New York Knicks: Jeff Hornacek must save NYK from downward spiral
An ugly loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day could send the New York Knicks into a downward spiral. Head coach Jeff Hornacek must save his team.
The New York Knicks entered Christmas Day with an opportunity to send a message to the NBA. Instead, an excellent game turned into an ugly finish as unforced errors enabled the Philadelphia 76ers to secure a 105-98 victory.
While New York remains above .500 at 17-16—the latest in a season that it’s been above .500 since 2012-13—it’s officially reached the turning point of the 2017-18 season.
The loss to Philadelphia was not only demoralizing, but one that arrived at the worst possible time. The Knicks tied the game at 89-89 with 5:20 remaining, but its 18-of-28 free throw shooting and costly late turnovers prevented it from securing another home win.
Being 15-6 at home is nothing to scoff at, but losing the last home game before one of the most challenging road stretches imaginable was far from ideal.
New York will play 20 of its next 27 games away from Madison Square Garden—a fact that I wish included a typo. That includes six of the next seven outings, with the lone exception being a home game against the 23-11 San Antonio Spurs.
That would be concerning for any team, but it’s even more of a challenge for a Knicks squad that’s 2-10 on the road in 2017-18.
New York is tied for the most home wins in the NBA, but it’s also tied for the fewest road wins. Only the Dallas Mavericks have a worse away record than the Knicks, checking in at 9-25 overall and 2-14 away from American Airlines Center.
If the Knicks were to continue winning at their current rate, they would finish the upcoming stretch at 3-17 on the road and 5-2 at home—good for an 8-19 record over that 27-game stretch.
That 8-19 record would push the Knicks down to 25-35 on the season, effectively ending its hopes of making the playoffs. Fortunately, coach Hornacek has a chance to save the Knicks before it all comes crashing down.
That all begins on Wednesday, Dec. 27, when the Knicks travel to the United Center for a rematch with the Chicago Bulls.
The last time New York and Chicago played, the Bulls emerged victorious, 104-102. Chicago had the worst record in the NBA entering that Dec. 9 encounter, but that didn’t prevent the Knicks from continuing to struggle on the road.
It’s only fitting that the Knicks’ opportunity to build momentum for what could be a rewarding road stretch will begin with an opportunity for a different form of vengeance.
For the second time in as many encounters, the Knicks will be catching the Bulls off of a back to back. That should enable Hornacek’s crew to pick up a rare road win, thus improving to 3-10 away from home and 18-16 overall.
Perhaps most importantly, it would help the Knicks mend the potentially fractured egos that the past two games have produced.
New York led the Detroit Pistons by four points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell 104-101 to continue their ugly road season. It tied the home game against Philadelphia late in the fourth quarter, but again collapsed down the stretch.
While the Knicks clearly miss starting swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., there’s no time for excuses to be made.
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Head coach Jeff Hornacek must capture his locker room’s attention and ensure that the New York Knicks respond to adversity with a road win against the Chicago Bulls.
If he doesn’t, the downward spiral will have arrived at the same time as it did in 2016-17: Christmas Day.