Knicks Knotes

Knicks vs. 76ers (Game 2): Nov. 4th 12:00PM EST

New York Knicks: 1-0
Philadelphia 76ers: 1-0
Head-to-Head: First Meeting

TV: MSG

Coming off an emotional win in their home-opener against the HEAT, the Knicks are back at the Garden to tip off a home-and-home set with the Philadelphia 76ers.

These next two games are HUGE division games. Not many folks are talking about this, but the Atlantic is going to be one of the toughest divisions this season. The Celtics, Knicks, Nets, Raptors and 76ers are all solid teams. I can’t even remember the last time that statement was true.

So, each division game is THAT much more critical.

The 76ers made a lot off-season moves.

Some moves I thought were solid:

None.

Some moves I thought were dumb:

Amnestying Elton Brand’s expiring deal so they could use the money on Kwame Brown, Nick Young, Dorrell Wright and Royal Ivey - why?
Trading Iguadala for Jason Richardon and Andrew Bynum - I’ll say it straight up, Bynum is not good. Yes, he has flashes of dominance here and there, but his knee’s suck and he’s slow as hell. With the NBA transitioning to a fast-paced league why would you trade for one of the slowest players available? Plus, he’s probably only going to play 60-75% of the games for you with his terrible history of injuries. Bad Move.

Anyway, 76ers are still a solid bunch with Turner, Holiday and Hawes.

What I’ll be Watching:

Point Guards - I just love seeing good point guard play. Hope it continues today.
Defense - Would like to see if we stay “up” to play defense even though we’re not playing the defending champions. Defense is about “want” and not just ability. Let’s see if that “want” is still there.
Tyson Chandler - he’s been battling the flu all week, will be keeping an eye on him.
Three point shooting - I hope our team doesn’t become one of those “live by the three, die by the three” teams. Yes, it was fun watching them knock down 19 against the HEAT, but our offense can’t just be that.

Betting Line: Knicks by 3.5 (O/U 187.5)
My Prediction: Knicks 98, 76ers 89
Prediction Record: 0-1

Twitter: @KnicksKnotes