Knick ‘D’ flaws exposed in loss
INDIANAPOLIS — The Knicks had better hope they’re getting closer to rock bottom. Because if they continue breaking ground in that department, this season – the third full campaign under Phil Jackson – will be another lost one before the All-Star break.
Then we can start discussing Carmelo Anthony trades, draft prospects, Jackson’s future and James Dolan’s mood – you know, the usual stuff other than playoffs. Right now the Knicks are trending in the same direction as Mariah Carey’s live performances, and while there’s always time in L-Eastern Conference, they’re running low on answers to the same nightly questions.
“I don’t have any answers for you guys tonight,” Carmelo Anthony said.
Their latest embarrassment was Saturday night’s 123-109 defeat to the Pacers, an effort devoid of defense (what else is new?) until New York’s reserves finally brought some energy in garbage time. The Pacers (20-18) are one of the teams bunched up in the Eastern Conference fighting for a top-8 seed, and they looked light years ahead of the Knicks.
They led for the final 44 minutes of the lopsided contest, ahead by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter. They shot 50 percent. They hit 11 of their 24 3-pointers. Paul George and Jeff Teague each had 19 points. Even Kevin Seraphin was productive against his former team, knocking down four of his six field goal attempts.
“I don’t know when the game slipped. But to sum up the night: it was defense once again,” Derrick Rose said.
So what was the problem with the defense?
“Everything,” Rose said. “They got whatever they wanted. … We’re not stopping anyone.”
It was the 10th loss in New York’s last 13 games, with Anthony – who was dealing with nagging shoulder pain – sitting out the entire fourth quarter after scoring 17 points in 27 minutes. Kristaps Porzingis, in his second game back from a sore Achilles, had 16 points, four blocks and five turnovers. Rose also sat the entire fourth quarter — the same as he did in Friday night’s win at Milwaukee — finishing with 14 points in 26 minutes. Brandon Jennings added 17 points but was ejected with 21.3 seconds remaining because of an altercation with Indiana’s Joe Young.
There was no video of the incident, but Jennings described it colorfully: “I kind of pushed him off me, he waved his hand down and then he looked me up and down and was like, ‘What?’ So when he flexed up, I kind of like, ‘What?’ And I just didn’t take that too kindly.” Young, 24, played a total of 56 seconds before the ejection. The Knicks are at the Pacers again on Jan. 23.
“I hope he plays us next time,” Jennings said.
The last time the Knicks (1720) went on a stretch like this, Derek Fisher was fired and Jackson decided to bring back his pure triangle.
That didn’t work, and neither has Jackson’s latest roster construct so far. Mostly, it’s because they don’t play defense. Or, to quote Jeff Hornacek from last week, “Maybe we’re just not capable.” Saturday was the eighth straight game they allowed over 100 points.
“They just played with more energy than we did,” Hornacek said.
The deficit descended steadily into a blowout loss before a lineup with Ron Baker, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Jennings and Willy Hernangomez cut the deficit to 10. Too little, too late.
The excuse was that the game was the second of a back-toback following an emotional win in Milwaukee. But the Knicks weren’t competitive. A day after battling back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Bucks, they went through the motions at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“I think we were just a step slow,” Anthony said. INDIANAPOLIS – As the Knicks try to recover their season, Carmelo Anthony is determined to fight through a weakened shooting shoulder that he understands will be a hindrance for as long as he resists rest.
Anthony explained to the Daily News that the injury is easily aggravated during games, and it’s been that way ever since a bruise first occurred while diving for a loose ball on Dec. 11 against the Lakers. Basically the last four weeks have been a daily struggle to manage the discomfort.
“It’s bad,” Anthony told The News after Friday’s victory over the Bucks, when the forward nearly put up a triple-double and hit the go-ahead basket in the final minute. “You know what it is, it’s an adjustment that you have to make on the fly. Like some days it feels good, some days it’s tight. Throughout the course of the game, certain shots, certain moves, you feel like the strength isn’t there. So it’s just a matter of figuring out how to play through it. What’s working? What’s not?
“It feels good during the game. And then you irritate it. And then you kind of have to work backwards again to get it back stronger. But I’m constant around-theclock treatment.”
It’s a huge month for the Knicks, whose recent slide has them on the outside of the playoff picture nearly halfway through the season. There are more games in January (17) than any other month, and even coach Jeff Hornacek has dubbed it a season-defining stretch.
On a personal level for Anthony, there’s also a streak of seven