“How could you not see that?”
A fan sitting baseline has a clearer view than the official.
It’s the fourth quarter of Wednesday evening’s NBA Cup quarterfinal between the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks — a sport Atlanta in the end seals, 108-100, as All-Star Trae Younger theatrically rolls imaginary cube on the Knicks’ center-court brand to punctuate the victory.
OG Anunoby is hunched over, clutching his nostril. Seconds earlier, he took a forearm to the face from Atlanta ahead De’Andre Hunter on a reduce to the rim — a blatant foul that ought to have despatched him to the road for 2 free throws.
As a substitute, play continues. Hunter’s burly arm halts Anunoby mid-motion. He stumbles, half-shoots, recovers the ball, and kicks it out to Miles McBride within the nook.
Away from the play, Josh Hart flails his arms in frustration: How may the official closest to the motion miss such an apparent foul?
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau says he noticed it coming.
“Just looked at who was refereeing, and I knew what it was going to be like,” Thibodeau mentioned postgame.
If there’s a method for derailing the Knicks’ high-powered offense, it’s turning into more and more clear: disrupt the stream, push the bodily limits, and dare the officers to name it tight — a method completely suited to this season’s heightened emphasis on bodily protection throughout the league.
The blueprint labored when New York suffered its first back-to-back losses of the season — first to the Houston Rockets, a crew embodying Dillon Brooks’ bruising defensive persona, after which to those identical Hawks in Atlanta, the place the Knicks squandered a 110-105 lead, surrendering a decisive 16-6 run within the last three minutes of a Nov. 6 loss.
It labored once more Wednesday evening. Atlanta’s aggressive protection disrupted the Knicks’ rhythm early and sometimes. On the opposite finish, Younger orchestrated a relentless sequence of pick-and-rolls, placing Mikal Bridges, New York’s point-of-attack defender, in perpetual movement.
“There’s going to be 50, 60 of those,” Thibodeau mentioned of Younger’s display screen sport. “Some we defended really well. Some not as well as they should’ve been. And some he made tough plays. A great player, you got to guard him with your team.”
The Knicks faltered on each ends, exposing a vulnerability they’ve but to resolve. Whereas officiating performed a task — highlighted by a pivotal missed foul on Anunoby — it tells solely a part of the story. The deeper challenge lies in New York’s battle to match the physicality required to reach high-stakes environments like Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal.
For a crew with championship aspirations, the early returns stay a combined bag. Twenty-five video games into the 82-game common season, the Knicks have showcased offensive brilliance however have but to ascertain defensive consistency. They’ve padded their report with wins in opposition to lottery-bound groups however faltered in opposition to playoff-caliber opponents.
The numbers are telling: a 5-6 report in opposition to groups above .500 contrasts with a 10-4 mark in opposition to sub-.500 opponents — a disparity that papers over evident cracks of their basis.
In the meantime, time is ticking for this revamped roster to search out its rhythm. The offseason trades that introduced Karl-Anthony Cities and Bridges to New York reshaped the crew’s id, however the chemistry needed for sustained success stays elusive.
“I don’t know how long [it should take], but I don’t think it matters how long it takes,” Anunoby mentioned after the loss. “As long as you find [the rhythm], it doesn’t matter when you find it.”
The Knicks are banking on discovering that rhythm sooner fairly than later. Wednesday evening, nevertheless, served as one other stark reminder of simply how far they nonetheless need to go.
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Dyson Daniels turned his head. Jalen Brunson pounced.
It’s halfway by the second quarter, and Daniels — the reigning Japanese Convention Defensive Participant of the Month — has been caught to the Knicks’ All-Star guard like white on rice, disrupting his rhythm at each flip.
However on this possession, Daniels’ focus shifts momentarily, and Brunson capitalizes.
Hart holds the ball close to the foul line, exploiting a mismatch with the smaller Younger. Brunson, who had already moved off the ball and stationed himself within the nook, begins a delicate drift towards half courtroom. When Daniels glances away to assist on Hart’s post-up, Brunson darts again to the nook with precision timing.
Hart spots the transfer and delivers a pointy bounce move. Daniels recovers, however he’s a step too late. Brunson’s nook three rips by the web for his second of the evening.
It was a uncommon second of freedom for Brunson. He would miss his subsequent three makes an attempt from deep and forgo the three-point shot completely within the fourth quarter. Daniels’ defensive depth had clearly disrupted Brunson’s rhythm.
