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Predicted Score: 120-115
Actual Score: 89-120
By Malcolm Merritt
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The few fans wearing black and gray in a mostly orange and
blue crowd cheered as loudly as possible. They were more in the game then the
home team was. The New York Knicks
(2-4) were slaughtered by the San Antonio
Spurs (6-1), 120-89.
The Knicks were NEVER in the game. San Antonio jumped out to
a 10-point lead early in the first quarter and never looked back. Danny Green, Long Island
Native, came home and played hard. Green finished with 24 points, on 6 for 9
shooting from beyond the arc, as well as recording 10 rebounds. Every player on
the Spurs had playing time as there was never any competition.
The Spurs were able to exploit the Knicks’ defensive issues
with a strong inside-outside game and great ball movement. San Antonio had 22
assists, Tony
Parker leading his squad with 6, along with 17 points. After 25 minutes, he
was on the bench with his knees wrapped in ice, already preparing for the next
game against Philadelphia
(4-4). None of the Spurs starters were playing in the fourth quarter as the
Knicks followed suit as they saw the game was out of reach. With a loss like
this, it’s easy to blame anybody, but Carmelo
Anthony reassured that it was a team loss and that the fans shouldn’t focus
on Woodson’s job.
 |
| JR Smith had a very slow start to his 2013-2014 campaign. |
The Spurs were up by 37 at one point in the third quarter
and every time the Knicks gained momentum, Greg Popovich called a timeout. No
one was on point. As the Spurs offense took advantage of a lackadaisical Knicks
defense, they also exploited the Knicks stagnant half-court offense. While San
Antonio shot 53.9% from the field, New York was held to 37.8% from the field
and 27.3% from behind the 3-point line. No one on the Knicks could get their
offense going. Carmelo Anthony shot 5-10 for 16 points, as once again the Spurs
were able to limit his activity on the floor. J.R. Smith was rusty in his first
game back, as expected. His struggle was evident as he shot 1-9 from the floor
for 5 points in 20 minutes.
In order for New York to move forward effectively, they need
a reality check. They do not have their starting center, Tyson Chandler,
they’re best defensive player and in many ways, the leader of this team. They
don’t have the three-point stroke they had last year after losing sharp-shooters
Steve Novak
(traded to the Raptors) and Chris Copeland
(left in free agency). If the Knicks want to turn their season around, it has
to start now and it has to start with defense.
For a defensive scheme to be truly effective for the Knicks,
they need to play pressure on the perimeter as they have several adept
perimeter defenders on their roster (Shumpert, Peace, Prigioni, Murry.)
Constant pressure on the ball will force the offense to move the ball down low,
and when New York’s bigs (Anthony, Bargnani, Stoudemire, Martin, Aldrich) all
decide to play to the best of their ability, they can force the ball back out
to the perimeter. If not, it will either result in a basket or a foul. This
exploits the Knicks lack of a defensive front court for the next 4-6 weeks.
If the Knicks can put pressure on opposing offense and rely
on their backcourt to create turnovers, they can score on the break, making up
for their lack of half-court offense. In their wins against Milwaukee (2-3) and Charlotte (3-4), the Knicks
moved the ball well with 17 and 25 assists respectively. In both games, New
York led by double-digits. With a similar mentality, they may take the first of
many steps to a successful season. But until then, expect games like this
against the top teams in the league.
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