Once again the Knicks took a beating, this time against the Grizzlies, in a meeting in which after a first quarter that ended tied at 32 points, Memphis used the next three-quarters to show the clear difference between the two teams.
Losing is not something new, in fact the Knickerbockers have lost 36 games, and 13 of those losses have been at least 20 points:
Oct 26, Celtics won 118-95
Nov 3, Kings won 113-92
Nov 6, Pistons won 122-102
Nov 29, Raptors won 126-98
Dec 2, Bucks won 123-88
Dec 5, Nuggets won 129-92
Dec 10, Blazers won 115-87
Dec 21, Bucks won 123-102
Jan 7, Lakers won 117-87
Jan 8, Jazz won 128-104
Jan 14, Bucks won 128-102
Jan 16, Suns won 121-98
Jan 29, Grizzlies won 127-106
This means that 36% of the New York Knicks losses have been blow-outs, and the fan base has finally had enough. After losing to the Grizzlies last Wednesday in the Garden fans chanted “sell the team.”
Before the season even started fans knew the Knicks had minimal chances of reaching the playoffs. However fans did expect a competitive team, who played hard in each game, but fans never know what to expect. Every night the Knicks deliver a different performance, one day they surprise and beat tough teams like Mavericks or the Heat, and a game later they lose to a team like the Cavs or Wizards.
Today fans don’t know what to expect from the team they love. What happened at the end of the Grizzlies did not help at all. These actions show that the squad is far from representing the colors their players are dressing every night.
If Jae Crowder broke an unwritten rule of basketball by stealing the ball and shooting it when the game with the victory already secured it is something that we are not going to discuss. What is debatable is Payton’s attitude, because his act of frustration made it clear that some players are more worried about irrelevant situations instead of putting their mind, dedication and concentration in the games to help the team to achieves the expected results.
After the game Elfrid Payton declared:
“I’d a did it again. Didn’t matter who took that shot. Don’t disrespect the game like that”.
But as the legend Walt Frazier said during the broadcast of the game:
“If you don’t want this to happen, play ball.”
Of course the NBA has suspended Elfrid Payton for one game, and fined Marcus Morris Sr. with $35,000 for his participation.
And talking about Marcus Morris Sr., can somebody explain us what he was thinking when he said that Jae Crowder “Got a lot of female tendencies on the court, flopping and throwing his head back… he´s soft, very woman-like”.
Following the statement the Knicks front office released this statement:
“We agree that Marcus’ comments were offensive and unacceptable. While we do believe his apology was sincere, that of speech does not reflect the values of respect and inclusion that our organization stands for, and can not be tolerated”.
What do the Knicks mean when they say “can not be tolerated”? Are Marcus Morris Sr. days at the Big Apple counted?
With the trade deadline around the corner, the future of the Knicks is even more uncertain. With the exception of RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, all other players have been mentioned in the speculations, none more than Marcus Morris Sr.. With less than a week the roster could undergo drastic changes, or the team could decide to do nothing and wait until free agency and the Draft.
What is a fact is that Knicks fans do not want their players to “defend” their colors with talking and fighting, they want to play a winning basketball. Fans don’t want to go to the Garden to watch the Knicks get blown out by 20 and get in fights “defending the team,” all fans want to see is the Knicks win.