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New York Knicks lose in Dwyane Wade’s final game at Garden

By Jayson Kleinman

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 1: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and assistant head coach, David Fizdale during the game against the Chicago Bulls on March 1, 2016 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 1: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and assistant head coach, David Fizdale during the game against the Chicago Bulls on March 1, 2016 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Despite a strong 1st half, the New York Knicks lost their 6th straight game in Dwyane Wade’s farewell performance at Madison Square Garden, 100-92.

In a disappointing late-season performance, the New York Knicks lost to the Miami Heat in a tale of two halves.

The story going into the game was always going to be about Dwyane Wade‘s last game at MSG, but in the background was Coach David Fizdale’s commitment to the youth movement and the rising star of Mitchell Robinson, as CBS Sports reported before the game that Fizdale has decided to start Robinson for the remainder of the season.

With the team fully committed to the youth movement, the oldest player in the starting lineup was Damyean Dotson at the ripe old age of 24. Paired up alongside Emmanuel Mudiay in the backcourt, with Luke Kornet and Kevin Knox making up the front court with Robinson, the Knicks seemed eager to use their energy to their advantage, moving the ball around and taking efficient shots in some of the best basketball the team has played all season, ending the 1st quarter up by 4 points on 10 team assists.

The bench unit led by Dennis Smith Jr. and Kadeem Allen struggled to maintain the momentum, missing the rebounding of Robinson and Allonzo Trier’s outside shooting ability, allowing the Heat back into the game as the 2nd quarter wound down. However, the Knicks starting 5 would come back into the game and end the half strongly, led by Mudiay’s offense and Luke Kornet’s explosion from 3, ending the half 4/5 from downtown to lead 61-55.

If the 1st half of basketball from the Knicks was a dream, the 2nd half was a shock back to reality. Both teams came out of the locker room sluggish, going scoreless in the 3rd quarter for the first 3 minutes of play. Once the Heat began to get back into gear, the Knicks struggled to keep pace, failing to move the ball around and getting out rebounded on both ends.

From the beginning of the 4th quarter the Knicks were outplayed in almost every way. Continuing to lose the rebounding battle and struggling to move the ball, the Knicks ended the final quarter with 13 points, going 1/12 from the field and struggling to contain strong performances by Dion Waiters (28 pts/6 asts) and Hassan Whiteside (17 pts/13 rebs). If the 4th quarter wasn’t harsh enough, this happened right after:

If there was one positive to take away from the 4th quarter, it was that the crowd at MSG seemed just as happy to watch D-Wade get one final win at the Garden as they were disappointed to watch the Knicks drop another game.

Of note:

  • Damyean Dotson had his worst game of the season, going 0/8 and failing to contain Dion Waiters.
  • Mitchell Robinson was the only Knick with double-digit rebounds, ending the night with 14.
  • The Knicks tallied 14 assists in the 1st half and only 6 in the 2nd.

The New York Knicks face the Chicago Bulls on Monday, April 1st at Madison Square Garden.

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