Heartbreak at the Garden

The Knicks good and bad was fully on display against the Hornets.

For much of the night, it looked like the Knicks had fully shaken off their issues stringing two solid games together.

They largely moved the ball, played spirited defense, and made big shot after big shot late. And yet...when it mattered most, as has been the case so often this season, the best guy on the court being on the other team ultimately made the difference.

Well, that and giving up 48 3-point attempts, 16 of which were off the hands of Devonte Graham, who put an exclamation point on his already stellar beginning to the season with 29 points. All but two of those came from behind the arc, and none were bigger than a dagger with two seconds remaining to take the lead and ultimately win the game.

The Knicks didn't have an answer for Graham all night long. That much was undeniable. The only question is whether something I wrote before the game still holds true: that this wasn't a "must win" (although that would have helped), only a "must show up and execute."

By and large, the Knicks did that. The arrows will be pointed at Fizdale for a zone scheme that broke down too often, but giving up 103 points in the NBA in 2019 is never something to be ashamed of, even if the three point line wasn't sufficiently guarded for far too many possessions. 

The offense wasn't quite as easy to be enthusiastic about, but fit the script for this season thus far: when it was good, it was really good, and when it was bad, it looked like they wouldn't be able to score for days. If you want to look on the bright side, New York's two leading scorers were also their two most important young players. RJ and Mitch both looked the part of the building blocks so many hope they'll be.

But for as much as anyone might want to focus on the good, this was a game the Knicks were up 88-80 with under six minutes to go, and they proceeded to give up 23 points at home in the final 5:50 while only scoring 14 themselves.

I asked Fiz after the game whether he was more encouraged or discouraged about the defense, and he cited several breakdowns that occurred in the second half when New York committed too much on drives. It was a reasonable explanation even if it did feel a little hollow given the onslaught that came their way.

The locker room was as somber as you might expect after a loss like this. When Julius Randle - who wasn't on the court for the final Hornets' possession - was asked what the plan was to defend those final six seconds, he was clear and contrite: "no threes."

The man closest to the ball on that final play was Frank Ntilikina, who did an admirable job and nearly got a hand on the ball. He said simply of the last play, "It's on me."

Devonte' Graham cold-blooded in MSG ❄️

Hit nine 3-pointers to help the Hornets get the 103-102 win over the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/TvJT9Noe5H

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2019

The next closest man to the ball, Mitchell Robinson, was playing off by several feet. Was he supposed to be up on the action, as Randle seemed to indicate? If so, it's an unfortunately painful learning experience for someone who was the most impactful Knick on the floor for most of the evening, finishing with 17 points and 12 board, including six on the offensive glass.

RJ Barrett, the other young Knick cornerstone, had his best game in a while, scoring 22, including an encouraging 4-of-5 from the line.

There were other positives to be found, but as has been the case so often this year, much of the attention is likely to focus on the offensive possessions that were ugly to the eye. Marcus Morris had several isolation plays in the third quarter, and Randle, despite hitting a few big shots late, finished only 5-of-14, including a rough look that never had a chance on the Knicks penultimate possession.

In the end, the Knicks find themselves 3-10. A moral victory isn't worthless, especially after how they came out following their last victory over Dallas.

But these will get hollow quickly, especially for a team that still feels, despite their early struggles, like they should be in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

How much of a pipe dream that is should reveal itself far more clearly in the coming weeks, when following Monday's home game against the Cavs, the schedule is about to get a lot tougher.

In the meantime, the Knicks will lick their wounds. They've talked all year long about remaining together amidst the turmoil. 

Tonight will be as great a test of that premise as anything.