Game 5 of 82: New York Knicks v Charlotte Bobcats

Game 5 of 82            NY Knicks v Charlotte Bobcats            Score: 77-86
By Malcolm Merritt
Follow on:
Instagram: @mjdaddy323 Twitter: @nykerrday & @mjmerritt323

The Knicks will try to end their 3-game losing streak tonight on the road against the Bobcats in the second game of a home and home series.

They’ve won one. They’ve lost three. The New York Knicks (1-3) have lost three games in a row, two of them at home. Losing their fourth would be a cry for help. Woodson might be put on the hot seat. Players may look towards the front office. As the Knicks suit up to play the Charlotte Bobcats (3-2) tonight, there are so many questions. New York knows it will be a difficult road win and on top of that, New York is playing without their premiere defender, Tyson Chandler. With Anthony leading the Knicks in scoring this year (23.8 ppg), they need scoring from somewhere else. Carmelo is averaging 22.2 shot attempts per game, another person needs to help holdup this load as the Knicks wait for the former Sixth Man of the Year, JR Smith’s, Sunday return.

JR Smith, Former 6th Man of the Year, is set to return Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. 

In the meantime, they have to avenge their latest loss. But, it may not happen. On Tuesday, the Knicks were completely out-rebounded by the Bobcats and everybody knows that rebounds win games. Tonight will be no different. The key factor will be the Knicks ability to grab the ball off the glass. The problem is, New York will be out-rebounded by at least 15 as Charlotte’s line up completely takes advantage of Chandler’s absence once again.

The defense on both teams will be a lot better tonight, as it usually is in a home and home series. It will be a slugfest where the predictor simulates that New York will not lead after the first quarter. Carmelo Anthony will score 20+ and will once again lead the Knicks in scoring as well as rebounding. The next after him would be Raymond Felton. Kenyon Martin will have increased amount of minutes, as he will make an impact on the defensive end. Also, Cole Aldrich will make his Knicks debut tonight, though he will only play a few minutes. Amar’e Stoudemire will continue his struggles on the slow road back to relevance.

The Bobcats will be playing with an extreme sense of purpose as well. Their head coach, Steve Clifford, was hospitalized Thursday night and is uncertain for Friday’s game. A team could respond to this by completely losing momentum and aggression (i.e. Houston Texans). Other teams respond with resilience. That is what I think the Bobcats will do. Kemba Walker will once again lead the way with a similar performance to the previous matchup. One thing that makes an enormous impact is Walker’s ability to cut and change his speed. Where his speed goes, so does the game.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will come out of this game with a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).

In a defensive matchup like this, expect to see many turnovers from both sides (the simulation predicts 21 from both teams).  This year, the Knicks are averaging 16.8 turnovers per game, which is 13^th in the NBA. Last year they were first for a majority of the season. The Bobcats are 27th in the league up to this point. 

Iman Shumpert (21) and Metta World Peace (51) are New York's two best defenders. In Tyson Chandler's absence, look for them to set the tone. 

As the fans questions their team’s efforts, so did Carmelo Anthony as he led a “players only meeting” after the last game. "We've got to want it, we've got to want to do it. We've got to believe in ourselves, and right now we're playing like we don't even believe in ourselves," Anthony said. "It’s just effort." Addressing the current issues are the first step, moving forward and correcting them is a completely different obstacle. It’s clear that the Knicks are not in their true form without all their players. But these games are extremely important to show how a team will respond when they face abnormal adversity. Each of these games can truly shake the confidence of any club. New York is one of 5 1-win teams left in the NBA and currently 13^th in the Eastern Conference. The first 5 games aren’t much to worry about, but as seen last season, early hot starts do have an impact on a team’s psyche.

To sum it up: New York can prove my prediction wrong if they:

1. Find a way to actually grab some rebounds. 

2. Communicate on defense. 

3. Make smart passes (TAKE CARE OF THE BALL!). 

Let's hope they do. 

Stats generated by: whatifsports.com

Tune into the game tonight at 7:00 PM ET on MSG Network and NBA TV to see how the predictions turn out!