their name to that legacy.
The “Miracle” is within grasp. Lets see if the Knicks take another step in the right direction tonight and get this back to the Garden on Monday night.
Five Questions About Tonight’s Game
- Can the Knicks keep the Pacers rebounding edge in check?
- Who will step up to help Melo?
- How will Hill look in his return to the lineup?
- What will Copeland provide tonight?
- What kind of game will Chandler and Felton have?
