Knicks 98, Raptors 93: More points, please

First of all, the Knicks should have won and should have won by more. But still, starting a new season 1-0, with two significant injuries; I can't complain too much. Excpet that I will (see below).

I'm going to try to do a funky kind of recap for the Knicks games around here. I'm going to list things that were Problematic and things that were Promising. That is to say, things that, if repeated during the season will lead to losses or wins, respectively.

Promising

• Danilo Gallinari doing most things - He did not have a good game, but he hit shots, played defense and was Danilo. Unless he seriously messes up, he's going to be on this list daily. Sorry.
• Felton Driving - He's very good around the basket, and when he drives, is infinitely less likely to take stupid jumpers. He also passed well out of his drives. Probably the second most effective offensive strategy the Knicks have (after the pick and roll)
• Speaking of which: The Pick and Roll - Amare's very good at it. Knicks guards are competent. Enough said, except to add that if it ever stops being a strength, D'Antoni should be fired immediately.
• Ronny Turiaf Existing - He's so funny, with his beard and his insanity, and his gestures and capers. He's also a great defender and hit that one cool shot at the end of the first quarter. Fan-favorite, anyone?
• Opportunistic Defense - The Knicks aren't a good defensive team and shouldn't ever count on defense (outside of Danilo) winning them games. However, D'Antoni's offense depends on turnovers, and it's comforting to see that Knicks players stay active and alert constantly, trying to take the ball away and push it up the court.
• Wilson Chandler - I was going to rant about how he should be starting, but he played so well that I can't complain. Outside of his rebounding and defense, which is never lacking, I was very impressed by his improved offensive game. There ere literally one or two shots I wish he hadn't taken. Out of 18? That's wonderful.
• Offensive Rebounds - This may have been deceptive because they were going up against Andrea Bargiani and the Raptors, but the Knicks tried hard (and successfully) to get second chances which will mitigate the horrible shot selection a little

Problematic

• Defensive Rebounds - On the flip side, it's very troubling when your guards and Wilson Chandler are getting defensive rebounds. It slows down the offense, and it probably means that you're giving away a lot of offensive rebounds to the bad guys. This will be a big problem for the Knicks going down the road.
• Bill Walker - He should not play. The only times I noticed him, Walker was either missing a terrible shot, turning the ball over, or fouling someone. He's sloppy, untalented, and played way too many minutes tonight. The Knicks are lucky he didn't hurt them more, but this list is about things that are troubling, not detrimental. Let's hope this'll go away once the Knicks get their actual rotation players back from injury.
• Three-pointers - The Knicks don't have the greatest three-point shooters, which is made worse by the fact that they throw them up at the worst times. Catch and shoot, fellas, or make the extra pass. I'm not so worried about this because Felton and Chandler seemed committed to driving to the basket.
• Timofey Mozgov - The Knick's can't waste minutes on a player like Mozgov. He may get good (or bearable) at some point, but now isn't the time to develop talent. If the Knicks want to win now, and I strongly believe they should, they should preempt the foul trouble and cut back Mozgov's minutes themselves.

Things that Make my Head Hurt:

• Toney Douglas - He makes bad decisions with the ball on offense, he gambles on defense and plays his man way too much to one side. However, his shots go down more often than not (5-9), he doesn't commit turnovers (1 in 26 minutes), and he isn't embarrassed on defense. This isn't just something weird in the Toronto air tonight either; this was the case all of last season. I guess go with it, until the wheels fall off.
• D'Antoni's timeouts - He calls them at the right times, but they don't have much affect. Yes, its good to call a time out before a 6-0 run becomes a 14-0 run, but the Knicks constantly come out of these time outs looking just as flat, and just as weak defensively as when it was called. Well timed? Yes. Productive? No.

A Few Final Thoughts:

(Okay just one)

A lot of what worried me tonight was because of the lousy Knicks rotation and the suspect bench. However, I'm not freaking out because Anthony Randolph and Kelenna were out (and will be for a while longer). When the recover, and nothings says they shouldn't, the Knicks will be stronger and deeper. And Bill Walker won't play.

Quote of the Night:

I was watching the Raptors broadcast and heard this gem from a segment with their coach:

"Every time Andrea's been thrown a challenge in his entire life, he's accepted it."
-Jay Triano on Andrea Bargiani.

Apparently, Jay has had a keen interest in hsi star player far longer than anyone knew. Stalker.

Lebron Hate of the Night:

Apparently, LeBron wants to set an NBA record for turnovers per game: 17 through 2 games.

(And the Cavs beat the Celtics!)