New York Knicks @ Miami Heat 12/6/2012 8 PM EST on TNT

[SweetTouch]

SVG on the Lebatard show today:

"The Knicks have absolutely no chance of beating Miami in a playoff series."

He did a thorough analysis of the situation, and had a few caveats, but he made this statement without hesitation, and with a lot of conviction. It's worth listening to the discussion on the podcast. I think they talked about the game in the first hour of the show. PEACE.

EDIT: Stan also gave his opinion on Wade (SPOILER: he doesn't think Wade is declining) and also had some really interesting comments on the intelligence of athletes. I love the guy. ESPN is so stupid for not hiring. He'd easily be the best guy on their panel. TNT should consider bringing him on. Replace Shaq with SVG, and that is the greatest sports show ever.

Yeah I'm hearing this old podcast after the Heats opening night win against the Celtics and he's saying how he doesn't think the Heat will ever have an elite defense anymore since they are going small fulltime.

Due is a prophet

He said they would be good defensively, but not be elite

[LuckyLuke007]

does somebody have a link. greetz from germany! stop worrying guys! they will figure it out!!! like they always did stop acting like those media clowns blowing everything out of proportion and putting on questionmarks cause of any kind of negative scenery might appear almost every time. we will get to the playoffs and kick some bu... you will see

edit: found it!

[DefenseWins]

Is it true LeBron started doing some workouts after the game and said that he "needed to get better?".

Everyone else BUT LeBron should have worked out after the game... who isn't injured anyway.

Also I think we should worry if everyone on this team is on the same page, and if they lose. Meaning if they play their hearts out and still lose, I believe Pimperx said something like that. I agree. If they bust their asses and lose (and more than one game), then I'll push the panic button. But only guy I saw trying last night was LeBron... as always...

Wade was too busy thinking about hanging out with Kanye and Kim Kardashian after the game with Gabrielle Union and himself... psh...

[DWadeno3]

SVG on the Lebatard show today:

"The Knicks have absolutely no chance of beating Miami in a playoff series."

He did a thorough analysis of the situation, and had a few caveats, but he made this statement without hesitation, and with a lot of conviction. It's worth listening to the discussion on the podcast. I think they talked about the game in the first hour of the show. PEACE.

EDIT: Stan also gave his opinion on Wade (SPOILER: he doesn't think Wade is declining) and also had some really interesting comments on the intelligence of athletes. I love the guy. ESPN is so stupid for not hiring. He'd easily be the best guy on their panel. TNT should consider bringing him on. Replace Shaq with SVG, and that is the greatest sports show ever.

Yeah I'm hearing this old podcast after the Heats opening night win against the Celtics and he's saying how he doesn't think the Heat will ever have an elite defense anymore since they are going small fulltime.

Due is a prophet

He said they would be good defensively, but not be elite

Is it just the latest podcast during the LeBatard show? I know there was a place on their website where one could find those specific interview, but somehow I can't find it anymore.

[ssenbonzakura]

http://www.theticketmiami.com/lebatard.aspx

The link to the van Gundy interview should be there. This season is turning into another roller coaster. It's better that way, for the players to go through something they can look at to push themselves. I was expecting a slow start to the season, with Wade's surgery and all. I'm not even going to worry about this team's play till after the trade deadline. My only complaint is Lebron playing too many minutes against teams he should be resting against.

[DWadeno3]

http://www.theticketmiami.com/lebatard.aspx

The link to the van Gundy interview should be there. This season is turning into another roller coaster. It's better that way, for the players to go through something they can look at to push themselves. I was expecting a slow start to the season, with Wade's surgery and all. I'm not even going to worry about this team's play till after the trade deadline. My only complaint is Lebron playing too many minutes against teams he should be resting against.

Jesus f***, I should've found that myself, thanks.

