nysports

With 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter on Tuesday night, I watched the Knicks widdle a 19 point lead down to a 1 point deficit.  Does this sound familar?  It’s probably happened more than once in the last 2 weeks, as the Knicks are in a 6 game losing streak, and have won only 3 games in the month of Dec.

Granted, the Knicks have faced the Lakes, Celtics, Cavaliers and Suns during the 6 game losing streak, but tonights game is against Charolette, and some of their recent loses have come against have come against the Bucks, Timberwolves, and Trailblazers.  And here is the kicker, they actually beat the Pistons during the month.  That alone is proof that they have the components to win games and compete with the top teams.

So why are they losing?  Well, lack of focus on defense, and sloppy play resulting in turnovers are a major factor.  Lack of an inside game is a partial component as well, but that is something they can overcome.  Turnovers and laziness they can’t. Lack of leadership is also key.

The Knicks have a strong coach, who has developed the right culture in the team, and has everyone focused on team play as opposed to individual play, but what they need is someone to step up and BE THE MAN.  They need a guy to say, there is 20 seconds left in a tie game, and I want to take the winning shot.  And they need that same guy to be willing to be the goat if the shot doesn’t sink.

Individually, I like a lot of the players on the Knicks, Duhon is the perfect PG for this team. He play a smart game, and is the type of player who makes everyone around him better, regardless of what numbers he puts up.  I like the addition of Al Harrington, who brings a lot of energy and athleticism to the game.  I used to be a big fan of Richardson, but lately I am questioning his heart and focus.  He looks out of condition, and there are times his head isn’t in the game.  And Lee and Chandler are good work horse players who will only continue to improve, and let’s not forget the People’s Champ aka Mighty Mouse aka Nate Robinson.

They have all the right componets to make the machine work properly, they have the right mentality to lead the team to success, where they are failing is in execution… THE KNICKS NEED TO EXECUTE.

Hopefully tonight’s performance is a sign that things are back on track.  The Knicks pulled out a narrow victory with a final score of 93 to 89 over the Bobcats.  At least I can sleep well tonight for once.