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Game 16: New York Knicks v New Orleans Pelicans
Actual Score: 99-103
By: Malcolm Merritt
Email: mjmerritt23@gmail.com
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| The Knicks 9-game losing streak has been ugly, and the Pelicans game was no different. |
New York’s season is a downward spiral. They’ve lost 9
straight and haven’t won at home since their season debut. The sequence with 30
seconds left of the last game was a summation of their play so far. They try
and they try but they don’t seem to get it. The Knicks (3-13)
played the New
Orleans Pelicans (8-8) at home Sunday evening. The game did not go as
planned for the team who was looking for some kind of spark. In those last 30
seconds, they forced turnover, down by 3. J.R. Smith
brought the ball up the left side of the court and turned his back towards the
basket. He passed it off to the hot Tim Hardaway
Jr. who took a wild but open three-point shot. Miss. But New York
recovered! The Basketball deities had given them a second chance! Carmelo Anthony
got the ball 2 feet behind the three-point line. Miss. With 15.3 seconds left,
the Pelicans regained possession and the Knicks had to resort to fouling.
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| Ryan Anderson (33) torched the Knicks for 31 points Sunday Night. |
No matter how hard New York tried, things didn’t seem to go
their way this game. In the first quarter, the Pelicans’ gem, Anthony Davis,
broke his hand with a non-displaced fracture after drawing a charge on Amar’e
Stoudemire. Davis leads the teams in rebounds (10.2) and the league in blocks
(3.6) while also scoring 19.6 points per game. In 10 minute he had 7 points and 4 rebounds. Ryan Anderson
came into the game and made an immediate impact. He leads the team in points
with 20.7 ppg. As a big man with range he, like Andrea Bargnani,
is difficult to defend. On Sunday, he torched the Knicks for 31. Whether it was
from three-point range or in the post, Anderson made the night extremely
difficult for the Knicks. He should be stepping into the starting Power Forward
Spot in Davis’ absence.
The final score was 103-99 and it was a heartbreaker for
most fans. But something that shined bright was the breakout game of Tim
Hardaway Jr. In 25 minutes, he scored 21 points, a career high for him. He shot
6-10 from the field and 5-8 from behind the arc. The Michigan product is also
coming off a game in which he scored 8 points in the fourth quarter that made a
huge impact for the team. His strong play can create questions for New York’s
backcourt. Raymond
Felton’s spot is safe. He posted 12 points and 8 assists with only one
turnover. Smith just signed
a new 3 year contract with the Knicks this past offseason, so he’s not
going anywhere either. Iman Shumpert
has not been playing well as of recent and with the trade rumors that were
surrounding him, he might see a decrease in minutes. There was a point in the
fourth quarter where Mike Woodson
was going to put him in but called him back.
But in the end, a loss is a loss. No matter how close the
game was, it still shows up as an “L” in the Knicks columns. Carmelo Anthony
lead his team in scoring again with 23 points, 10 rebounds on 9-21 shooting. He
played a game high 44 minutes and is the only player in the league to lead his
team in scoring every single game of the season. He was recently quoted saying
that the Knicks are “playing to lose.” He is trying to lead this year and make
everyone accountable for his own actions. Fans are just now starting to realize
one important thing. Carmelo Anthony is a superstar purely because of his
scoring. His ability to score is accompanied by his rebounding tenacity and
grit. That’s it. Scoring is glorified in this league and creates a
misconception that if you can score, you can lead a team to a championship.
Carmelo Anthony is the type of player who will serve one purpose for you, and
that is to get buckets. Around him, you’re going to need an additional scorer,
a rebounder or two, a defensive specialist and even veteran leadership. He is
only a portion of a masterpiece that the Knicks want to have.
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| The Knicks have been in disarray and the players are feeling it, letting their emotions out in different ways. J.R. Smith returns to his usual twitter antics. |
Players have said in the locker room, Carmelo Anthony
included that they miss the veteran leadership. But the complaints are pointless. The Knicks are stuck this
year with the roster that they have and must adjust moving forward.
The Knicks are getting ready for their first matchup against
the Brooklyn
Nets (5-12) this season. The last time the Knicks saw Jason Kidd, he
was in uniform getting ready for a playoff game. Now he’s on the opposite
bench. Tune into that game on TNT at 7:00 PM ET.
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