Knicks stuck on naughty list vs. NBA’s nice teams
THERE was blood on Christmas at the Garden. Boston’s Marcus Smart received an elbow to the face on Derrick Rose’s drive to the hole in the first half and came off the court with blood gushing from his mouth.
By the end of this holiday matinee, after the Knicks’ spirited rally from nine points down with 3:01 left, Smart left the Knicks’ bleeding and exposed. Therewas no Kristaps Miracle in Manhattan.
Smart drilled a wide-open 3-point dagger out of the left corner, breaking a 112-112 tie with 47.1 seconds left, sending the defensively challenged Knicks to another crushing loss, 119-114, against a relevant team.
Smart’s shot hot came after Al Horford drove on former Florida Gators teammate Joakim Noah in the lane, drew help and fired the pass out to the corner with the Knicks out of position. It was the ball movement the Knicks rarely showed on a day of giving. They mustered just 11 assists.
“The kick-out to the 3 was the killer,’’ Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek lamented. “Defensively we weren’t great tonight.”
And the Knicks — and Carmelo Anthony — haven’t been great, even good, against the NBA’s solid teams. In some ways, the Knicks’ 16-14 record and fifth-place standing in the East is deceiving.
Anthony helped get them back in the game late, but ultimately failed them in the final 40 seconds, finishing 9-of-24 after a 2-of-13 start. His 29 points were wasted as he fell to 1-5 on Christmas in his career.
Referee Tony Brothers, who ejected Anthony in Boston in November, wasn’t around to stop Anthony this time, but his isolation ways and the younger physical defender Jae Crowder did.
At least Furious George Karl could enjoy his Christmas.
For all the hype about this improving bunch of Knicks with Anthony as leader and clutch shot-maker, they are 3-10 against clubs with a .500 or better record. The Knicks barely competed in two blowout losses to Cleveland, were whipped by the Warriors, though undermanned, and now are 0-2 against the Celtics, their 18-13 Atlantic Division rivals.
“That’s the jump we got to make,’’ shooting guard Courtney Lee said. “Just learn from it and put it all together so when we play those losing teams we’re supposed to take of, we do that, but then the plus-.500 teams we got to start taking care of that, too.”
Knicks owner James Dolan had already taken off his Santa hat at his baseline seat by the time his club showed some fight on Christmas with the late 11-2 rally. The Garden’s ceiling nearly blew off when a loose-rebound traveled to midcourt, Porzingis leapt and grabbed it and sprinted downcourt for a high-flying jam and foul — the 3-point play getting the Knicks within two with 1:36 left.
Knicks president Phil Jackson wasn’t in attendance, missing the three-game homestand, staying in Los Angeles for the holiday. Good thing. That hold-onto-the-ball-too-long condemnation of Anthony reared its ugly head in the final minute.
After Anthony clunked a 3-pointer, Joakim Noah got the offensive rebound and the ball swung back to Anthony on the right sideline. As he over dribbled, Avery Bradley, the Celtics’ ace defender, swatted the ball away and Crowder, their other stalwart on defense, scooped it up with 18 seconds left. Ballgame.
No regrets from Anthony, who pooh-poohed the notion the ball didn’t move enough in their faux triangle.
“We have to stay with it,’’ Anthony said of the 1-on-1 play. “If something is working you don’t want to go away fromit.’’
Essentially, the Celtics took control of the Christmas showdown with their 34-20 second quarter, draining nine 3-pointers. The Knicks turned Crowder into Pistol Pete Maravich as the young Celtics forward drained 3s on three straight possessions — twice over a late-closingAnthony. “The game was all about the defense,’’ Rose said.
This game was supposed to be about making a statement to a national TV audience that the Knicks will really matter come spring.
“Do Iwant to see us beat better teams? Yes,’’ Noah said. “I really hope one day we can beat the better teams.”
On Christmas, there were no excuses. The Knicks aren’t as good as the Celtics.