5. Martin’s Explosion Despite needing an IV prior to the game, Kevin Martin exploded for 37 points against the Knicks. Martin is a dangerous scorer, especially when he finds a rhythm and this was the case on Wednesday night in Minnesota. The shooting guard scored 37 points on 14-for-20 shooting from the floor, which included seven bombs from downtown in the 115-99 victory for the Wolves.
4. STAT’s Role Amar’e Stoudemire continues to display a powerful presence on the blocks and inside the paint for New York this season. In just 19 minutes off the bench, Stoudemire was extremely efficient, hitting seven of his nine attempts from the floor and 19 points. Carmelo Anthony and Stoudemire combined for 39 and were the only two Knicks to find an offensive flow on Wednesday night.
3. Needing The Defense Heads coach Derek Fisher reiterated the need for improvement on the defensive side of the floor for this New York squad. He said the understanding of the triangle is not costing the team at this point in the season; it’s simply the focus on defense for 48 minutes. After allowing Minnesota to shoot a high percentage from the floor and the 3-point line, you can expect the Knicks to spend a considerable amount of time working on defensive schemes at Friday’s practice in New York.
2. Offensive Glass
Fisher also expressed the disparity of offensive rebounds in the final box score. Minnesota snagged 15 boards on the offensive glass and registered 22 second chance points. These numbers will plague a team in search of defensive stops. The bigs and guards must crash the glass to ensure the Knicks limit multiple offensive opportunities for the opposing team.
1. Help On The Way?
There’s a chance that Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani could make their season debuts on Saturday night against the Sixers. Friday afternoon, the Knicks will return to MSG Training Center, which will allow Calderon and Bargnani to take part in a contact practice session. Calderon is a big key to the offense with his ability to organize the crew and hit perimeter shots. Bargnani will provide Fisher with another big body that can stretch the floor while operating in the Triangle system. Stay tuned to Knicks.com to see if both players will be available for the home contest on Saturday.