San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
November 15, 2012, 7:30 PM Spurs Time
TV: FSSW - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI
Ah, the Knicks. The team that has attracted as much drama as their cross-country counterparts in the Lakers, yet with nowhere the success. Nevertheless, it seems that they have found success early on, even with an injury-laden roster.
Of course, one may note that the Knicks are 5-0 for the first time since the 1993-94 season, where they went on to appear in the NBA Finals and yet lose in 7 to Hakeem Olajuwon's
Rockets. It's also noteworthy that they've won all of their games by double digits, netting them the best offense AND defense of all the 30 NBA teams, dictated by a propensity for the long ball and taking care of and hawking the ball. I'm not surprised, however, as these guys resemble a certain championship contender in terms of makeup. Yes, I'm talking about the 2010-11
Dallas Mavericks.
Jason Kidd is nearly the same as the Jason Kidd two years ago, and the same goes with Tyson Chandler. You then throw in an instant offense sixth man shooting guard (though of course J.R. Smith is nowhere as loathed as Jason Terry is in Spurs fandom), a 6'10" sharpshooter as pale as the moon (Steve Novak/Peja Stojakovic), and a load of misfits and veterans (with Raymond Felton and J.J. Barea in similar roles, though the only thing they have in common is that they're both NBA players and play the guard position; the injured Iman Shumpert being an athletic, defensive wing a la DeShawn Stevenson, 6'7" defensive 3s with unorthodox shooting forms in Ronnie Brewer/Shawn Marion and solid centers in Marcus Camby versus Brendan Haywood). And then you have the grizzled locker-room veterans in Rasheed Wallace and Brian Cardinal. Of course, the return of Amar'e Stoudemire could throw a wrench into a team built around a dominant perimeter/post scorer in Carmelo Anthony/Dirk Nowitzki, but the Knicks aren't complaining.
The Spurs will be the Knicks' first real test, nevertheless. They haven't faced a big man as effective on both ends of the court as Tim Duncan is, which should maximize Chandler's work load. The only quick point guard they have faced was Darren Collison, and he's not Tony Parker, either. This should be an exciting matchup between two teams that should be gearing for a deep playoff run, nevertheless.
Also, as a side note, these Knicks have one of the oldest rookies in NBA history in Pablo Prigioni. I heard he knows Manu Ginobili.
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Lineups
Starters PG: Tony Parker SG: Danny Green SF: Kawhi Leonard PF: Tim Duncan C: Boris Diaw
Key Bench Players Manu Ginobili Tiago Splitter Stephen Jackson
Head Coach Gregg Popovich
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Lineups
Starters PG: Raymond Felton SG: Jason Kidd SF: Ronnie Brewer PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler
Key Bench Players J.R. Smith Marcus Camby Steve Novak
Head Coach
Mike Woodson
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Knicks perspective can be found here: Posting and Toasting
Game Prediction:After a grueling road trip that saw the Spurs go 3-1, anything is possible, but the good guys not only hand the Knicks their first loss but they also win by 10. Vegas says Spurs by 5.
As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate.