
1. Effort
I mean no disrespect in writing this slide, but the New York Knicks don’t seem to be trying very hard during road games. Whether it’s a matter of poor traveling habits or something else, their rotations are weak, pace is slow, and overall level of effort underwhelming.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, sixth man Brandon Jennings publicly berated his team for playing without life during road games.
"“We haven’t been locking in well on the road,” Jennings said after the Knicks failed to hit the .500 mark and dropped to 5-7. “That’s our big problem. If we want to be the team we think we are, we’re going to have to lock in better on the road. We got to play 10 times harder. Teams play better when they’re at home because they’re feeling good."
He continued:
"“When coaches are doing the game plan, we got to listen,’’ Jennings added. “When the coach is writing the play, everybody’s got to pay attention. There’s a lot stake for us.’’"
The Knicks simply haven’t accomplished enough collectively to be coasting through any game, let alone one on the road.
Through 12 games played, New York is 4-2 at home and 1-5 on the road. Its road losses have come by 29, 13, 28, 11, and seven points, and the context of the closer losses isn’t entirely promising.
New York scored 10 points in the fourth quarter of a 102-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons and made the score respectable during what was truly a blowout of a 119-112 loss to the Washington Wizards.
As Jennings, a member of the Knicks, point outed, the Knicks need to play with a sense of urgency. Making the playoffs isn’t a given, nor is contending for a title—the goal for this veteran team with a combined zero titles amongst the starters and sixth man.
If the Knicks aren’t going to give 100 percent on the road, then the dreams of making the postseason will remain exactly that: dreams.
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Simply put: if the Knicks want to turn this season around, then it starts with the effort they put forth.