May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Miami Heat small forward Shane Battier (31) both battle a loose ball during the first half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
Indeed, blackhova. The MILPCAT just wasn't meant to be. The Knicks came out looking pretty spunky in this one. The defense was active, the ball movement was crisp, and Mike Bibby was cookin' soup in his new starting role. It sorta crumbled from there, though. That lovely ball movement derailed, and only Carmelo Anthony could create shots in a sticky, stagnant offense. I'm not really sure why the ball stopped moving, but I do know that Mike Woodson tried to cash in on it by starting J.R. Smith in the second half. That, uh...didn't exactly pan out.
Meanwhile, New York's pick-and-roll traps got bisected one after the other by Dwyane Wade, their rotations to corner threes were serially tardy, and their attentiveness on the defensive glass was nowhere near a level befitting a playoff game. Amar'e Stoudemire's Game Four aggression disappeared (though that one baseline dunk in the first half was lovely), and Tyson Chandler was creepily passive for the second straight outing. The MILPCAT died not with a yowl, but with a whimper, which was disappointing.
The offseason and the prolonged eulogizing of the weirdest Knicks team I've ever followed will begin in the morning. P&T will be up and running throughout the summer. In the meantime, take the jump for a little .gifenfreude to finish out the season. I love all of you.




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