Fansided

One New Year’s Resolution For Each Eastern Conference Team

By Will Osgood

Dec 23, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a breather during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Arena. The 76ers won 91-87. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a breather during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Arena. The 76ers won 91-87. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and center Samuel Dalembert (11) during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and center Samuel Dalembert (11) during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Knicks

If the Sixers play too fast, the Knicks play far too slow. They are last in the league in PACE with under 90 possessions per 48 minutes. That plays a big part in their 27th ranked points per game offense at just 94.1 points per game (they are 21st in points per 100 possessions). None of these stats include Christmas Day action, but it seems highly unlikely that Derek Fisher’s squad will improve in the rankings based off that first half performance.

They aren’t much better on the defensive end of the court (they are also 27th), but it’s clear their main issue is scoring the basketball. It should not come as much of a shock, given the collection of players Phil Jackson has given Fisher to work with this year (though in fairness to them both, they were stuck with the majority of this roster and they are working out a long-term plan similar to Philadelphia).

They are in the bottom third of the league in effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage and free throw rate (getting to the line). The only thing they do well offensively is rebound the basketball, as they rank 10th in the league. That’s the main reason they score the ball even occasionally since they are heavy jump shooting team.

That’s a problem, since they don’t shoot the ball very well either (45 percent from the field, including 36 percent from 3-point range).

But they are passing the ball better than a season ago, as they have improved their assist rate (percentage of field goals coming as a result of an assist) by 5.3 percent. That is likely a product of the new “Triangle offense”. Going forward, though, the Knicks need to improve their overall shot selection by taking the ball to the basket more and getting more out of early offense opportunities.

No team is going to score enough to win basketball games when they are last in the league in PACE, especially if they are not an elite defensive team. Thus Fisher’s New Year’s Resolution needs to be to speed up the offense a bit.

Next: The East is Bad, But This Team May Have Already Acted on Its Resolution

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