What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 04 Jul 2019, 16:25

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  • HEAD COACH: Jeff Van Gundy, 5th season, 140-97 in four years

    1998-99: 27-23 (.540%), 4th in Atlantic Division, lost to San Antonio in NBA Finals

    STARTING FIVE: Charlie Ward, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing

    ADDITIONS: Andrew Lang (C, free agent, Chicago), John Wallace (SF, free agent, Toronto)

    SUBSTRACTIONS: Herb Williams (C-F, retired)

    Without aging center Patrick Ewing, the Knicks reached the NBA Finals by relying on the offensive arsenal of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston and there's no reason to break that 1-2 punch, with Larry Johnson providing a third scoring presence. They are once again expected to receive help from reserves Marcus Camby, who flourished in the playoffs, and Kurt Thomas, who should help on both ends of the floor; both are a year wiser and offseason signee Andrew Lang can be consistent on the boards.

    What drags New York today is Ewing, perhaps the greatest Knick of all time, who turned 37 in August and may not be so accommodating on offense as he once was. He has played just 26 and 38 regular season games the past two seasons, and his backups Lang and Chris Dudley are not viable alternatives, providing hardly any scoring. "We have basically gotten comfortable with what it takes to win without Patrick. Father time is undefeated," said coach Jeff Van Gundy, who agreed a two-year extension on his contract in July. "We need to figure out if we can be anything more than a .500 team without him, because that is what we have been the last two years without him."

    There's also concerns with their backcourt rotations -- point guards Charlie Ward and Chris Childs both return and are little more than backups, often hurting the team's offensive flow. The team could also do by adding a swingman in free agency; if Sprewell and/or Houston suffer injuries, David Wingate (36 years old) and offseason addition John Wallace (in his fourth season in the league) will not suffice as starters on an extended basis. At the same time, much will depend on the unstable relationship between the volatile Sprewell and his coach. We don't know how long the honeymoon is going to last -- the player won the first battle of the season when Van Gundy gave up and decided, perhaps against his better judgment, to start him at small forward instead of bringing him off the bench.

    With the squad's big names intact and chemistry among them now built, there is little question that the team will exceed their win percentage from last season, but it's hard to imagine Madison Square Garden rockin' for the first time since 1973 unless the front office is able to add some pieces via trades.

    BEST SCENARIO: 58-24, Eastern Conference Finals

    WORST SCENARIO: 43-39, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Last edited by kibaxx7 on 04 Jul 2019, 16:34, edited 1 time in total.
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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 04 Jul 2019, 16:26

The JZA wrote:
03 Jul 2019, 00:36
Break the curse, please. For the sake of the Knicks' future! :rg3:
I think I'm gonna need this year to acquire some guys and then really play for a ring...
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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djp73
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by djp73 » 06 Jul 2019, 08:47

I was a huge huge Knicks fan from the early 90s through roughly 2000 so I'm really looking forward to this ride!
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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 07 Jul 2019, 23:54

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  • The Los Angeles Clippers needed two newcomers to stop last year's finalists on their tracks.

    Rookie Lamar Odom wasted no time making a mark in the NBA, posting 18 of his 24 points after halftime as the Clippers recovered from a 9-point deficit to defeat the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 97-89, in the season opener for both teams. "Lamar is a heck of a player. He did a superb job to get us back, and our defense behind him did a great job too," Clippers head coach Chris Ford said of his rookie, who also had 11 boards and six dimes. "I'm just an athletic, extremely high-energy guy,'' Odom said. "I'm willing to do anything to help my group win." Acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derek Anderson had 19, six rebounds and eight assists as Los Angeles tries to bounce back from last year's 9-41 record.

    The setback remarked New York's need for a bigger inside presence. The Knicks were outrebounded, 49-30, with Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson combining for 12 points in 5-of-18 shooting. "They just outplayed us in the second half,'' said Allan Houston, who paced the hosts with a game-best 29 points. "In front of our fans, it felt embarrassing.'' With a 49-45 lead at intermission, an alley-oop from Jeff McInnis to Michael Olowokandi ignited a 10-1 run, as the Clippers cranked up their defensive intensity and never looked back again -- Maurice Taylor had six of his 13 points in the burst. "That second half... I am not pleased," Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I just think we didn't compete. They stepped up and I don't know what would have happened tonight without our backcourt." Latrell Sprewell kept the Knicks on board with 20 points as Marcus Camby, off the bench, posted 10, making just three Knicks in double figures.

