Hornets PG Thread: Melo With The Game-Winner! We're Currently 6th Seed!!!

[NYKMentality85]

Shout out to Hornachek He gets a T arguing the bad call on willies tip in. We immediately go on a 15-2 run. Changed the game entirely. He's a smart dude and doing an excellent job. Seems to really like his team.

I thought the ball was clearly over the rim on the replay no?

Also I liked Horny yelling at KP earlier in the 4th.

I'm not sure because from one angle it looked as if the ball was on its way down (coming off the rim) and Hernangomez had a clean play; but who knows. Nonetheless Hornacek was right for voicing his opinion. As did MSG faithful with chants of "these refs suck". Some of those fouls called on Porzingis were head scratchers , and especially the 3 point play against Willy by Kemba (forcing overtime) were all ticky-tack fouls.

Good point mentioning how Porzingis was getting taken to school by Hornacek. He's out there teaching a young K.P from the sideline. Hornacek also got on Noah, yelling at Noah to "shoot the ball" while pointing at the shot clock.

I just get this feeling that Hornacek is going to run our team to perfection while having two stars in Anthony & Porzingis, due to playing alongside of two H.O.F legends in Stockton and Malone himself. As a 3rd option he's been there before (as a player) and speaking of Hornacek being a 3rd option, Rose is quickly emerging as Hornacek's 3rd option. The more Hornacek (as coach) works alongside of Rose (as player), the more i feel Rose will evolve his game into becoming more & more of what Anthony & Porzingis needs (as did Jeff for Stockton & Malone). It's a bond they can share together.

If Rose buys in, Horny has the first hand experience to mold Rose into an N.Y star. The relationship with Rose & Hornacek has just been formed. It's something that I'll keep an eye on as the season progresses. It's something that can take this team to the next level.

[Adelheid]

Hornacek is growing some balls finally.

[FlashFlood]

My favorite thing about this game is KP crapping all over Frank Kaminsky. And he'll probably do it again and again for the next 15-20 years.

Melo and Rose took their matchups against MKG and Kemba.

This game should never have gone into OT. If the Knicks are serious, they're going to put them away tomorrow.

[Triple C]

[gavran]

I need a gif of that Melo pass to Willy.

Which one?

[Governor Dudley]

Read on Twitter

Just may be...the longest, flattest, ass i've ever seen.

[NoStatsGuy]

melo is fat

stop putting words in my mouth.

haha man this is confusing

[thebuzzardman]

D-Rose over the last 11 games...

33 mpg
16 ppg
44% fg's
4 rpg
6 apg

If he can manage those numbers for the rest of the season, there is not a whole lot more we can ask from him.

I guess my only concern would be if we still need more scoring from him to match up with the Cavs and Warriors, teams with 3 20+ ppg scorers. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.

To be honest, the above is all I expect from him this year and I figured that and the any semblance of being able to penetrate that we got would put the Knicks miles ahead of last year in terms of PG play. So far, that's true.

[Juco24]

Read on Twitter

Just may be...the longest, flattest, ass i've ever seen.

must agree

[wang000hk]

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This man is legend status only thing missing is a ring! Period.

the amount of times he hit the go ahead bucket earlier / tied the game is moot to so many folks because of how may times we blew it.

I wish I had that stat of how many times he scored to tie the game , scored for us to go ahead or iced a game that was wishing 1 shooting possesion with less than 1 min remaining.

Has to be around 20x the last 2 years excluding this year.

Melo was one of,if not the most clutch players coming to the league during his Denver days,in terms of making game winners or go ahead shots

For some reasons,his percentage wasn't so good here as a Knicks

[Polk377]

This game last night might have given me a heart condition. Not the best overall game as a collective unit but still fought hard to get the W.

Melo carried the team on his back the whole night and contributed more than just putting up points. These are the types of game superstars win you and why Melo is so important.

KP just wasn't feeling it but still played with confidence, contributed big on the defensive end with some huge blocks and hit some clutch shots down the stretch. I will take 16pts 8 rebs 2 asts and 3 blocks on an off night.

Rose keeps coming up huge late in games and should have had the game winner last night. He might not be "vintage" Rose anymore but he is still the best PG we have had since Starbury. Only thing I wish he would stop doing is those cross court jump passes.

Courtney Lee had a nice bounce back night and got some shots to fall. He has to find his rhythm again and knock down the open shots.

