Good evening! No Reconnaissance tonight, since we've already done that for the Nets, but here's what I'm thinking about pre-game:
- I'm thinking a lot about the shooting in that last game. The Nets held the Knicks to poor three-point shooting, and that's been their thing all year. Brooklyn holds teams to very few three-point attempts and a very low percentage on those attempts.
- Meanwhile, the Knicks' poor handling of the Deron Williams-Joe Johnson pick-and-roll and awful rotations thereafter-- recall that this was the end of a particularly terrible defensive stretch of games-- allowed Jerry Stackhouse and Gerald Wallace to get way too many open looks. New York's either gotta switch less on those picks or be way smarter about helping on those switches.
- The Knicks didn't have Jason Kidd last time around, the Nets won't have Brook Lopez this time around. Kidd's presence should hopefully improve both the ball movement and the help defense, while it'll be interesting to see how New York handles a different Brooklyn front line. Avery Johnson will send out Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans to start while Kris Humphries comes off the bench. Does Carmelo Anthony guard Evans? Blatche? Can Tyson Chandler come even close to replicating the dominant performance he had last time when Lopez was around?
- Tacos. I'm thinking about tacos. I intend to eat some tacos before game time.
That's what's up. The Knicks' prospects injury-wise and momentum-wise (coming off three wins in four games/five nights, as opposed to playing the Nets in the second of a back-to-back after defending terribly and dropping two of their last three) certainly look a lot more promising, but one never knows. Other advantages aside, I still worry about the Knicks' pick-and-roll D and rotations against that backcourt and its satellite shooters. How are we feeling?
(Oh, and I've said this before and will repeat it in the game thread, but: Nets fans will come comment here tonight. You're also encouraged to check out Nets Daily. In both circumstances, please be nothing but civil and respectful and, should the need arise, flag unsavory comments and let me deal with them. Last time we didn't have any real blow-ups, and I was really happy about that. We may loathe each other's teams, but we must all get along.)