Suffocating Defense - Knicks Beat Detroit

In the second best game of the year for the Knicks...

Detroit had Jackson, Monroe, Drummond, Tolliver, and a full bench...

The Knicks had...

No Carmelo Anthony, no Jose Calderon, no good reason to win the game, and according to pundits no chance of beating a surging Detroit Piston team.

So what did they do?

Well Langston Galloway took one more step in securing the PG position going forward.  His clutch three pointer that tied the game at the end of regulation sent a loud and clear message that he's here to stay.  Secondly, and this is note-worthy, he established himself as a potential clutch shooter when shots count.  What this does is relieve Melo from being the only go-to player at the end of quarters and games that Fisher can call on.

As for Lou Amundson whose tip-in tied the game at the end of the first time-out, he too has clearly staked out a claim for next year's roster. An effusive Walt Frazier was ecstatic with praise for the toughness and effort that Amundson played with.

The enigmatic Andreas Bargnani also stepped up mightily throughout the game.  He can certainly cobble out a case that he should be resigned next year.  Now that he's healthy, he is demonstrating his worth running Fisher/Jackson's system.

Jason Smith played a strong game and continues to show progress.

Larking and THJ, warts and all, played well enough to seal the victory.  Both are maddeningly inconsistent but that was minimized last night.

Shved and Early showed some promise. Wear looked great on defense.

Biggest news of the game though was the brilliant and relentless teamwork that went into the victory.  The defense, as Walt Frazier repeated like a mantra throughout the game, WAS SUFFOCATING!  The offensive sets were largely a thing of beauty.

Also notable was the disappointing play of both Monroe and Jackson, two coveted free agents whose play raised more questions than excitement.  Galloway outplayed Jackson.  Monroe (even teamed with Drummond) was not MAX-contract effective. In this fan's opinion, the Knicks should pass on both.