    Olowokandi had nine points and 11 rebounds of his own, focusing on stoping Ewing -- a work he did to perfection. The big man from Georgetown had just six points and five rebounds in 30 minutes. "We got hammered down the stretch," said Ewing, in his first game back after missing most of last season's playoffs with a torn Achilles tendon. "Give me some time to get back on track." Sprewell said that the Knicks just need to find their tune again. "We played some pretty good defense in the first half, and I think that will carry over for us, but there's definitely a lot of work to do if we want to fulfill something special." Charlie Ward scored just four points but had four assists and five steals for the Knicks, closing a back-to-back tomorrow at Golden State (0-0), as LA hosts the same Warriors on Thursday.
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Last edited by kibaxx7 on 08 Jul 2019, 01:24, edited 2 times in total.
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 07 Jul 2019, 23:55

djp73 wrote:
06 Jul 2019, 08:47
I was a huge huge Knicks fan from the early 90s through roughly 2000 so I'm really looking forward to this ride!
Thanks a lot, man. Hopefully something good happens to Pat in this reality. ;)
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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Captain Canada
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by Captain Canada » 08 Jul 2019, 15:55

Very in-depth report, never fun losing the first game of the season
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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 08 Jul 2019, 21:06

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  • "Give me some time to get back on track," said Patrick Ewing 24 hours ago, after a 6-point, 3-of-10 shooting effort in the New York Knicks' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Well, that was fast.

    Ewing turned back the clock with 28 points and 11 rebounds, going 10-of-13 from the floor, as the Knicks crawled back from a 13-point deficit and survived a potential Antawn Jamison winner at Oracle Arena to win 96-94. "I know I could have done a lot better against the Clippers last night but it's not about points. It's about wins," said Ewing, who inbounded the ball to a wide-open Latrell Sprewell in what ended up being the game clincher -- Allan Houston set the screen that freed him and left Jamison and Mookie Blaylock perplexed. "I knew my team was counting on me to rise up and I was able to knock it down. It felt superb," said Sprewell, who notched in a game-high 29 points, with New York using a 12-2 run in the final frame to take their first win of the season. "But Pat was the man tonight. He just took over."

    Following a timeout by head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Blaylock inbounded to Jamison, who hit the rim on a potential winning 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. "Just bad luck," said Jamison, who was 8-of-22 for 17 points. "We could have done a better job containing their offense, but luck was not on our side tonight." Bad luck indeed: Jamison and Larry Hughes combined for 0-of-11 from beyond the arc as the Warriors were 4-of-24 as a unit from 3-point territory -- their reserves also outscored New York's, 34-8, led by rookie Vonteego Cummings (11 points), who was injured on an ugly looking fall in the third period, but left the floor without knowing how bad it is. "I fell pretty bad,'' said Cummings. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning.'' All signs point to a strained MCL, which would keep him off the court for at least two weeks. Terry Cummings and Chris Mills posted eight points each. Blaylock led Golden State with 26 points and seven assists, as Hughes scored 10.

    Larry Johnson made 7-of-12 shots for 16 points -- one of four Knicks in double figures, bouncing back from a 6-point effort last night. However, his biggest impact came on defense; the former 1st overall pick in 1991 harassed Donyell Marshall, who often settled for bad shots: 2-of-11 for five points. "They shot pretty well in the second half. We made some crucial mistakes and couldn't hold them enough to get the win," Marshall said. Quiet up to halftime with just four points, Houston displayed some of his trademark fuel in the second half, posting 11 of his 15 points; Charlie Ward was held scoreless by Blaylock, but was able to grab seven boards and dish 11 assists. "Pat stepping up like that this quick is really encouraging," said Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, "but there is not a lot to take out of this one. This is a game we should have lost."
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Last edited by kibaxx7 on 15 Aug 2019, 21:38, edited 3 times in total.
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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kibaxx7
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 08 Jul 2019, 21:07

Captain Canada wrote:
08 Jul 2019, 15:55
Very in-depth report, never fun losing the first game of the season
Thanks man. It's not fun to lose like that, but it's a fun squad to play with.

Guys, don't forget to click the "box score" and "team comparison" buttons. :mrgreen:
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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djp73
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by djp73 » 09 Jul 2019, 06:48

way to bounce back, looks like you're in for some battles
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What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

Post by kibaxx7 » 10 Jul 2019, 00:15

Next page! :trollbron:
Last edited by kibaxx7 on 10 Jul 2019, 00:17, edited 1 time in total.
× The Life and Times of Tanjiro Sakai ×
× Watching: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Echo ×
× Watched:
Romeo + Juliet (1996), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training (2024), Paper Moon (1973) ×
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