As the 2017-18 NBA regular season nears its end, the New York Knicks continue to comment on the team’s primary flaw: Inconsistent energy.
As the New York Knicks near the end of the 2017-18 NBA regular season, many have begun to ponder what the future holds for head coach Jeff Hornacek. Rumors are swirling that Hornacek is on his way out, but the coach maintains that his only focus is preparing for next season.
As the Knicks endure the closing weeks of another season that will end on the outside looking in of the NBA Playoffs, however, a concerning truth has presented itself.
As New York stares down a seemingly everlasting string of losses, it isn’t as simple as stating that it’s being outplayed. Coach Hornacek himself, as well as multiple players, have identified the source of the team’s problems—and they’ve done so on a rather consistent basis: A lack of effort.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, point guard Trey Burke acknowledged that lackluster energy was again the reason for the Knicks’ poor performance in the latest outing.
"“Third game in four nights, you got to find more energy to get up for a game like this, but it’s not an excuse,’’ Burke said. “We could’ve came out with more energy collectively in the third quarter. Something we can’t have stretches like we did in the second half. We worked hard to get back in the game and we made three bonehead plays where we don’t get back on defense.’’"
Sadly, this is the latest in a long line of quotes about how unpredictable the Knicks’ energy levels have been during the 2017-18 season.
The Knicks’ most recent game was a 118-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. As Burke alluded to, it was the third time in four nights that New York was tasked with playing, which could excuse the low energy levels in the first half.
As Burke alluded to, however, the embodiment of the team’s inconsistency was how poor the effort was during the third quarter.
Despite having halftime to collect their bearings and recalibrate, the Knicks came out flat and were outscored 26-17 in that defining period.
The unfortunate truth is that third quarter execution has been an issue for the Knicks throughout the 2017-18 season. Thus far, it’s being outscored by an average of 1.9 points per game and 7.7 points per 100 possessions during the third quarter.
With a glaring inability to come out of halftime as the more motivated team, the Knicks have inevitably failed in their pursuit of victory.
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Whether you place the blame on head coach Jeff Hornacek, the players, or a combination of both, the New York Knicks simply don’t play as hard as they need to.
Something has to change.