The New York Knicks have not had quite the start that James Dolan expected in 2013 and now that the team is 1-2, they have a very big and dare we say "must-win" game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden starting up at 7:30 pm on the MSG Network and the game will be streaming live online from NBA.com with the league pass.
The Knicks obviously came into the season with very high expectations and so far they have not delivered on that, as they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday and they also have dropped a game to the Chicago Bulls before that and now they will play the first of two in a row against the Bobcats, with this game coming at home on Tuesday before the two teams play in North Carolina on Friday night. The Knicks will be looking to get back on track after allowing over 100 points to the Timberwolves and while the defense was very solid against the Bulls, they allowed the team to get ahead late with a jumper from Derrick Rose and now they hit the November schedule with a purpose, as James Dolan is already giving some Knicks personnel a piece of his mind.
Check here for the Knicks and Bobcats live stream coverage.
Through three games the team is currently ranked in third in points allowed per game even with the Wolves snagging over 100 and they are ranked 27th in the league in scoring on offense, which is not what Dolan intended when he added Andrea Bargnani. Carmelo Anthony appears to be playing with some pressure and if the team falls to 1-3 on the season, that pressure is sure to ratchet up even more, as that is a long three days before the next game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The team is currently ranked 20th in both rebounding and assists per game and that should level out well going forward, but they need to play much better overall and that could start up on Tuesday with the lowly Bobcats, who have some hope after signing Al Jefferson in the offseason.
Anthony has not been quite as sharp as usual to start the season and in the fourth quarter he has not been playing all that well wither, as he is shooting seven of 22 according to ESPN.com and he will have to focus on fixing that up as the season progresses. Andrea Bargnani is looking like he will get the start for the Knicks against the Bobcats and this comes after Mike Woodson was displeased with the way the Knicks played against the Timberwolves in the first quarter, going down by 21 points in the game before coming back. The team now has the chance to make things a bit better with a win against the Bobcats and that should keep Dolan and the tabloid hawks at bay for at least a game or two, as you know they are just waiting for the team to slip up so they can pounce.
The Knicks have been turning over the ball a bit too much and if they want to be a playoff contender and a possibly division winner, they will have to play better as a team, as the east is very deep this season. The Miami Heat are obviously at the top and teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls are also obviously in the mix and the Knicks will have to get things together to be able to knock off one of them down the line this season. The team has a tough schedule after the Bobcats with the Spurs, but that game is at home, while next they will play the Hawks and then the Rockets and Atlanta again, but both of those will be at MSG. The Knicks and Bobcats will play at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 pm on Tuesday night.