NY Knicks: Why 7th Straight Win vs Hornets is Best of Streak
By James Ryder
The NY Knicks Stepped Up and Held it Down
The Knicks’ defense went nuclear after halftime, but that wasn’t the only way the team stepped up.
The biggest reason why the offense kept its pace in quarter number three was Rowan Barrett Junior.
RJ erupted for 18 of his 24 points in the third. He shot 6 of 7 from the floor and 4 of 4 from deep.
Then in the fourth quarter, Derrick Rose scored 8 points on his way to finishing with 17. It was another strong fourth-quarter showing from the veteran after being crucial down the stretch of the Knicks’ overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
New York only scored 18 points in the fourth. However, this was more than enough since the Hornets only scored 15 points in the final 12 minutes, as previously mentioned.
The team not only took control of the game but they held their ground. Prior to this winning streak, the Knicks were plagued with bad finishes, particularly against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat.
This is a learning year still for the Knicks, no matter how much they have exceeded expectations.
Not only is it incredible to watch them go on the streak they have, but it’s just as great to see them have power over the game by playing their brand of basketball on both ends and having authority over the pace.
The Hornets didn’t have a chance once players stepped up their game and forced Charlotte to try to replicate their first-half success.
Charlotte failed to come even close to that success. This is what winning teams do…they “turn it on” when the game is on the line.
They improve as the game goes on and challenge the opposition to do the same. The Knicks will hopefully start doing more of this in future games.