Post by New York Knicks on Feb 11, 2023 11:02:03 GMT -6
Who's Hot
Ironically the team with the longest active winning streak (6) to close out the year was the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that was trying to LOSE for a higher draft pick. They much rather perferred a 6 game losing streak. Or a 16 game losing streak. But that wasn't the case. Instead they won 6 straight, and 8 of their last 10. During that stretch they held the opposition to 91.4 PPG. A LARGE improvement from the 100+ PPG they allowed during the regular season. So there's two ways to look at this. The fan perspective: "Don't these Assholes know how to tank properly? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING JOHN??". Or you can look at the Wolves as a young team thats starting to put it together, and hopefully they can carry this late season success into next year. And they still got a pretty good pick in a pretty good draft...BUT potentially losing out on Embiid or Jokic sucks.
Who's Not
One of the teams that Minnesota beat this past sim was the Golden State Warriors. Golden State looked like a playoff LOCK two months ago. They were 36-22 at one point. NO WAY are they gonna miss the playoffs. Right? WRONG. After starting 36-22, they finished the year 6-18 in their final 24 games. One of the worst late season collapses in ITP history. But they still had an opportunity to salvage a playoff spot. They had back to back games against two lottery teams (Minnesota and Toronto). And they lost BOTH. Elmore Smith, an All-league Third Teamer who averaged 25/10 on the year, failed to deliver when it mattered most. In the loss vs Minnesota he had an invisible 11 point 4 rebound performance. Then he followed it up with an 11/30 chuckfest vs Toronto. Elmore choked. The Warriors choked. And the season is OVER.
Injury News
Paul Westphal/Otto Moore - Injuries suck when they happen right before the playoffs. But two of them? And both being starters? That's a Bruce Lee kick to the balls. That's the excruciating pain the Milwaukee Bucks are feeling right now. Paul Westphal (18.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 2.1 SPG) suffered a broken skull. Otto Moore (8.8 PPG 10.2 RPG 1.7 BPG) got a bulging disc. So they lose their second leading scorer and their best interior defender for the year. And now they gotta go play Atlanta in the first round. Good Luck.
John Shumate - Bucks aren't the only playoff team dealing with multiple injuries. Jazz were already without Center Mike Green. Then in the second to last game of the regular season, the Jazz played the physical (And dirty) New York Knicks. Two minutes into the game they took out Jazz starting PF John Shumate. Now Shumate is expected to miss the first 3 games of the Jazz Series. Shumate was a first time all-star this year averaging almost 20/10. Horrible timing for this injury.
Bob Lanier/Jalen Smith - You know that saying? Bad things come in threes? Bucks got fucked. Jazz got fucked. And so did the Memphis Grizzlies. Bob Lanier got a broken finger. Jalen Smith got a broken finger. And the Memphis Grizzlies GM got a middle finger for the sim engine. He's gotta play the defending champs without his entire starting frontcourt.
Michael Carter Williams - MCW will miss the first two games of Miami's 1st Round series vs Philadelphia. Two games shouldn't be a backbreaker for Miami. Problem is who the hell is going to start at PG for the Heat? James Silas? Saben Lee? This team has zero depth behind Carter Williams.
More News Around The League
- The playoffs are now officially underway. So lets take a quick glance at all 8 of the first round matchups. Starting in the Eastern Conference.
- (1) Brooklyn Nets vs (8) Indiana Pacers. Brooklyn is a team built on balance. They got 4 15+ PPG scorers in their starting lineup. Then they got sixth man of the year winner Wes Unseld coming off the bench. Brooklyn got the second highest scoring team in the East. Indiana got the second LOWEST scoring team in the East. So this series will come down to their defense keeping games close. The centerpiece of that defense is George Johnson. Johnson was just named the league's defensive player of the year for a 2nd consecutive season.
