Knicks Fans Should Buy Their Playoff Tickets Now
During a Knicks youth camp over the weekend in the Hamptons, second-year point guard Toney Douglas was asked about LeBron James choosing Miami over New York, to which he said he only can control what he can control. Douglas never stated that LeBron should’ve picked New York, but he did state that the Knicks are going to make the playoffs this season.
“I feel like we have a lot of talent, Douglas stated. “We just all have to be on one page and make sure everybody is totally on it. I feel we are a playoff team.”
Douglas has every right to make a prediction about his team, and the more you think about it, its not that bold. The Knicks are a brand-new squad this season, which is a good thing for Knicks fans who hope to forget about the failboat that was built over the last decade. And this new team is younger, faster and better built to contend. The Knicks have the All-Star in Amar’e Stoudemire, a point guard in Raymond Felton, a tantalizing wing in Danilo Gallinari, the hustle of Ronny Turiaf, a floor-spreader in Kelenna Azubuike and the when-is-he-going-to-breakout of Anthony Randolph.
While this team is built to run in coach Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo offense, it’s also built for defense and shot-blocking. Last season, the Knicks were tied for dead last in the League (along with Minnesota and New Orleans) in blocked shots with 3.7 swats per game. Think about that. Dwight Howard averaged almost 3 blocks a game by himself. With the additions of Stoudemire (1.0 BPG), Turiaf (1.3 BPG) and Randolph (1.6 BPG), believe it or not, but the Knicks have formed S.W.A.T. City.
There are questions that still surround this Knicks team, especially whether or not they can defend on a consistent basis. But if you ask me, I have to agree with Douglas: the Knicks will be good enough to make the playoffs.
What do you think?
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September 2nd, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Heckler says:
as long as Mike D’Antoni is the coach, this team wont be shit. he is the WORST coach in the league. if they Knicks wanna win games and make the playoffs, they should FIRE mike d’antoni now….
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Stack a Dolla says:
The idea of Amare making them a better defensive team is hilarious.
3rd ridiculous article in three days.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:45 pm
kicks says:
@ 2
Now now, we all know that shotblocking = defense..
This article made me chuckle.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:46 pm
JA says:
S.W.A.T. City
I just spit water on my laptop. Wow.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Diggity Dave says:
Where’s the part where Ashton Kutcher comes running out?
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
CONEY ISLANDER says:
WE IN THERE!!!!
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Joe's Momma says:
Knicks are selling playoff tickets for the 2011-2012 season already?
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:15 pm
RapTOr says:
Must be a knicks fan who wrote this. But I don’t blame his ignorance…when you’ve had nothing for so long, a very small gain can seem like a world of change.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Jah says:
I don’t think the playoffs is too far of a stretch. It’ll definitely be competitive in the lower seeds. I’m seeing a ceiling of about…the 7th seed.
1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Chicago
5. Milwaukee
6. Atlanta
7. Charlotte
8. New York*
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Heckler says:
@ Jah
just curious, whats your logic in Atlanta finishing 6th?
remember, last year, they were a 3 seed.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Ric Hardwood says:
I usually dont like to complain about writers but, damn Andrew Macaluso… your articles are just horrible… the Knicks are indeed better than last year, but the Eastern conference just got way tougher… The 2010 Knicks is like the Phoenix Suns minus Nash. Unless every other team in the East falls apart, the Knicks will only make the playoffs if the 8th spot is for a team waaay below .500
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Andrew Macaluso says:
Before all the hate starts pouring out – oh wait, it already has – is there anyone who can give a legitimate reason why the Knicks can’t make the 7th or 8th seed in the Eastern Conference?
@ Raptor
I’m far from a Knicks fan, I just woke up and realized that it’s actually a possibility.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Danny says:
Well ATL hasn’t gotten any better, and if Crawford leaves, will be significantly worse.
Meanwhile, the Bucks came on strong, lost their coulda-shoulda All-Star center to injury, have a young pg with another year of experience, and made a big splash in free agency. I say they jump the Hawks, too.
The Bulls added a 20-10 low post scorer, which they’ve needed forever. And Rose is only getting better. I’m less sold on them jumping Atlanta, but that’s at least the logic from my perspective.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:32 pm
raffi says:
hahah nice phrase “S.W.A.T. City”. i hope that tags on
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Heckler says:
is there anyone who can give a legitimate reason why the Knicks can’t make the 7th or 8th seed in the Eastern Conference?
