National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Five Keys To Defeating Memphis Grizzlies

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:57 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks will host the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, October 27. How can New York win its 2016-17 home debut?

Feb 5, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) battle for a rebound during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks have set a realistic goal for the 2016-17 NBA regular season: make the playoffs. The NBA championship is the ultimate target, and winning a series is the aspiration, but New York needs to end its three-year postseason drought.

On Saturday, October 29, the Knicks will have an opportunity to build towards that goal by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Knicks are coming off one of the worst losses in franchise history. Despite entering halftime with just a three-point deficit, New York fell 117-88 to the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

The hope is that Jeff Hornacek and the Knicks can reverse their misfortune by defeating the Grizzlies in their first home game of the regular season.

Defeating Memphis is much easier said than done. The Grizzlies have overcome multiple coaching changes to make six consecutive postseason appearances and win at least 50 games in three of the past four seasons.

The question is: how can the Knicks overcome their slow start and defeat the Grizzlies at home?

Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Courtney Lee (5) drives to the basket past Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

5. Establish The 3-Point Shot

The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best defensive trios in the NBA. Marc Gasol is a former Defensive Player of the Year, Tony Allen is an all-time on-ball defender, and Mike Conley can force turnovers and make clutch stops with regularity.

If the New York Knicks are going to overcome that trio of revered defensive players, then establishing the outside shot will be a crucial point of emphasis.

Allen will likely spend a majority of his minutes defending Carmelo Anthony—a burden that could limit ‘Melo’s isolation scoring opportunities. That means the Knicks must move the ball and find the open man along the 3-point line.

If the Knicks manage to consistently space the floor, then Anthony could begin to move without it as Allen rotates to contain the man with the hot hand.

New York shot just 9-of-27 from beyond the arc against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It shot 5-of-13 on wide open looks—no opponent within at least six feet—but hit just four of its 14 attempts when a defender was closer than that.

Simply put: the Knicks will need to be more efficient in creating and converting quality looks from distance against Memphis.

Oct 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won 90-88. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

4. Work The Pick And Roll

Memphis Grizzlies star Marc Gasol plays defense unlike any other center, if not player, in the NBA. Much like German sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer on the world football pitch, Gasol roams the floor in an almost reckless manner, yet never seems to truly be out of position.

Kristaps Porzingis could be a matchup nightmare due to his ability to space the floor, but the New York Knicks need to get him better looks at the basket.

Gasol doesn’t have a definitive weakness defensively, but the pick and roll is a play that New York must establish. Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings are both capable of running it, and Carmelo Anthony should see opportunities to do so, as well.

Porzingis, Joakim Noah, and Willy Hernangomez need to produce more points in the paint, and Zach Randolph isn’t exactly equipped to prevent them from doing so off the pick and roll.

Porzingis made three 3-point field goals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but shot just 2-of-8 on 2-point field goals. Noah finished with no points against Cleveland, and while he doesn’t need to average double figures as a scorer, the goose egg cannot happen again.

The Knicks aren’t going up against a team that will let them pound it inside, which is why Jeff Hornacek will need to get creative with the pick and roll.

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings (3) moves the ball in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 117-88. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Supporting Cast

Though teams with star power tend to draw more headlines, championship-caliber organizations require depth. For instance, for as brilliant as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were over the previous two seasons, it was Andre Iguodala who won Finals MVP in 2015.

Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick Rose aren’t nearly as established as a unit as Curry, Green, and Thompson, which is why they need even more help.

It was far from a flawless performance, but Anthony, Porzingis, and Rose combined for 52 points on 20-of-48 shooting against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The rest of the Knicks’ players combined for 36 points on 12-of-35 shooting from the field.

In other words, the Top 3 scorers on the roster shot 41.7 percent from the field and the rest of the team combined to shoot 34.3 percent from the floor.

Anthony, Porzingis, and Rose certainly have things to work on, but the rest of the team needs to step up. Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah—two starters who each played 20 minutes—combined for zero points on 0-of-6 shooting, and sixth man Brandon Jennings was 1-of-7.

The Knicks may not have the deepest roster in the NBA, but players other than Anthony, Porzingis, and Rose need to create consistent offense against the Grizzlies.

Oct 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) looks to pass the ball during a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

2. Ball Movement + Pace

Nothing will define the New York Knicks’ season quite like its ability or inability to keep the ball moving offensively. Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick Rose are all capable of creating their own shot, but balance is more important than star power.

Rose summarized the manner in which the Knicks moved the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but that needs to change sooner than later.

Rose finished the regular season opener with one assist to four turnovers, which is unacceptable for a starting point guard. That places the burden directly on his shoulders, especially when one considers the fact that backup point guard Brandon Jennings had five assists in 21 minutes.

The issue spreads throughout the roster, however, as New York committed 18 turnovers to 17 assists as a team against the Cavaliers.

Beyond the assist and turnover numbers, the Knicks simply need to be more efficient and responsible with the ball. There were far too many isolation possessions against Cleveland, as well as too many passes that led to drives instead of open shots.

If the Knicks are going to defeat Memphis—one of the best defensive teams in the NBA—then the ball must stay in constant movement.

Oct 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson (24) goes to the basket in the first half against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

1. Defense

The New York Knicks have the personnel to be one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. The early results haven’t matched the upside, however, and there are reasons to be skeptical of whether or not it’ll come together in 2016-17.

One game won’t make or break the season, but the Knicks could gain a significant measure of confidence by playing well on defense against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies aren’t a poor offensive team, but they certainly don’t have the same type of firepower as the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re a grind-it-out type of squad that can score efficiently, but rarely post otherworldly offensive numbers.

The Knicks are in danger of allowing that to happen, but this is a golden opportunity for Jeff Hornacek and company to hold an opponent below 100 points.

Joakim Noah and Kristaps Porzingis will match up against Marc Gasol and sixth man Zach Randolph. Even if Chandler Parsons does play, he’s missed extensive time that could result in his displaying rust.

Memphis is beaten up as it is, which is why Noah and the Knicks’ defense must step up and hold Memphis in check during the home opener.

A game like this could help tame the critics and provide the Knicks with the blueprint for how it should execute defensively.