[Svillhace]

http://www.theticketmiami.com/lebatard.aspx

The link to the van Gundy interview should be there. This season is turning into another roller coaster. It's better that way, for the players to go through something they can look at to push themselves. I was expecting a slow start to the season, with Wade's surgery and all. I'm not even going to worry about this team's play till after the trade deadline. My only complaint is Lebron playing too many minutes against teams he should be resting against.

It's good for the team to feel like they have a real threat. It seems like everyone relaxed after the championship.

[StephNYKurry]

Don't mind me, I'm just an observer, but y'all really need to stop.

You have unquestionably the best player in the game and even if Wade has taken a stop back, he's probably still Top 15 and has an extra gear that we aren't going to see in the regular season. Stretches where you lose your discipline in your defensive coverages are going to happen throughout the season as are points when your offense is stagnant. I think it's a bit premature to identify fundamental issues with the Heat before 20 games have even been played.

Heat are in a bit of a rut and played bad basketball, against a very good team, that played very well. That's when blowouts happen. I don't think that game was as much a referendum on the Heat as it was/is on the Knicks. The Knicks are real, but don't let that blind you to the fact that your squad is still the best squad in the sport because you have the best player in the game and 2 other top 15 players and no other team can say that.

Good luck the rest of the way. Hope we both stay healthy so we can play a hell of a series in May.

[cb1]

Don't mind me, I'm just an observer, but y'all really need to stop.

You have unquestionably the best player in the game and even if Wade has taken a stop back, he's probably still Top 15 and has an extra gear that we aren't going to see in the regular season. Stretches where you lose your discipline in your defensive coverages are going to happen throughout the season as are points when your offense is stagnant. I think it's a bit premature to identify fundamental issues with the Heat before 20 games have even been played.

Heat are in a bit of a rut and played bad basketball, against a very good team, that played very well. That's when blowouts happen. I don't think that game was as much a referendum on the Heat as it was/is on the Knicks. The Knicks are real, but don't let that blind you to the fact that your squad is still the best squad in the sport because you have the best player in the game and 2 other top 15 players and no other team can say that.

Good luck the rest of the way. Hope we both stay healthy so we can play a hell of a series in May.

This stuff about the knicks being for real makes me laugh. As much as i like your team and i think you guys have improved a lot, i still don't think you have a contending team. It's still very early in the season and your team is making threes at a historic rate that is just plain unsustainable especially in a seven game series. If we're being objective, you guys are or should be a poor offensive team because your two main scorers are Melo and J.R Smith who is streaky at best and Melo hasn't shown that he can keep up this MVP type of consistency over a full season and playoff run when the defenses tighten up. Also, there are flaws in the defensive system that you guys run especially when Melo is at the 4 he's terrible at recovering when you put him in a pick n roll defensively and you don't have any quality bigs that you can depend on to back up Chandler because they're old.

[StephNYKurry]

Don't mind me, I'm just an observer, but y'all really need to stop.

You have unquestionably the best player in the game and even if Wade has taken a stop back, he's probably still Top 15 and has an extra gear that we aren't going to see in the regular season. Stretches where you lose your discipline in your defensive coverages are going to happen throughout the season as are points when your offense is stagnant. I think it's a bit premature to identify fundamental issues with the Heat before 20 games have even been played.

Heat are in a bit of a rut and played bad basketball, against a very good team, that played very well. That's when blowouts happen. I don't think that game was as much a referendum on the Heat as it was/is on the Knicks. The Knicks are real, but don't let that blind you to the fact that your squad is still the best squad in the sport because you have the best player in the game and 2 other top 15 players and no other team can say that.

Good luck the rest of the way. Hope we both stay healthy so we can play a hell of a series in May.

