False Hope
Leave it to the hype machine guys and the advertising gurus in New York to pump up a ball club but the reality about the Knicks is that there is nothing but false hope in the Big Apple.
First of all, you cannot win in the spring with the kind of ball that Coach Mike D’Antoni rolls out there. You never could and never will.
It’s been tried before and failed before.
Doug Moe played a similar all offense style back in the day and he never got there when it came playoff time.
Don Nelson was infamous for getting the match-ups he wanted and for going small against teams that had a decided edge in height and for all the good theater and slam-dunks; Nelson was a bust in the playoffs.
D’Antoni utilized the same offense when he was at the helm of the Phoenix Suns and even with one of the best distributors and point guards of all time, Steve Nash, he could not get to the Promised Land.
The Knicks are 2nd in the league in points scored, but are dead last in rebounding, 27th in points allowed and 21% in the league as far as defending as their opponents hit nearly 47% of their shots.
As far as New York is concerned, fans can’t wait for spring training to begin.
How the mighty have fallen. The Knicks looked like the real deal in November and in early December when at one point they won 13 of 14 games, but they are in a major funk and the style of play is one reason why.
Since mid-January New York has lost 9 of 12 games and they lost to some of the weakest teams in the league.
They fell to Sacramento, to struggling Phoenix, and to Philly just the other night and two of those 3 wins in that span were against non-goliaths Washington and Detroit.
Somehow, they managed to beat Miami at home on January 27 but it was one ugly contest. New York players not named Amar’e Stoudemire were only 20 of 66 from the floor, that’s 30% ladies and gentlemen.
In that win LeBron James looked to be hurt, he wasn’t elevating as normal and could only manage 7 buckets from 24 shots.
So where does that leave the hoop bettors when it comes to wagering on the Knicks?
Well, this is where there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Through the first 49 games of the year, the Knicks were 30-17-2 against the spread largely due to a career year from Stoudamire and a breakout season for point guard Raymond Felton.
Rookie Landry Fields has been a godsend as he is shooting over 51% from the floor. New York has also done sensational against the number on the road losing only 7 times ATS in their first 26 pavement games.
Betting the over/under on the Knicks has pretty much been a wash at 23-25-1 and they are slightly worse away from Madison Square Garden.
For the players in the league, there is nothing like playing in the Mecca of the Garden, for bettors, it is time to tread lightly with this squad.
