The New York Knicks have started the preseason 1-1 in 2013-14 and as they push towards the regular season coach Mike Woodson continues to work out starting lineups and on Saturday night the team will test out another one against the Boston Celtics at Verizon Wireless Arena in a game that will be televised on NBA TV at 7:30 and puts together two division rivals.
Carmelo Anthony will continue to be the primary scoring option for the Knicks, but they finally feel that a solid secondary option is now on the roster with Andrea Bargnani, who was acquired from the Raptors in the offseason. The Knicks lost by nine to the Raptors on Friday and while Bargnani looked good in 22 minutes, he only put in 10 points and he will be looked at as a solid complement to Anthony. The team went 54-28 last season and won the division and while they were able to beat the Celtics in the playoffs, they fell to the Indiana Pacers to miss out on the Eastern Conference finals
Click here for the NBA TV link to check out the preseason stream for the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
Last season the Knicks were ranked 11th in the league in scoring with 100 points per game and they were in the top 10 in scoring defense, allowing under 100 points and this season they will be focusing on that again and they did a good job last game, forcing over 20 turnovers by the Raptors including three steals. Iman Shumpert and Anthony had three steals and the addition of Metta World Peace will only help add depth to the roster and improve the defense this season, especially in man to man situations.
Anthony led the way with 24 points and eight boards in the game in Toronto, which marked a return for Bargnani, who was a former number one overall pick for the team. He will be looked at as a long range option and after averaging just over 15 points for the team during his years there, the Knicks will be looking for similar production. The team feels good about their additions and new GM Steve Mills said that bringing back JR Smith and Pablo Prigioni gives the team a number of options on offense. The team has nice depth at point behind Felton and they also like having Beno Udrih.