Final Score: New York Knicks 99 Chicago Bulls 104
Another game, another loss. The Knicks losing streak has now reached 6, dropping them into a tie for 8th place with the Milwaukee Bucks. If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Knicks would be heading for the lottery. It would be flat out embarrassing if this team were to not make the playoffs. The fact they need to fight for their playoff lives and are 6 games under .500 are bad enough. There are a number of people saying this is a good moral victory because they at least competed tonight against the Bulls. But at this point, there is no such thing as moral victories. The Knicks in a downward spiral with very little signs of turning it around. They may be in 8th place but it is safe to say their season and peoples job's are on life support right now.
-Amar'e Rounding Into Shape
After adding 15 pounds of muscle this off-season, Amar'e Stoudemire finally seems to be rounding into shape as he losses some of that weight. Stoudemire put up another efficient game tonight, going for 20 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. He did most of his damage in the 3rd quarter, in which he scored 12 points and had the hot hand, but he took only 2 shots in the 4th quarter. For being such an offensive genius, Coach Mike D'Antoni has no clue when it comes to making this team run. Amar'e had the hot hand, so he gets put on the bench and upon returning is not part of the offense.
-Bring Back the 90's Knicks
This Knicks team should be embarrassed with how soft they played tonight. This game was there for the taking, and they were unable to grab it. The Knicks held the Bulls to 43% shooting, making it tough on the Bulls to score. Derrick Rose scored 32 points, but it took him 29 shots and a few favorable calls from the refs to get there. Even if you add up all those positives they do not come close to making up for the lack of toughness and fortitude the Knicks showed tonight. They allowed the Bulls to grab 22 offensive rebounds, giving them numerous opportunities on what should have been empty possessions. To put this into perspective, Bulls forward Taj Gibson had 8 offensive rebounds alone, which is as many as the Knicks leading rebounding, Tyson Chandler, had in total. Amar'e Stoudemire only grabbed 3 rebounds for the Knicks, who still struggle to put it together and successfully play all facets of the game. This is where the game was won, as the Bulls had 24 second chance points compared to the Knicks 6.
-Time For a Change
The current makeup of this Knicks team seems to be going nowhere fast. They seem lost during certain points of the game and are lacking leadership. Players and staff are saying all the right things to the media, but it is hard to believe that is how they are really feeling. Coach Mike D'Antoni should be fired if there is any hope for the Knicks this season. The players seem to have thrown in the towel on him, no matter how unjust that may be. Neither the players or coach are willing to change their ways and are budding heads. There is no way Owner James Dolan is going to give up on his pairing of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony and admit to making the wrong decision, which leaves D'Antoni on the chopping block. D'Antoni has no clue how to make this team play together, even getting gifted almost 2 weeks of practice time around the All-Star break. With that practice time, the product the Knicks are putting out on the court is unacceptable. D'Antoni knew he had to change his stubborn ways to succeed, and seemed to finally be giving in some when he allowed Mike Woodson to be hired as a defensive consultant. It is about time Woodson is moved up and named interim head coach, because the Knicks are only bound for ineptitude under D'Antoni and the current “system”, which none of the players are comfortable playing in.
The next game for the Knicks is Wednesda, March 14, at 7:30 P.M. ET at the Garden against old friend Jamal Crawford and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Another game, another loss. The Knicks losing streak has now reached 6, dropping them into a tie for 8th place with the Milwaukee Bucks. If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Knicks would be heading for the lottery. It would be flat out embarrassing if this team were to not make the playoffs. The fact they need to fight for their playoff lives and are 6 games under .500 are bad enough. There are a number of people saying this is a good moral victory because they at least competed tonight against the Bulls. But at this point, there is no such thing as moral victories. The Knicks in a downward spiral with very little signs of turning it around. They may be in 8th place but it is safe to say their season and peoples job's are on life support right now.
-Amar'e Rounding Into Shape
After adding 15 pounds of muscle this off-season, Amar'e Stoudemire finally seems to be rounding into shape as he losses some of that weight. Stoudemire put up another efficient game tonight, going for 20 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. He did most of his damage in the 3rd quarter, in which he scored 12 points and had the hot hand, but he took only 2 shots in the 4th quarter. For being such an offensive genius, Coach Mike D'Antoni has no clue when it comes to making this team run. Amar'e had the hot hand, so he gets put on the bench and upon returning is not part of the offense.
-Bring Back the 90's Knicks
This Knicks team should be embarrassed with how soft they played tonight. This game was there for the taking, and they were unable to grab it. The Knicks held the Bulls to 43% shooting, making it tough on the Bulls to score. Derrick Rose scored 32 points, but it took him 29 shots and a few favorable calls from the refs to get there. Even if you add up all those positives they do not come close to making up for the lack of toughness and fortitude the Knicks showed tonight. They allowed the Bulls to grab 22 offensive rebounds, giving them numerous opportunities on what should have been empty possessions. To put this into perspective, Bulls forward Taj Gibson had 8 offensive rebounds alone, which is as many as the Knicks leading rebounding, Tyson Chandler, had in total. Amar'e Stoudemire only grabbed 3 rebounds for the Knicks, who still struggle to put it together and successfully play all facets of the game. This is where the game was won, as the Bulls had 24 second chance points compared to the Knicks 6.
-Time For a Change
The current makeup of this Knicks team seems to be going nowhere fast. They seem lost during certain points of the game and are lacking leadership. Players and staff are saying all the right things to the media, but it is hard to believe that is how they are really feeling. Coach Mike D'Antoni should be fired if there is any hope for the Knicks this season. The players seem to have thrown in the towel on him, no matter how unjust that may be. Neither the players or coach are willing to change their ways and are budding heads. There is no way Owner James Dolan is going to give up on his pairing of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony and admit to making the wrong decision, which leaves D'Antoni on the chopping block. D'Antoni has no clue how to make this team play together, even getting gifted almost 2 weeks of practice time around the All-Star break. With that practice time, the product the Knicks are putting out on the court is unacceptable. D'Antoni knew he had to change his stubborn ways to succeed, and seemed to finally be giving in some when he allowed Mike Woodson to be hired as a defensive consultant. It is about time Woodson is moved up and named interim head coach, because the Knicks are only bound for ineptitude under D'Antoni and the current “system”, which none of the players are comfortable playing in.
The next game for the Knicks is Wednesda, March 14, at 7:30 P.M. ET at the Garden against old friend Jamal Crawford and the Portland Trail Blazers.
No comments:
Post a Comment