This stuff about the knicks being for real makes me laugh. As much as i like your team and i think you guys have improved a lot, i still don't think you have a contending team. It's still very early in the season and your team is making threes at a historic rate that is just plain unsustainable especially in a seven game series. If we're being objective, you guys are or should be a poor offensive team because your two main scorers are Melo and J.R Smith who is streaky at best and Melo hasn't shown that he can keep up this MVP type of consistency over a full season and playoff run when the defenses tighten up. Also, there are flaws in the defensive system that you guys run especially when Melo is at the 4 he's terrible at recovering when you put him in a pick n roll defensively and you don't have any quality bigs that you can depend on to back up Chandler because they're old.

1) Amare Stoudemire didn't play

2) The 3 point shooting is severely overstated. No, we can't chuck 40 3's like we did the last two games, but the percentage is 3rd in the league. We have good shooters and take more 3's than anyone ever has. Take more...make more. If there are questions about the Knicks 3 point shooting and it's correlation to their success, then the same questions should be asked about OKC and Miami who shoot a higher percentage than the Knicks.

[narmerguy]

I don't think the Knicks 3pt shooting is that incredible. They have high % shooters and they take a bunch of them. Let's not forget how many of our wins have depended on Ray Allen 3pt shots so far.

[RHODEY]

This stuff about the knicks being for real makes me laugh. As much as i like your team and i think you guys have improved a lot, i still don't think you have a contending team. It's still very early in the season and your team is making threes at a historic rate that is just plain unsustainable especially in a seven game series. If we're being objective, you guys are or should be a poor offensive team because your two main scorers are Melo and J.R Smith who is streaky at best and Melo hasn't shown that he can keep up this MVP type of consistency over a full season and playoff run when the defenses tighten up. Also, there are flaws in the defensive system that you guys run especially when Melo is at the 4 he's terrible at recovering when you put him in a pick n roll defensively and you don't have any quality bigs that you can depend on to back up Chandler because they're old.

Interesting so what other teams (besides your own) would you consider a contender and why?

[cb1]

This stuff about the knicks being for real makes me laugh. As much as i like your team and i think you guys have improved a lot, i still don't think you have a contending team. It's still very early in the season and your team is making threes at a historic rate that is just plain unsustainable especially in a seven game series. If we're being objective, you guys are or should be a poor offensive team because your two main scorers are Melo and J.R Smith who is streaky at best and Melo hasn't shown that he can keep up this MVP type of consistency over a full season and playoff run when the defenses tighten up. Also, there are flaws in the defensive system that you guys run especially when Melo is at the 4 he's terrible at recovering when you put him in a pick n roll defensively and you don't have any quality bigs that you can depend on to back up Chandler because they're old.

Interesting so what other teams (besides your own) would you consider a contender and why?

Am not saying that you guys won't be a contending team later on in the season but the sample size is a bit small and certain guys on your team have had problems with consistency their whole careers that's why am not yet sold. I consider the celtics a contender because they're a team built for the playoffs not the regular season because their main core in KG and Pierce are old so they need to pace themselves. Any team coached by Doc Rivers can never be counted out.

[RHODEY]

This stuff about the knicks being for real makes me laugh. As much as i like your team and i think you guys have improved a lot, i still don't think you have a contending team. It's still very early in the season and your team is making threes at a historic rate that is just plain unsustainable especially in a seven game series. If we're being objective, you guys are or should be a poor offensive team because your two main scorers are Melo and J.R Smith who is streaky at best and Melo hasn't shown that he can keep up this MVP type of consistency over a full season and playoff run when the defenses tighten up. Also, there are flaws in the defensive system that you guys run especially when Melo is at the 4 he's terrible at recovering when you put him in a pick n roll defensively and you don't have any quality bigs that you can depend on to back up Chandler because they're old.

Interesting so what other teams (besides your own) would you consider a contender and why?

Am not saying that you guys won't be a contending team later on in the season but the sample size is a bit small and certain guys on your team have had problems with consistency their whole careers that's why am not yet sold. I consider the celtics a contender because they're a team built for the playoffs not the regular season because their main core in KG and Pierce are old so they need to pace themselves. Any team coached by Doc Rivers can never be counted out.

