Knicks - Do they want the Bulls or the Heat?

[MyMeloMyMan]

Will there be some subtle tanking going on here with the Sixers/Knicks? I don't think either team wants to play the Heat if given the choice. Agree or disagree?

As a Knicks fan, I'd rather see the Bulls with a rusty and possibly injured D Rose.

 

[longislandcuse]

Id rather face the bulls however the heat are somewhat limping into the playoffs with wade and his dislocated finger and bosh with the hamstring injury.

 

[PauliePeppas]

I want the heat, slightly better chance of beating chicago but ending the heat season? Woww, thats just too good to pass up.

 

[NovaOrange]

The sixers still would have to win correct? Just double checking since we might not even have a choice

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah, I'm not sure. Obviously don't like the odds either way. Rose is rusty, which is good, but they killed us in Chicago without Rose. They're gonna kill us on the boards no matter what.

 

[longislandcuse]

Yeah, I'm not sure. Obviously don't like the odds either way. Rose is rusty, which is good, but they killed us in Chicago without Rose. They're gonna kill us on the boards no matter what.

You think theyll kill us on the boards with Melo/Amare/Chandler? If we cant rebound with that lineup than thats pretty sad.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/18818424/nba-playoff-picture-and-magic-numbers-for-wednesday-april-25th

 

[longislandcuse]

Lets go Bobcats!!!

 

[PauliePeppas]

The way i look at it, melo needs to equal lebron which he can and will do imo, smith a d novak need to come close to wade in pts...and the main matchup is stat and bosh, he needs to win that by a decent margin for the knicks to win. Chandler is where thy have a clear advantage

 

[longislandcuse]

The way i look at it, melo needs to equal lebron which he can and will do imo, smith a d novak need to come close to wade in pts...and the main matchup is stat and bosh, he needs to win that by a decent margin for the knicks to win. Chandler is where thy have a clear advantage

I completely agree. JR Smith and Novak have to show up in any series against Chicago or Miami. If they do, Knicks win, if they dont, we lose...I really think its that simple. Amare is the wild card. If Amare/Melo/Chandler can co-exist then our frontline becomes a huge advantage over Miami and helps counter Chicago's rebounding edge.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Here is the one thing with the Heat. Would their 2nd unit/role players play for ANY other contender? Haslem/Battier/Cole/Pittman/Jones... man, they have been DREADFUL.

If Lebron or Wade have even a slightly off night, the Heat can lose to the Knicks. I think the Knicks will push either the Bulls or Heat to 6 and maybe a game 7 if everything falls right.

 

[Knicks411]

You think theyll kill us on the boards with Melo/Amare/Chandler? If we cant rebound with that lineup than thats pretty sad.

Not as much as they did before, but it's not like Amare is a great rebounder. (And actually, Tyson isn't a great defensive rebounder either).

 

[CorduroyG]

lebron and wade aint losing in 1st round. not a knick fan but definitely want da bullz

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[reedny]

The boards are only one problem against the Bulls. Another one is that our offensive rotations seem to be in constant flux. Melo and Stoud together have no chemistry, which is why I think Stoud has come in with the second lineup. There's nothing wrong with that adjustment, but there is so little time to get players used to it. And Lin is not even back yet ... he's still somewhat of a marketing experiment, but at least he's more fun to watch than Baron Davis.

 

[skurey]

They aren't going to beat either of them but they can push the Bulls further

 

[osullfam]

Da Bulls

 

[JrodCuse]

The Heat push their defensive intensity to another level in the playoffs. That would be a 5 game series, 6 max.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Knicks doing an odd semi tank once they found out the Sixers won... but, why bring Chandler back in?

 

[longislandcuse]

Strange ending to that Knicks game. No idea what that was... Go up 18, tank it, bring back Chandler and Shumpert when game gets within 3?

 

[PauliePeppas]

Bring on those south beach frauds

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Judging from some of the odd looks on the bench, I'm not sure if JR Smith was supposed to be making those 20 foot heaves at the end of the shot clock. Weird ending...

 

[longislandcuse]

If the Knicks wanted the Bulls they could have gotten them. They didnt play Melo in the 4th and Amare sat the last 7 minutes suggesting a tank but they left Novak/JR in who absolutely killed the Clippers and brought back in Chandler and Shumpert to close out the game when the Clips got it close. The game was there to give away but we decided not to? No idea what to make of what just happened.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

The Sixers have lost like 12 straight to Miami...so, you can guarantee they are the happiest team alive right now. They can rest everyone and lose tomorrow and get the Bulls. The Sixers rested most of their guys tonight too.

 

[longislandcuse]

Is there an unwritten rule about tanking games for playoff seeding because I cant see why the Knicks or Sixers would rather play the Heat over Chicago yet both teams won and the Knicks brought back in players to help win the game at the end?

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

It would have been very easy to tank with Chris Paul on the floor... I think the Clippers played so poorly, it wasn't easy for the Knicks to tank without having it look waaaay obvious. So, coach put Chandler and Shump back late.