- (2) Atlanta Hawks vs (7) Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta isn't your typical two seed. They won just 44 games for the whole season, but that was good enough to win the Central Division title. George McGinnis is one of the best players in the league and was named all league second team. Brian Taylor does a nice job in his Robin role. Being a complimentary scorer to MC G. As for the Bucks? Like we told you earlier Westphal and Moore are out for the playoffs. Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton are going need to have superstar performances for the Bucks to have any chance in this series.
- (3) Orlando Magic vs (6) New York Knicks. This is a series that will feature plenty of offense. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring (Magic 5th, Knicks 10th). Both teams have two 20 PPG scorer on each side. Orlando with Mo Lucas (20.6 PPG) and John Drew (20.3). The Knicks have the highest scoring duo in the league with Damon Stoudamire and Andrea Bargnani combining for 55.1 PPG. The problem for New York has been the lack of a supporting cast. Can late season acquisition David Thompson be a consistent 3rd option in this series?
- (4) Miami Heat vs (5) Philadelphia 76ers. You got the hot sun in Miami vs the hothead that is Rasheed Wallace. This series is gonna burn one direction or the other. Philly caught a nice little break with Heat PG Michael Carter Williams expected to miss Games 1 & 2 (As we mentioned above). So they've got an opportunity to steal a road game or two. But it won't be easy. Even without MCW, they still got plenty of contributors in Jimmy king, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, and promising rookie Issac Okoro. Philly got a nice 4 man crew of their own with Sheed, Jojo White, Greg Ostertag, and Lloyd Neal. They combine for 73 PPG. Philly can score the basketball. They were 9th in the league in PPG. Miami were 4th in the league in opponent field goal percentage. Something gotta give. Will it be the Miami D? Or the Philly O?
- (1) Portland Trailblazers vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies. Shifting out West, we start with Memphis. We already mentioned their injury debacle. Bob Lanier is gonna miss the first 3 games of the series. Jalen Smith will return in game 5 (if necessary). Will it be necessary? Do the the Grizz have a chance to win a game against Portland? They still have two healthy all-stars in Pistol Pete and Curtis Perry. But the Blazers got an All-Star TEAM. Dan Issel, who was an All-Star last year. Elvin Hayes, who's averaging 23 PPG for his career. Billy Paultz, two-time all defensive team. Randy Smith, all league 1st Team this year. And Ron Boone, who was all League 1st Team last year. How the hell can this injured Memphis team matchup against that juggernaut?
- (2) San Antonio Spurs vs (7) Houston Rockets. It's an all Texas first round matchup. But just like the Blazers series, it's not gonna be very close. The Spurs have a +14.4 point differential. The rockets are at -1.3. The Rockets are bottom 5 in the league in field goal defense. Spurs are top 2 in field goal offense. This is gonna be a massacre. Cowens, Nater, Kunnert are going to eat Houston's interior defense alive. Houston's only hope is for Earl Monroe (22.5 PPG 8.1 APG) to go crazy on the offensive side.
- (3) Denver Nuggets vs (6) Seattle Supersonics. You've got the the number 3 scoring defense in the league (Seattle) trying to slow down the 6th ranked offense (Denver). Can Seattle do it? They're long and young on the frontcourt with Giannis, Dieng, and big county Reeves. They also have defensive stopper ML Carr at SG. Carrs A+ rated defense vs Julius Erving (23.0 PPG 50.9 %) will be the story in this series. The last time they faced off, Dr J got the best of Carr with 29 points. BUT in the two previous matchups Erving was held to 14.5 PPG. Who you got? Carr or Erving?
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs (5) Utah Jazz. Let's first start by congratulating the 2001 ITP MVP winner Mr Larry Kenon. Amazing season for King Larry (27.7 PPG 10.5 RPG 4.1 APG 1.7 SPG 51.6 FG %). Let's clap it up. Now that we're done, it's time to admit the Jazz are kinda fucked. No Mike Green. No John Shumate. And they gotta face a Clippers frontline with Artis Gilmore and Sam Lacey. The Clippers are a stacked team. Jazz are working with minimal depth right now. So it's all on Kenon. He gotta go for 50 points in Game 1. Otherwise the Jazz don't have a shot.