Willy, Kuz and Holliday are the X-factors of this team. Each guy has the ability on any given night to step up big down the stretch with no fear. Willy had a bad foul on Walker at the end but it comes with being a rookie. He made a couple of key baskets at the end and works hard on the glass every single night. Kuz is definitely a rookie just in name. He does a lot of little things out there that won't pop up on the box score. Holliday is showing that he was much more than just a throw in from Chicago. His energy, defense and ability to make plays on offense have kept the team in the game a few nights. He has been a very pleasant surprise this season and hopefully can be here for a while.

[god shammgod]

good azz game. what up mpharris.

[Knicks_Fan2]

D-Rose over the last 11 games...

33 mpg
16 ppg
44% fg's
4 rpg
6 apg

If he can manage those numbers for the rest of the season, there is not a whole lot more we can ask from him.

I guess my only concern would be if we still need more scoring from him to match up with the Cavs and Warriors, teams with 3 20+ ppg scorers. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.

Overall offensive efficiency matters more. If that dips, then we can look at individual reasons for why we aren't scoring as well. frankly, with the way Rose scores, him scoring 20+ would likely be to the detriment to the entire offense.

[xNewYorkMadex]

Jeff is earning my respect as a coach.

Marco B was killing us from downtown last night. But he made sure to attack him on defense. Knicks were abusing him on backdoor cuts to the rim. A real coach who knows what hes doing will attack the weakest defensive player.

[Milk]

[Juco24]

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Just may be...the longest, flattest, ass i've ever seen.

so true

[FKF]

Jeff is earning my respect as a coach.

Marco B was killing us from downtown last night. But he made sure to attack him on defense. Knicks were abusing him on backdoor cuts to the rim. A real coach who knows what hes doing will attack the weakest defensive player.

This ! Really Hornacek is growing on me as a potential COYear !

You see in such game the difference with past coaches. Hornacek made terrific adjustments and that W is on him.

To have Kuz on the floor late instead of Noah was great great call. Kuz, though he was 0/6, is known to be a shooter, and spaces the offense.

Phil also deserves a whole bunch of credit for bring that due, along with Billy.

Everybody will talk about Melo on that last play, and he deserves credit, but you can see the difference between that team and the past.
Melo got the ball corner key, with Rose in motion, Kuz was in motion before, KP was spacing the offense, Lee was waiting in the corner, the Hornets could not double Melo, that would left a good option open. Kemba thought twice about doubling Melo, as he stayed onD-Rose who had been clutch already vs Portland and in regulation. When Kemba joined on Melo it was too late already and he was lost in no man's land.

All five Knicks on that floor could make that winning shot, and that brings the team to a whole upper level. That gives Melo more passing opportunities, and that gives him more space to create his own.

Give credit also to Rose, that late block on Kemba was a beauty. No foul, just clean.

[Capn'O]

I could watch this on repeat for hours

Watch on YouTube

Subtle difference from Melo clearout endgame isos of yore - Instead of a handoff or inbound to Melo, he gets the ball on a pass from Rose. Then, Rose is in motion around him and sets up as a decoy from 3 to prevent the double from fully committing. Melo got to take his defender in single coverage. Just like Rose got his game clincher in single coverage v. Portland after a pass to and from KP with appropriate spacing from Lee behind him.

Melo 1 v. 1 is deadly. I'll take that as an end game play. Get him better shots and he will hit them. Before, it was always 1 v. 5. No movement to get him the ball or motion around him or anywhere else off the ball.

I questioned the spacing on the regulation shot. DRose went to the corner on the side Melo was supposed to shoot from. So Batum was there ready to double and Melo had to settle for that shot.

The OT shot, DRose went to the other side, truly giving Melo space.

DRose does a lot of things that make me question his IQ as a PG.

He does. I get the sense patience is one of Hornacek's virtues though. That and drawing up plays out of timeouts.

[Knicksfan1992]

For those killing Noah, he had the highest offensive rating on the team last night at 146 and was tied for the 2nd lowest defensive rating at 102....

I don't know what game some of you were watching. I thought Noah was fantastic last night. He's as much a part of the reason we kept Kemba in check as Rose was.

[3toheadmelo]

KP needs more credit from last night. His blocks were SICK and that clutch 3 was beautiful.