Very interesting , a few more questions. Who has problems with consistency on the Knicks ? We are a quarter of the way though the season how much of a sample size do you need to make a proper assessment? Why you do consider a team built around a main core of 35 and 36 year olds who are "are old so they need to pace themselves" built for the playoffs?

[cb1]

Very interesting , a few more questions. Who has problems with consistency on the Knicks ? We are a quarter of the way though the season how much of a sample size do you need to make a proper assessment? Why you do consider a team built around a main core of 35 and 36 year olds who are "are old so they need to pace themselves" built for the playoffs?[/quote]
Since when is a quarter of the way through the season a big enough sample size to assess anything when we're dealing with a team that has had many letdowns for as long as i can remember. You should know better than anybody that your team for the past few years have been a tease but when the lights shine the brightest they get exposed, injuries considered. I consider the celtics a contender because Rondo is the one that makes them go and he's a matchup problem for any team in the east including your team and my team as well. In a seven game series, there aren't many teams that can grind out games and execute better than the celtics. It's a headache going up against a team so unpredictable that you don't know what they're gunna do next each possession on offense. Last year even without Bosh i thought we would still beat them in 5 games max but i underestimated their ability to execute and how well coached they are. Mike Woodson doesn't have nearly as much experience as Doc being a head coach as well. You also can't forget the fact that KG and Pierce don't have to work as hard on offense like they used to because Rondo gets everybody good open shots and regardless of their age, they can still make certain shots at a high clip because they've been doing it for their whole careers. Bottomline is that if your team is still playing this way nearing the playoffs, then i won't have a problem considering them a threat to us.

[JSmooth93]

Since when is a quarter of the way through the season a big enough sample size to assess anything when we're dealing with a team that has had many letdowns for as long as i can remember. You should know better than anybody that your team for the past few years have been a tease but when the lights shine the brightest they get exposed, injuries considered. I consider the celtics a contender because Rondo is the one that makes them go and he's a matchup problem for any team in the east including your team and my team as well. In a seven game series, there aren't many teams that can grind out games and execute better than the celtics. It's a headache going up against a team so unpredictable that you don't know what they're gunna do next each possession on offense. Last year even without Bosh i thought we would still beat them in 5 games max but i underestimated their ability to execute and how well coached they are. Mike Woodson doesn't have nearly as much experience as Doc being a head coach as well. You also can't forget the fact that KG and Pierce don't have to work as hard on offense like they used to because Rondo gets everybody good open shots and regardless of their age, they can still make certain shots at a high clip because they've been doing it for their whole careers. Bottomline is that if your team is still playing this way nearing the playoffs, then i won't have a problem considering them a threat to us.[/quote]

It's a poor argument to mention a single thing about the Knicks in preceeding years. Only 6 players remain from last years team: Tyson, Shump, J.R., STAT, Melo, Novak. 2 Top players in the league, 2 Top defensive players in the league and 2 Light's out shooters. The trash surrounding them has been disposed of and replaces with above-solid savvy vets and a stellar PG rotation. This a completely different team.
The Celtics team has been looking poor, you talk about pace like you Heat fans talk about your team waiting till playoffs to kick it up. Lebron is playing great and even said himself that there is no coasting, he's practicing AFTER games. Contrary to popular belief, top teams in the NBA never "coast", there's a reason 60 win teams exist.
For you to consider the Celtic's a contender based on past success and the Knicks a non-contender based on past failure, I hate to say it but it sounds more salty than unbiased.

[krikor]

to put it simply, new york knicks is the new chicago bulls and cleveland cavaliers.
Not a playoff team, now go onto your forum.Next.

[RHODEY]

to put it simply, new york knicks is the new chicago bulls and cleveland cavaliers.
Not a playoff team, now go onto your forum.Next.

Without Amare and Shumpert maybe but with those 2 and the shooters we have... uh uh. Unlike those teams we'll have a legit 2nd option.Unlike those 2 we have deadeye shooters.