Ironically the team with the longest active winning streak (6) to close out the year was the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that was trying to LOSE for a higher draft pick. They much rather perferred a 6 game losing streak. Or a 16 game losing streak. But that wasn't the case. Instead they won 6 straight, and 8 of their last 10. During that stretch they held the opposition to 91.4 PPG. A LARGE improvement from the 100+ PPG they allowed during the regular season. So there's two ways to look at this. The fan perspective: "Don't these Assholes know how to tank properly? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING JOHN??". Or you can look at the Wolves as a young team thats starting to put it together, and hopefully they can carry this late season success into next year. And they still got a pretty good pick in a pretty good draft...BUT potentially losing out on Embiid or Jokic sucks.
Who's Not
One of the teams that Minnesota beat this past sim was the Golden State Warriors. Golden State looked like a playoff LOCK two months ago. They were 36-22 at one point. NO WAY are they gonna miss the playoffs. Right? WRONG. After starting 36-22, they finished the year 6-18 in their final 24 games. One of the worst late season collapses in ITP history. But they still had an opportunity to salvage a playoff spot. They had back to back games against two lottery teams (Minnesota and Toronto). And they lost BOTH. Elmore Smith, an All-league Third Teamer who averaged 25/10 on the year, failed to deliver when it mattered most. In the loss vs Minnesota he had an invisible 11 point 4 rebound performance. Then he followed it up with an 11/30 chuckfest vs Toronto. Elmore choked. The Warriors choked. And the season is OVER.
Injury News
Paul Westphal/Otto Moore - Injuries suck when they happen right before the playoffs. But two of them? And both being starters? That's a Bruce Lee kick to the balls. That's the excruciating pain the Milwaukee Bucks are feeling right now. Paul Westphal (18.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 2.1 SPG) suffered a broken skull. Otto Moore (8.8 PPG 10.2 RPG 1.7 BPG) got a bulging disc. So they lose their second leading scorer and their best interior defender for the year. And now they gotta go play Atlanta in the first round. Good Luck.
John Shumate - Bucks aren't the only playoff team dealing with multiple injuries. Jazz were already without Center Mike Green. Then in the second to last game of the regular season, the Jazz played the physical (And dirty) New York Knicks. Two minutes into the game they took out Jazz starting PF John Shumate. Now Shumate is expected to miss the first 3 games of the Jazz Series. Shumate was a first time all-star this year averaging almost 20/10. Horrible timing for this injury.
Bob Lanier/Jalen Smith - You know that saying? Bad things come in threes? Bucks got fucked. Jazz got fucked. And so did the Memphis Grizzlies. Bob Lanier got a broken finger. Jalen Smith got a broken finger. And the Memphis Grizzlies GM got a middle finger for the sim engine. He's gotta play the defending champs without his entire starting frontcourt.
Michael Carter Williams - MCW will miss the first two games of Miami's 1st Round series vs Philadelphia. Two games shouldn't be a backbreaker for Miami. Problem is who the hell is going to start at PG for the Heat? James Silas? Saben Lee? This team has zero depth behind Carter Williams.
More News Around The League
- The playoffs are now officially underway. So lets take a quick glance at all 8 of the first round matchups. Starting in the Eastern Conference.
- (1) Brooklyn Nets vs (8) Indiana Pacers. Brooklyn is a team built on balance. They got 4 15+ PPG scorers in their starting lineup. Then they got sixth man of the year winner Wes Unseld coming off the bench. Brooklyn got the second highest scoring team in the East. Indiana got the second LOWEST scoring team in the East. So this series will come down to their defense keeping games close. The centerpiece of that defense is George Johnson. Johnson was just named the league's defensive player of the year for a 2nd consecutive season.
- (2) Atlanta Hawks vs (7) Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta isn't your typical two seed. They won just 44 games for the whole season, but that was good enough to win the Central Division title. George McGinnis is one of the best players in the league and was named all league second team. Brian Taylor does a nice job in his Robin role. Being a complimentary scorer to MC G. As for the Bucks? Like we told you earlier Westphal and Moore are out for the playoffs. Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton are going need to have superstar performances for the Bucks to have any chance in this series.
