Recaps
The Tank Rolls Onward, Crushes HEAT
Hornacek brings out the young guys, Carmelo scores single digits
The Knicks lost.
I, for one, am shocked.
It was a mildly entertaining game through the third quarter, as the New York youngsters got some heavier burn tonight. The rookies, led by Willy Hernangómez, Chasson Randle, and Ron Baker, really provided a burst for a lackadaisical Knicks team that sleepwalked through most of the first quarter.
The rookies came in and sparked a 10–0 run, forcing Miami to miss nine straight field-goals in that span. None were overly impressive, however, it was a nice change of pace to see a few guys out on the court playing like they give a damn. Chasson Randle had a nice game off of the bench, with the bulk of his minutes coming in New York’s second quarter run.
Unfortunately, the second half provided too much HEAT to overcome.
Dalé.
Miami stormed out to a 9-point lead after three quarters, then stifled the Knicks in the fourth quarter, holding them to 20 points, as the Knicks seemingly gave up at the beginning of the final frame. Between the layup and dunk lines to start the quarter, and raining down a bevy of threes, EL HEAT ran away with this one, quickly. Final score: 105–88.
The Good
- Chasson Randle: To be clear; Chasson didn’t do anything exceptional tonight. However, with the Knicks likely moving on from starting point guard Derrick Rose, it was nice to see some more progression out of the young man from Stanford. Randle finished with nine points, four rebounds, and three assists. In that second quarter run, he held his own against the likes of Miami guards Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic. It wasn’t much, but it’s a start, and hopefully we get a longer look at Randle in these final seven games.
- Kristaps Porzingis: It was a fairly average game from KP, as he tossed in 20 points (6-of-13 from the field, 1-for-3 from three-point range), eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. He was the only offensive constant for a team devoid of them tonight, and for that, he makes the good list.
- Willy Hernangómez: It was a tough matchup for Willy tonight, facing a premier center in Hassan Whiteside. However, Willy held his own tonight, posting a near double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Willy and Kyle O’Quinn really did a good job of battling down low with Whiteside all night.
- The Tank rolls onward: The Knicks maintain their tie for the fourth worst record in the NBA. (Hello, De’Aaron Fox.)
The Bad
- Team defense: I know, you’re flabbergasted. It was just more of the same tonight, it didn’t matter who was on the floor. There was a total lack of communication and each player is seemingly devoid of responsibility to rotate when needed or to simply fight over a screen. It was gutless, pathetic basketball on that end of the court.
- Carmelo Anthony: Oddly, ‘Melo finished with only nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. This was the third time this season that Carmelo finished in single digits in scoring; the last time it happened was on New Year’s Eve 2016.
- Ron Baker: It was an atrocious night from the Bakerman. Ron shot 2-for-12 from the field for six points, and had three turnovers to go with his three assists, and got his ass handed to him by the likes of Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, and Tyler Johnson.
- Opposing perimeter play: Mainly the aforementioned three players, who combined for 49 points. To make matters worse, James Johnson continued his resurgence, having an excellent all-around game. Johnson finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Johnson is one of those small forward/power forward combo players that’s given Kristaps a ton of trouble this season, and that was evident tonight. On Miami’s guard play, it was yet another reminder of how poorly the Knicks guards have been in recent years. Watching the steady hand of Goran Dragic is fun, as he almost posted a triple-double with 20 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. One can hope for the day the Knicks have something comparable at the point guard position.
Folks, you’ve almost made it to the end of this woeful season. There are only seven games left, and the Knicks have all but solidified a top 5–6 pick. The campaign to get Kristaps some young talent is almost over, and I hope you’re all ready to welcome De’Aaron Fox to the franchise with open arms.
Next up for your Westchester, er, I mean, New York Knicks? They head down to Miami to face Pitbull and EL HEAT for a rematch on Friday, at 8PM.
May the tank roll onward.
— Kyle Maggio, senior writer
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