@ Andrew
yeah, we can. actually, we can give about 12 reasons why the knicks wont make the playoffs: orlando magic, miami heat, boston celtics, atlanta hawks, chitown bulls, milly bucks, indy pacers, dc wizards. want more?…philly sixers, nj nets, charlotte bobcats, cleveland cavs.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:37 pm
ctkennedy says:
outside of the top 5 teams in the east ….the knicks have the best player in amare so they should make it …if wade can take his team to the 5th seed…then amare has to get it done
-bucks got bad porn and drew gooden who never win
ridnour was a more important player in their rotation cuz jennings had alot of off nights last season
-bulls was only a 8th seed last yr they still got the same weaknesses noah a worst scorer than dwight howard..brewer adds no 3point shootin but if u play korver then u lose everythin else the size speed d and etc
-bobcats got no better this offseason
-cleveland we already know no king no chance
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Kudabeen says:
They are a point guard away from really being a factor not a contender…I’m not sure what Felton we are going to see. The brow beaten over thinking Felton or the fearless attacking Felton…If it is the later I like this Knicks team look right now. If Gil continue to progress…Randolph running with Amare two explosive 6’10 guys that can go get it. Tony Douglas is a gritty guard that adds toughness with the versatility of Azubuike. Ronny is a good piece to compliment Amare.
Amare and Randolph pick and roll may be a rediculous combination to contain for many teams, especailly if Coach D gives Randolph the greenlight to run the offense in sets sans a great playmaker on the team.
All in All I like what the Knicks are doing…
Until the Bobcats get back at me about my job I’m not giving them any love…DJ Augustine?!?
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Slips says:
Heckler, you’re just a hating fool. The east just became extremely top heavy, so there will only be a few teams competing for the last 2 spots. Barring any serious injuries, there’s no reason to think the knicks won’t be in the playoffs next season, unless you’re completely ignorant. Amare is a top 5 PF in the league, felton’s one of the best defensive PGs in the league, and gallinari’s only going to get better.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:46 pm
fallinup says:
S.W.A.T. City????!!!
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Andrew Macaluso says:
@ Raffi
Glad to see you’re the only one who understood the dry humor lol
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:06 pm
dagwaller says:
The Knicks finished in 11th place in the East this past season. 1-8 didn’t get any worse, other than Cleveland. Toronto got worse, as well. So the questions are, did they get so much better that they leapfrogged Indiana? And also, did any other team get so much better that they leapfrogged Indy AND New York?
I don’t see that they got much better than the Pacers. Is Amar’e THAT much better than David Lee? Both are undersized Centers, really power forwards. Amar’e is a bull in a china shop scoring wise, and while Lee can’t score nearly as well, he’s a better rebounder. I’d say that NY is better off with Amar’e than with Lee, but not significantly so.
Then you have Indy. Depends on how you feel about Collison, but I don’t see them losing any ground to NY. Collison certainly can’t be any worse than the contributions Indy got from the PG spot last season, and I have a feeling that he’ll be better. Not to mention Roy Hibbert is another year older and better, and they’ll have a full season from Danny Granger, fresh off of some good schooling in the FIBAs.
Regardless of what you think of the progress of Detroit, Philly, DC, or New Jersey, I don’t see how NY has gotten so much better that they’ll beat Indy for the 8 spot.
And even if the Knicks make the playoffs, no one should buy playoff tickets, unless they want to see their team get waxed by the Heat.
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
JC says:
Agreed. The East is wide open after the 6th seed, going into this season. I strongly believe the Knicks will be the “best of the rest” in the Eastern Conference and should finish 7th.
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:32 pm
yoda says:
swat city because of amar’e “i don’t want to get dunked on” stoudemire? even dwayne wade had more blocks than him, and wade is a guard! ronny is only one there trying to play defense/hustle. as far as amar’e top 5 pf in nba… we will see how good is he without hof pg
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:33 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
God Damn, Dime really fell off. I only click in every few days now and I read stuff like this and “The lakers need to retire Nick Van Exel Jersey”
I have an idea for an article called “Kwame Brown will be a BEAST this year in Charlotte”
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Slips says:
I think people somehow forget that only 5 players are returning from last season’s roster (1 of which is a non factor in curry). It’s not the same team at all. The knicks are actually much improved defensively on the perimeter with the addition of azubuike and felton. Douglas and chandler are solid perimeter defenders as well. Anthony randolph is an excellent shot blocker (2.5 BPG per 36 min), something they’ve certainly lacked. Charlotte did get worse by the way. People are really going to overlook that they lost their starting PG?