- (3) Orlando Magic vs (6) New York Knicks. This is a series that will feature plenty of offense. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring (Magic 5th, Knicks 10th). Both teams have two 20 PPG scorer on each side. Orlando with Mo Lucas (20.6 PPG) and John Drew (20.3). The Knicks have the highest scoring duo in the league with Damon Stoudamire and Andrea Bargnani combining for 55.1 PPG. The problem for New York has been the lack of a supporting cast. Can late season acquisition David Thompson be a consistent 3rd option in this series?
- (4) Miami Heat vs (5) Philadelphia 76ers. You got the hot sun in Miami vs the hothead that is Rasheed Wallace. This series is gonna burn one direction or the other. Philly caught a nice little break with Heat PG Michael Carter Williams expected to miss Games 1 & 2 (As we mentioned above). So they've got an opportunity to steal a road game or two. But it won't be easy. Even without MCW, they still got plenty of contributors in Jimmy king, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, and promising rookie Issac Okoro. Philly got a nice 4 man crew of their own with Sheed, Jojo White, Greg Ostertag, and Lloyd Neal. They combine for 73 PPG. Philly can score the basketball. They were 9th in the league in PPG. Miami were 4th in the league in opponent field goal percentage. Something gotta give. Will it be the Miami D? Or the Philly O?
- (1) Portland Trailblazers vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies. Shifting out West, we start with Memphis. We already mentioned their injury debacle. Bob Lanier is gonna miss the first 3 games of the series. Jalen Smith will return in game 5 (if necessary). Will it be necessary? Do the the Grizz have a chance to win a game against Portland? They still have two healthy all-stars in Pistol Pete and Curtis Perry. But the Blazers got an All-Star TEAM. Dan Issel, who was an All-Star last year. Elvin Hayes, who's averaging 23 PPG for his career. Billy Paultz, two-time all defensive team. Randy Smith, all league 1st Team this year. And Ron Boone, who was all League 1st Team last year. How the hell can this injured Memphis team matchup against that juggernaut?
- (2) San Antonio Spurs vs (7) Houston Rockets. It's an all Texas first round matchup. But just like the Blazers series, it's not gonna be very close. The Spurs have a +14.4 point differential. The rockets are at -1.3. The Rockets are bottom 5 in the league in field goal defense. Spurs are top 2 in field goal offense. This is gonna be a massacre. Cowens, Nater, Kunnert are going to eat Houston's interior defense alive. Houston's only hope is for Earl Monroe (22.5 PPG 8.1 APG) to go crazy on the offensive side.
- (3) Denver Nuggets vs (6) Seattle Supersonics. You've got the the number 3 scoring defense in the league (Seattle) trying to slow down the 6th ranked offense (Denver). Can Seattle do it? They're long and young on the frontcourt with Giannis, Dieng, and big county Reeves. They also have defensive stopper ML Carr at SG. Carrs A+ rated defense vs Julius Erving (23.0 PPG 50.9 %) will be the story in this series. The last time they faced off, Dr J got the best of Carr with 29 points. BUT in the two previous matchups Erving was held to 14.5 PPG. Who you got? Carr or Erving?
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs (5) Utah Jazz. Let's first start by congratulating the 2001 ITP MVP winner Mr Larry Kenon. Amazing season for King Larry (27.7 PPG 10.5 RPG 4.1 APG 1.7 SPG 51.6 FG %). Let's clap it up. Now that we're done, it's time to admit the Jazz are kinda fucked. No Mike Green. No John Shumate. And they gotta face a Clippers frontline with Artis Gilmore and Sam Lacey. The Clippers are a stacked team. Jazz are working with minimal depth right now. So it's all on Kenon. He gotta go for 50 points in Game 1. Otherwise the Jazz don't have a shot.
