Let’s be honest, things are ugly for the New York Knicks right now. Mike Brown’s team fell to its third consecutive loss with a 111-94 defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets.
According to Newsday’s Steve Popper, the Knicks have now lost four straight games against teams with winning records. Their recent seven-game winning streak did little to paper over the cracks.
During his postgame news conference, Josh Hart gave a candid reminder to his team.
“We’re not going in the right direction,” Hart said, via Newsday. “We’re not trending upward. So we got to figure it out. Three tough ones. Got another one tomorrow. That’s a must-win for us. And build from there.”
Hart didn’t stop there. He admitted that the Knicks are struggling, and that New York’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, April 1, has to come with a sense of desperation for the Knicks.
“We’re obviously struggling right now to win games,” Hart continued. “Struggling to start games off. Struggling to focus on the attention to detail. Struggling to get outside of ourselves and focus on what the betterment of the team is. So tomorrow we have to play with a sense of desperation. Sense of being willing to sacrifice. To win.”
Tuesday’s loss to Houston has seen the Knicks fall 2.5 games behind the Boston Celtics, who currently occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference. At the current pace, the Knicks have a better chance of slipping to fourth than they do of overtaking second.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Also Aired His Frustration
Hart wasn’t the only member of the Knicks roster to share his frustration with the current situation. Jalen Brunson also gave an honest postgame interview, admitting that at this juncture of the season, the Knicks shouldn’t be navigating so many on-court issues.
“Just mental lapses,” Brunson said, via Newsday. “And things that shouldn’t be happening by Game 75 or 76, whatever this is. We’ve got a long way to go.”
Brunson struggled against the Rockets. He ended the game with 12 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, shooting 5-of-14 from the field, which included 1-of-5 shooting from deep. Furthermore, he had issues getting to the line, taking only two free-throw attempts all night.
Knicks’ Mike Brown Points To A Lack Of Physicality
When speaking after the game, head coach Mike Brown was open about his assessment of his team’s performance. He admitted that New York lacked the level of physicality necessary to compete with such a talented team as the Rockets.
“Yeah, I’m frustrated with that part (the physicality) because, again, I sound like a broken record, I thought we made strides against Oklahoma City,” Brown said, via Newsday. “I’ve got to give our guys credit. We competed. They came out the start of the game and they felt us. But tonight everything was just real easy for them. Especially on the pick and roll. They didn’t feel us at all.”
The Knicks are supposed to be legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference. Their recent production against winning teams says otherwise. With the regular season winding down, New York must figure things out quickly, or they run the risk of falling short once the postseason begins.
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