New York Knicks: The Brutal Loss That Will Ignite The Knicks

After suffering a buzzer-beater loss at the Garden last night, the New York Knicks look ahead to Friday for a rematch against the Milwaukee Bucks.

After losing five straight games and being criticized for their lack of effort on the defensive end, the Knicks came out last night and played very good basketball—for the three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks held a commanding 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Then, Giannis Antetokounmpo happened.

The Knicks’ fourth quarter lead disappeared in a matter of minutes. At a time where Kristaps Porzingis would usually be in the game playing alongside the bench players, the Bucks came out firing like they had more to play for.

If Porzingis were playing, I think the Knicks avoid this loss.

However, he wasn’t present and the Knicks still had an opportunity to win this game. In their recent losses, the Knicks showed a lack of effort.

In last night’s game, it was a lack of execution.

Prior to the final possession, the Knicks had the ball with a one-point lead. All they needed to do was inbound the ball successfully, hit two free throws, and put themselves in a win-or-overtime situation.

Instead, Rose took an inbounds pass right next to the sideline. Antetokounmpo reached over and hit the ball off of Rose’s thigh. Granted, could a foul have been called? Absolutely. Regardless, why inbound the ball so incredibly close to the sideline?

Never put yourself in a position where the refs will dictate the outcome, and the Knicks did just that.

The Final Play

The Bucks inbounded the ball to Antetokounmpo and put the ball in his hands to win the game—to no one’s surprise, except the Knicks defense? I believe in the philosophy of not allowing the opposing team’s best player to beat you, and the Knicks will have to live with that decision.

Antetokounmpo backed down Lance Thomas for what seemed to be an eternity, and probably should have been called for a five second back-to-the-basket violation.

Like many games during this losing streak, the Knicks were on the opposite end of a beneficial call from the NBA refs. Nevertheless, Thomas played as good 1-on-1 defense as you can possibly play.

However, how does no one help on the final play? If the double came and Antetokounmpo made a great pass and someone else hit a game winning shot, I could live with it.

Instead, the Knicks allowed the Bucks’ best player to get a fadeaway shot from the top of the key. For someone who is 6’11”, that’s a great shot.

Kudos to the Greek Freak, though. The man can ball and has an incredible future in front of him.

At least the Knicks can walk away from this game with some optimism.

The Knicks’ Defense Is Improving

After allowing 27 points in the first quarter, they allowed 25 points the second quarter, followed by 21 points in the third quarter. They did this against a very efficient team in the Bucks—and they did this without Porzingis.

So, as far as Hornacek questioning whether the Knicks have players who are “capable” of defending, he got his answer last night.

Unfortunately, it means nothing if you continue to collapse in the the fourth quarter. The fact remains, if the Knicks can play quality defense for three quarters, they are capable of doing it in the fourth as well.

Carmelo Anthony Can Be An All-Around Player

Last night was arguably Anthony’s greatest performance of the season, and this loss is certainly not on his shoulders. In 37 minutes of play, Anthony had 30 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a +/- of +5.

Anthony was highly criticized for his lack of effort in the loss against the Magic, and he responded by pouring in a great performance. Is it a coincidence that Anthony’s increased effort on both ends resulted in a better defensive performance for the team? No.

As much as Knicks fans want to praise the greatness of Porzingis, the Knicks will only go as far as Anthony takes them.

Derrick Rose Can Ball Again!

It’s been a long time coming, but Derrick Rose is back to his vintage ways. The bounce is back, the explosiveness is evident, and he’s finally reacting instead of over-thinking.

His two blunders at the end of the games against the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks give him something he needs to be more conscious of. Luckily, it’s something that he can easily fix as the season goes on.

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The Bottom Line

The Knicks have shown that they can put in a great performance on both sides of the ball. The difference between good teams and great teams in this league is execution and consistency.

Playing well for three quarters doesn’t mean anything, and moral victories don’t result in playoff appearances. However, the Knicks proved to themselvves what they can do when everyone is committed, and should be looking forward to getting Porzingis back for the rematch against the Bucks tomorrow night.

All signs are now pointing to Porzingis making his return on Friday, and this should elevate the Knicks’ play on both ends of the floor. Considering the brutal loss that we all witnessed at the Garden, the Knicks should be drooling at the thought of a rematch.

In the East, losing six in a row will drop you from a fourth seed to a 10th seed. Luckily, winning six in a row will get the Knicks right back on track. One game at a time.

If Antetokounmpo was guarded by Porzingis on that final play, would he have hit that shot?

Must Read: How does Jeff Hornacek fix the Knicks?

Hopefully on Friday, January 6th, live on ESPN, we’ll get a chance to find out.