New York Knicks

It will be known as the LeBron James Headband Game.

Gregg Popovich was second-guessed for removing Tim Duncan in the final 23 seconds of regulation in Game 6, but the move was consistent with his decision-making.

Ray Allen’s 3-pointer sent Game 6 into overtime and may have saved the legacies and even the N.B.A. future of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Just a reminder about our charity event tonight… Meet the authors of We’ll Always Have Linsanity in a reading at the Housing Works on Wednesday, June 19, at 7 p.m., hosted by Deadspin founder Will Leitch. Listen to their take on the infamous season of Linsanity, ask them questions about the past season, and get [...]

SHUMP! Now that I've got your attention, Knicks fans, how bout we spend a few moments discussing the playoff performance of Iman Shumpert, a.k.a. Jesus Shumplesworth, a.k.a. Shumpelstiltskin, a.k.a. That Dude Norris Cole Wishes He Was. It's now been a month since the Knicks last took the court in Game 6, and I'm sure the vast majority of Knicks fans still have joy flashbacks of the Shump three-point barrage that nearly brought them back to the Garden for a Game 7. In a playoff run that featured sub-par performances from most (all?) of the Knicks' stars, Shump raised his games to heights we've yet to see in his brief career. Also, this: Still no words. I've been wondering how Shump's 2013 playoffs stacks up against other second-year guards from the past 20 years. It's important to remember that, given his lockout-shortened rookie season and injury-shortened sophomore season, he's played fewer games than just about every player on this list. Still, the results are impressive. Over the last 20 NBA seasons, a total of 31 second-year guards have played at least ten games in one postseason and clocked at least 250 minutes - here are the ten best performances, as measured by win shares per 48 minutes: Totals Shooting Rk Player Season Age Tm G MP TRB AST STL TOV PTS FG% 3P% FT% WS/48 1 Baron Davis 2000-01 21 CHH 10 397 44 58 28 22 178 .480 .400 .714 .226 2 Manu Ginobili 2003-04 26 SAS 10 280 53 31 17 21 130 .447 .286 .818 .224 3 James Harden 2010-11 21 OKC 17 537 91 61 21 28 221 .475 .303 .825 .193 4 Dwyane Wade 2004-05 23 MIA 14 571 80 93 22 62 384 .484 .100 .799 .180 5 Ronnie Brewer 2007-08 22 UTA 12 305 38 19 12 4 122 .520 .167 .760 .154 6 Fred Jones 2003-04 24 IND 14 263 33 16 7 9 66 .490 .500 .714 .145 7 Iman Shumpert 2012-13 22 NYK 12 337 72 16 13 14 112 .410 .429 .857 .143 8 Sam Cassell 1994-95 25 HOU 22 485 42 89 21 33 243 .438 .400 .835 .138 9 Nick Van Exel 1994-95 23 LAL 10 464 38 73 21 22 200 .414 .318 .763 .135 10 Anfernee Hardaway 1994-95 23 ORL 21 849 79 162 40 73 412 .472 .404 .757 .133 Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 6/17/2013. Let's break down those nine non-Shumps: - 7 of the 9 have made at least one All-Star Game - only 1 could be considered a true bust (Fred Jones) - 4 of the 9 played for the Knicks after they had already stopped being good at basketball (Baron, Brewer, Fred Jones, and Penny) - Manu Ginobili is only on this list based on a technicality - I doubt anyone considered him a true sophomore in 03/04. Also, Ginobili's resurgent performance in Game 5 of the 2013 Finals means the Knicks won't be able to sign him for another three seasons. So how did Shump rate so high on this list - above guards like Rajon Rondo (12th), Deron Williams (17th) and Tony Parker (24th) - despite averaging a mere 9.3 points and 1.3 assists per game in the playoffs? He did it by completing his transformation into the what could be called the perfect Knicks guard. I covered this quite a bit during the playoffs, but the Knicks expected their guards to shoot the three, crash the glass, and get steals while limiting turnovers on offense. How did Shump perform in each regard? - 42.9% three-point shooting.Sweet! - 12.7% total rebounding percentage, best of any guard in the past 20 years. - 11.7% turnover percentage, 7th best. - 2.1% steal percentage, 11th best, tied with Ronnie Brewer, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams and James Harden. In terms of scoring, it would be irresponsible of me to discuss Shump's output outside the context of J.R. Smith's Wild Playoff Ride. In the first three games, when J.R. still somewhat resembled J.R., Shump scored a mere 4.3 points per game. In the nine games following t

Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports The New York Knicks were preparing for a coronation ceremony in Madison Square Garden. Donnie Walsh had cleaned up the mess that Isiah Thomas made of New York’s roster and had given the franchise a significant amount of cap space — enough space to potentially bring in Lebron James in the summer of 2010. But when it came time for James to make his decision, he decided to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Instead, the Knicks landed star free agent Amare Stoudemire, the freakishly athletic big-man coming off a stellar ’09-’10 campaign with the Phoenix Suns. Stoudemire averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds and he was named to the all-star team. “The Knicks are back,” Stoudemire said. “(I’m) Looking to build something special here.” New York inked Stoudemire to a five-year, $100 million contract. Reportedly, they were only the franchise willing to dole out that much money to Stoudemire given his history injury problems. As his run with the Knicks began, though, there was no hint of frailty. In fact, he looked stronger than ever. Stoudemire set a Knicks record with nine straight 30-point performances midway through the season en route to being elected to start the All-Star Game, becoming the first Knick to do since Patrick Ewing. Stoudemire quickly became the face of a franchise that had finally established itself as a perennial contender after years of languishing away in the basement of the Eastern Conference. Along with Danillo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton, Stoudemire led the Knicks to a respectable 28-26 clip by Feb. 22. They were on pace to make the playoffs. On the heels of the formation of the virtual super-team in Miami, though, the Knicks felt the necessity to acquire another superstar. After months of speculation, New York acquired Carmelo Anthony in a three-team trade. They also received Chauncey Billups. The Knicks sent Gallinari, Chandler, Felton and Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets, along with draft picks. From the onset, it was clear the Knicks were no longer Stoudemire’s team — they were Anthony’s. The two struggled to work together due to their similar playing styles, as both like to operate out of the post and attack the rim. The Knicks were swept in the first round of the playoffs. The next season featured more headaches. The star duo still failed to connect on the court. Stoudemire struggled to even stay on the court as he suffered a medley of injuries. The Lake Wales, Fla., native’s frustrations came to a head when he punched a fire extinguisher following the Knicks’ game 2 loss to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks were once again swept. The season marked Stoudemire’s poorest statistical output since his rookie season — he averaged just 17.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg. In the offseason, Stoudemire worked with Hakeem Olajuwon in an effort to develop a formidable post game. But the power forward rarely got the opportunity to showcase his new skills, as he was constantly hampered by injuries throughout the 2013 campaign. First, he missed the first 30 games of the season with a knee injury. Then, after returning on Jan 1, it was announced on Mar. 9 that he would have a right knee debridement, again forcing him to miss playing time. He returned in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, but saw limited playing time. The Knicks, riddled with injuries and old age, fell to the physical, youthful Pacers in six games. Stoudemire expressed discontent with how he was handled during the series. “I think just the opportunity of allowing them to understand exactly what my style of play is and what I bring to the table is something that I think I’m going to have to sit down with Coach Woody and express to him,” Stoudemire told ESPNNewYork.com. The statement offered a poignant example of just how far Stoudemire has fallen in the eyes of the Knicks. Fewer than three years ago, he was regarded as the exuberant face of an exci

[New York Times] Column: Spurs’ Collapse Starts at the Top With Pop (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:29:31 GMT) The sly smile on Erik Spoelstra’s lips said it all. If only this once, the Miami coach couldn’t wait to field questions.     [New York Times] 5 Things Learned From Game 6 of NBA Finals (Wed, 19 Jun [...]

The sly smile on Erik Spoelstra's lips said it all. If only this once, the Miami coach couldn't wait to field questions.

Five things to learn from the Miami Heat's 103-100 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night:

Ray Allen has made more three pointers than any player in the NBA but with five seconds left and his team three points down on Tuesday, he had not made a single one in the crucial Game Six of the NBA Finals.