Phil Jackson rips Knicks, says team gave basketball gods 'heartburn'
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter on Sunday after the team's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, saying the Knicks' performance gave the basketball gods “heartburn.”
Cleveland routed New York 101-83 on Sunday, leading by as many as 30 at one point.
New York shot 38 percent and missed 19 of its 22 three-point field goals attempts.
The Knicks have the worst record in the league at 10-45 and have lost seven straight games.
Jackson took over the Knicks last March, hired first-time coach Derek Fisher three months later and declared that the team would be in the playoffs. The Knicks then proceeded to lose 36 of their first 41 games, including a franchise record 16-game losing streak.
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In the offseason, New York traded center Tyson Chandler and guard Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks days before the NBA draft in a six-player deal.
The Knicks then dealt guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, with Jackson telling the New York Times that the "experiment has fallen flat on its face.”
Recently, the team agreed to a buyout with forward Amar’e Stoudemire and announced that leading scorer Carmelo Anthony would miss the remainder of the season because of knee surgery.
- Scooby Axson