An early sequence, nevertheless, instructed a special story.
On the 7:40 mark of the primary quarter, Brunson gave up the ball and curled round back-to-back screens set by Hart and Cities. The second display screen knocked Daniels off Brunson’s path simply sufficient for him to rise right into a mid-range pull-up whereas drawing a foul.
That shot was one of many uncommon cases the place the Knicks successfully countered the relentless defensive strain on their star guard. It underscored a urgent want for New York to rewrite the e-book on Brunson — a e-book that opponents are utilizing to disrupt him by turning video games right into a bodily grind, throwing the artful, all-world scorer and playmaker out of his pure rhythm.
“All of us — including myself — have to do a better job of making it even easier for him,” Cities mentioned postgame. “Obviously, there’s some good film in the loss tonight and things that we can learn so we can be the best version of ourselves and especially help Cap. He does a lot for us, and I know everyone in this locker room wants to do what they can to make his life easier.”
The Knicks might want to discover solutions in opposition to groups like Atlanta, the place defensive strain intensifies, and each possession seems like a chess match.
“He’s faced length all year, last year, the year before,” Thibodeau mentioned. “They’re long, the whole team is long. So just got to read the game.”
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The Knicks can’t afford for Cities to be this careless. With Mitchell Robinson nonetheless recovering from ankle surgical procedure and Treasured Achiuwa regularly getting back from an early-season hamstring pressure, New York’s depth at heart is razor-thin. That actuality locations even larger strain on Cities, whose historical past of foul hassle makes self-discipline an absolute necessity.
On Wednesday evening, Cities was dominant when he was on the ground, delivering a stat line that learn like a fantasy basketball dream: 19 factors, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, three blocks and three steals. But, foul hassle restricted him to simply 37 minutes — a quantity that felt inadequate in a sport the place the Knicks wanted him to go the space.
Two fouls, particularly, proved pricey. The primary, a double hip-check on a display screen and re-screen sequence, drew the referee’s whistle for a repeat offense that would have been prevented. The second, a frustration foul within the fourth quarter, got here when Cities swiped down on Jalen Johnson throughout a drive to the rim. Each have been lapses in judgment, and each left the Knicks uncovered.
The Hawks exploited Cities’ absence, forcing New York to go small. Atlanta dominated the glass, with three gamers knocking down double-digit rebounds. The disparity was most evident on the offensive boards, the place the Hawks outworked the Knicks 22-12 and turned these alternatives into 14 second-chance factors.
“Tried searching with Precious, but Karl got in foul trouble, so that shifted us,” Thibodeau mentioned postgame. “His foul trouble made us different. You make or miss, you got to put your body on somebody.”
Including to the Knicks’ struggles was Atlanta’s well timed three-point taking pictures. The Hawks began chilly, hitting simply 3-of-16 from deep within the first half, however discovered their stroke after halftime, connecting on 40% of their makes an attempt within the last two quarters. Younger’s pick-and-roll wizardry repeatedly drew assist defenders, creating open seems for his teammates. He completed with 22 factors and 11 assists, orchestrating the Hawks’ assault to perfection.
“I think we did pretty good [guarding Young],” Anunoby mentioned. “I think Mikal guarded him well. KAT was helping him. And we all tried to clog it up, make it difficult for him. He just made shots, made plays.”
Younger didn’t simply dominate on the stat sheet — he made his presence felt in additional methods than one. With the sport in hand, he sauntered to heart courtroom and theatrically rolled imaginary eights, mocking the Knicks’ crowd and including an exclamation level to Atlanta’s victory.
The Hawks are cashing their NBA Cup sport checks and packing for Las Vegas, the place they’ll face the Milwaukee Bucks within the semifinals. In the meantime, the Knicks are left to regroup, figuring out that the rising pains of integrating main offseason additions are a part of the method — but in addition recognizing the urgency to deal with their shortcomings.
Time is ticking for this championship contender to search out its groove. However how a lot endurance the Knicks have earlier than contemplating strikes to shore up their weaknesses stays unsure.
“The Miami Heat years ago with LeBron [James] had a whole year it took before they figured out how to put a banner up,” Cities mentioned. “And then other teams — it took the Lakers with LeBron half, 75% of the season. You don’t know. I can’t tell you [how long it should take]. I don’t have a crystal ball in front of me to tell you how long before things are fully clicking at a consistent level.”
