And when/where did I claim you said the Knicks werent a good team....and youre talking about my reading coprehension.? I called you a hater...much like I am when it comes to the heat. I cant stand Miami but Ill never deny they arent a good team.
So thinking the Knicks (currently) are not a top 5 team going into the playoffs makes me a hater? I've even explained why I think so... If that makes me a hater then I guess I'm a hater?
My point was youre saying no one on the EC is playing good except the Knicks, how do you know that though? How do you figure everyone else in the league isnt playing up to their potential?
I already said why:
Heat- I've been following this team religiously since the Big 3 came together so I know what they look like when they're playing good basketball, and as of now, they're not. Far from it actually. Their current record is deceiving. Many, many, games have been nail biters against sub-par competition that shouldn't even be nail biters in the first place. They have a lot they need to work on.
Nets- This is a brand new team that's still figuring each other out. Regardless, they've already shown they have the potential to be a good team in the East and were playing great basketball until Lopez went down with an injury (and as I said earlier many Nets fans are saying themselves that Lopez has been the MVP of their team so far this season). This team clearly has a lot of upside if they can stay healthy and they will only get better with time.
Bulls- No D-Rose. Rose may come back sometime later in the season and when he does the Bulls will undoubtedly be better than they are now.
Celtics- Their age might finally be catching up to them, but they're still a threat going into the playoffs because their veterans simply know how to win games and they have a smart coach. Their role players for the most part are still feeling each other out and trying to find their roles on this team. They're also currently looking to make a trade for a big to help their poor rebounding/defensive issues. They'll undoubtedly be better once the playoffs are rolling around. They always step it up.
76'ers- No Bynum. Like the Bulls, the Sixers will clearly be a better team than they are now with their star center. How far they go is going to depend a lot on Bynum's health and how well he fits in with the rest of the team.
As previuosly stated I could tell you the Knicks arent playing their best basketball yet...why because I watch them damn near every time they play. I can stll point out flaws right now but we'll honestly probably see the real knicks team once Stat comes back. And this is a carry over from last season once Mike Woodson took over. Theyve been playing great and aside from the playoffs last year(I believe) theyre something ridiculous like 18-1 at home under Woodson.
Nobody plays their best basketball 22 games into the regular season. What I said was that they are currently playing much BETTER basketball than the rest of their EC competition and it's not even remotely debatable. Like TBO just said they're shooting crazy from the 3 point line right now (a rate I think is unsustainable). But I simply can't project how good this team really is until the above teams begin to show what they're truly capable of. I still don't understand how that makes me a hater. In terms of Amare he's going to either make a break the team this year. The Knicks offense has looked much, much more fluid since Amare has been gone. In addition to that, the Knicks defense has greatly improved. There's no guarantee that Amare will be a net positive for the Knicks. In my opinion STAT needs to be a 6th man.
TL;DR-Lol you dont know **** bout my Knicks homie! Keep sleeping on them
I know plenty about them. After watching a few of their games it's clear that this team has re-modeled themselves after the championship Mavericks. They have a savvy veteran PG that will play solid defense and prevent turnovers to prevent easy fast-break points for the Heat (Kidd-Kidd), a defensive center to prevent easy dribble penetration buckets (Chandler-Chandler), a huge scoring threat that can always get them points when the team needs them to score (Dirk-Melo), a dynamic 6th man that can come off the bench and score (Terry-J.R. Smith), and defensive stoppers that they can throw at LeBron and Wade (Stevenson/Marion-Shumpert/Brewer). In addition to all of that, nearly everyone can shoot the 3 ball to punish Miami's over-helping style of defense (just like the Mavs). Amare is the outlier. They clearly have the right foundation, but we still have yet to see if they can replicate what the Mavs were able to do when it matters the most. The first 23 regular season games won't determine that.
And I'm not sleeping on anyone. Only team I'm really concerned with right now is the Miami Heat. They're not playing good basketball right now but they'll turn it around. I still think they're the best team in the league when they're at their best. Chris Bosh agrees, "homie."
