Tired lately, Knicks had managed to stop a black streak (three defeats in a row) by winning against the Raptors. But crossing paths with the Thunder again was perilous. New York can attest to this, after a meeting “catastrophic” according to Jalen Brunson.
The word is undoubtedly the right one as the difference in level between the two teams was significant. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates dominated the debates at Madison Square Garden, with a very large victory.
“If we have a trough of three or four bad possessions, then they can pull away. That's what they did.”, notes Tom Thibodeau faced with the ease with which the leaders of the Western Conference took up to 30 points ahead.
The local New York fans logically expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of defensive effort of their team, overwhelmed on all sides and which saw the Thunder players feast on spaces in transition or at 3-points throughout the evening .
” I understand. We can't do much about missed shots, we have to keep taking them. But in defense, there were a lot of errors, a lack of communication and that explains the boos”comments Mikal Bridges, who knows something about clumsiness, having finished with no points scored and an awful 0/9 shooting.
A very negative assessment against the conference leaders
“When the shots don’t go in, that means we have to make stops on defense,” adds Josh Hart against the 4/31 at 3-pts and the 126 points conceded by New York. “We didn't make saves, we didn't defend in transition, we didn't play fast, or make our shots. We didn't do anything we were supposed to do. »
This second defeat against Oklahoma City in a week also confirms the Knicks' difficulties against the big leagues. Facing the two best teams in each conference (Thunder and Rockets, Cavaliers and Celtics), they have a record of 0 wins and 5 losses!
When they face the weak Hornets, Wizards, Pelicans or Raptors, everything is fine. But as soon as the level increases a little, or even a lot, everything becomes more difficult. Is this worrying?
“I don’t worry about other teams. I take care of us, the Knicks”, replies Karl-Anthony Towns. “If we do what is necessary, if we try to be perfect, if we improve every day, then we will be the best version of ourselves against these teams. We have to think about ourselves and our progress on a daily basis. »