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Andrew Macaluso says:
@ Yoda
Use your wise mind and read the article thoroughly and understand that I’m not strictly talking about Stoudemire’s shot blocking, it’s Randolph’s and Turiaf’s as well.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Fan says:
Ha april fools nice joke dime.
Amare will be mvp too right?
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:35 pm
WinDelRoj says:
Said making playoffs, didnt say anything about winning a series. Ill buy the knicks going to the playoffs.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:43 pm
KnicksFan84 says:
Fools, you’re all fools!
Knicks vs Lakers
NBA FINALS 2011!
Get your tix now.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Fan says:
SWAT city! LMFAO
wow you guys really need the season to start
I will check in next week
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Andrew Macaluso says:
@ Fan
Laugh, but I guarantee the Knicks will finish in the top 10 in blocked shots when the 2010-11 season comes to an end.
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
downtown_brownclown says:
the knicks will make the playoffs, that’s fo’ sure!
but defense… not unless they change coaches… and i doubt that. so no… they’ll make it on the 15th… but i doubt it.
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
downtown_brownclown says:
the knicks will make the playoffs, that’s fo’ sure!
but defense… not unless they change coaches… and i doubt that. so no… they’ll make it on the 15th… but not on the 10th.
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
me says:
they can sure make the playoffs. the bucks and atlanta will drop off. waaay off.
but yeah, SWAT city, i mean who didn’t LOL on that! Only made funnier by the 3 names u used to justify saying it.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Knicks123 says:
@ raptor..
If you’re indeed a raptor fan… shut tha f up
The Knicks will make the playoffs like it or not.
All of you guys are a bunch of dummies, and think you know everything, like if you had a cristal ball or read tarot cards to predict the future.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Phileus says:
I hope the Knicks do make the playoffs, but I really don’t think Amare’s much better than Lee at all. Randolph is intriguing, but I feel like New York has become the place where promising young talent goes to die.
To all the haters of the author – good writer or not, well-opinioned or not, he gets people talking (just look at the # of comments on his articles), which increases traffic on Dime and probably gets it more ad money.
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:08 am
LMNOP says:
Amar’e is a billion times better than Lee. Lee was all hustle no skills and was fortunate enough to be the only guy crashing the boards on a team full of jackers.
Felton would still be better than Duhon even if you cut off one of his hands. You think the Pacers upgraded at the point? Duhon was literally the worst starter in the L last year, he was so bad he lost his job to Sergio “couldn’t get minutes in sacramento” Rodriguez.
Gallo averaged 15 and 5 in his first full season, that will go up this year, hes a legit threat to score 18-20ppg and will soon have an unguardable jumper, plus hes better at all the things his haters hate on him for just because hes white european.
Harrington and TMac are gone, addition by subtraction, those guys, for different reasons, make their teams worse.
Mike D isnt a shit coach.
Douglass, Chandler, Azubuike, Turiaf and Randolph will be decent role players.
The team will now have a defined aim. unlike last season were it was “my contract is up, im gonna get mine” this year its “win games and make the playoffs”
Also, Charlotte lost their PG, Cleveland lost LBJ, Indiana always will suck, Raptors, 6ers and Pistons didnt improve and its unlikely that the Wiz or Nets will go from last to 8th just from their draft picks.
THAT is why i think the Knicks will make the playoffs this year ……… but the thought of Defense being the reason is pretty laughable.
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:33 am
Guitar Hero says:
Of course the Knicks can and SHOULD make the playoffs. They are among the 8 most talented squads in the East, hands down.
September 3rd, 2010 at 1:38 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
I can’t wait until the day a article reads “Knicks vs Heat NBA Finals”, then have the author defending his logic when they’re clearly in the same conference, but I’ll put money on the fact that I’ll read it someday…
I’d rather the Knicks stink this year, get a high pick and then go after Melo and Paul/DWILL/Parker.
September 3rd, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Fan says:
@ Andrew Macaluso
ok maybe but it won’t be due to Amare. I’m a Suns fan and watched him since day 1. I promise you this guy will let you down. I bet A.Randolph gets way more blocks and rebounds then Amare @ the SF
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Andrew Macaluso says:
@ Fan
I’m a Nuggets fan.
September 6th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
knicksfan age15 says:
i likk the article..but i disagree with SWAT city..thats just not goin to happen with amare poor defensive…but i defintly think the knicks are going to make the playoffs becuzz are u seriouse detroit and pacers?!?!?!?!?Even tho it will be a early exit for the knicks becuzz of miami..but next season will be the season to look out for becuzz MELO along with CP3 will come to new york
September 8th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
buffalo balla says:
knicks would make the playoffs in the kungpow chicken league in china