The Toronto Raptors will tip off against the New York Knicks Tuesday night at the ACC with hopes of getting back to their early season winning ways. It will be the first of four match ups with the division rival this season. The Knicks roll into Toronto with a sub-par record as usual, but even with only seven games under their belt they are by all accounts an improved team this year. The addition of quality bigs like Kyle O’Quinn and Robin Lopez have helped to fortify their interior defence. This combined with a recharged Carmelo Anthony and surprisingly solid play from their rookie Kristaps Porzingis should act as reminders that the Knicks should not be taken as lightly as they have in years past.
Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Guard Carmelo as a Team
With DeMarre Carroll suffering from some chronic plantar fasciitis it’s important that the team share the responsibility of guarding Carmelo as a unit. This isn’t to say that Carroll could have stopped him on his own but without a premier wing defender in the line-up the Knicks’ All-Star could abuse the Raptors in the pinch-post. Look for James Johnson to receive a good share of the minutes guarding him as the body types create a good match-up.
Box Out Porzingis
If you’ve been paying any attention to NBA highlights these past two weeks then you know the Knicks centre has made a living off of the offensive glass with one highlight put-back dunk after another. Jonas Valanciunas has done a very respectable job on the board thus far this season but he also hasn’t played against anybody as tall as the Zinger.
Keep Shooting
The Raptors bench has been under-performing significantly in the past two games and it would give the team’s offense some much needed support if Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson could re-find their strokes from behind the arc. The only way to do that is to keep on shooting.
X-Factor: James Johnson
The real x-factor here is Kyle Lowry, as is the usual for most nights, because the Knicks literally don’t have anybody on their roster that should be able to contain him… But that’s a really boring analysis. The more interesting x-factor is James ‘Easy Button’ Johnson. He, more than any active Raptors player, has the tools to keep Carmelo from completely dominating this game. He also has proven that he can effectively contribute on the boards as well. This is all contingent upon Dwane Casey giving him minutes of course, so let’s not get our hopes up.
