Seraphin’s Tribute to ParisPrior to Sunday’s matinee against the Pelicans, Knicks big man Kevin Seraphin expressed his support for the tragedy in Paris by sporting a unique haircut. Seraphin shaved the word Paris on the back of his head with the “A” representing the Eiffel Tower.
“I just wanted to do something creative, something different – not just put something on my shoes,” Serpahin explained.
The Frenchmen put together an inspired effort in helping the Knicks knock off the visiting Pelicans. Seraphin scored 12 points in 14 minutes off the pine and received attention across the NBA and national landscape.
“Difficult for sure. It’s hard timing though. Just crazy out there. There’s nobody out on the street. It’s hard because it can happen anywhere. You just don’t know, so that’s kind of scary because my family…my mom, my day…live in Paris. But, you cannot be scared of it, and just fight through it,” an emotional Serpahin stated following the win.Melo Finding His GrooveCarmelo Anthony admitted to a lack of strength in his legs during the first couple games of the season. As he worked back from the offseason injury, game conditioning was an expected hurdle for the All-Star to overcome in order to regain his explosion. Well, over the last five games we are starting to see Anthony in all of his offensive glory. During the five-game stretch with the Knicks going 3-2, Anthony is averaging 26.6 points on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent behind the arc. Additionally, Anthony is ripping down 7.2 boards at the small forward position.
Afflalo’s Return and Lineup ImpactLast week in Charlotte, Arron Afflalo made his regular season debut and jumped right into the starting lineup. At the shooting guard spot, Afflalo displayed positive energy on both sides of the floor while exuding leadership qualities on the sidelines. The addition of Afflalo instantly improves the Knicks depth in the backcourt and could provide Fisher with a potent small-ball lineup featuring the 30-year old at small forward.Porzingis’ First Showdown Against The BrowWhile it wasn’t his best performance this season, Kristaps Porzingis earned some valuable court time on Sunday afternoon. The 7-3 rising star took full advantage of the opportunity to square off against one of the best big men in the league. Anthony Davis was aggressive from the onset, pushing Porzingis on both sides of the court. New York’s rookie summed up the experience; “He is the best power forward in the NBA right now. He’s one of the guys that I look up and try to learn the game from. He proved once again why he’s so good.”“Porzingis is a great player,” Davis complimented. “He can shoot, he can drive and he is active. It is going to be fun battling him.”
This inaugural meeting seems to have the set the stage for some intriguing one-on-one matchups in the near and distant future.
Evaluating The First 11The Knicks captured their fifth win on Sunday in the midst of an extremely difficult start to the season. At 5-6, New York faced nine playoff opponents to open the year and will look to the month of December to potentially gain ground. The Knicks play the second-easiest schedule in December despite eight road contests.