Perplexing OT Loss to Mavs
“Immigrants, we get the job done.” Apologies to Lin Manuel, but this loss was like a script from a play. Before we get to placing blame, homage should be paid to Luka Doncic. We watched an extremely talented player “will’ his team to victory. To paraphrase Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton:’How does an over wight, 6′ 8” mediocre athlete set a record, steal a game. Luka did it, who’s to blame?’
If there was an architect of the Knick demise, it was head coach Tom Thibodeau. Tired legs equal missed shots. This valiant band of road warriors had built a lead on sweat and hustle. Using Derrick Rose for a mere 12 minutes mandated that players who play about 15 mpg be relegated to playing far too many minutes. They shouldn’t have been expected to maintain their early efficiency. Deuce logged 46 and IQ 51 minutes. Certainly the astute and experienced DRose should have been inserted at crunch time to guide the Knicks youngsters to a well deserved win.
The boisterous and bellicose Thibs may be subject to panic paralysis in crunch time. His biggest gaff as the Knicks’ coach was his substitution of the unused Frank Ntilikina in the final seconds of the Hawks playoff game. It was obvious there was no scheme to get the ball out of Trae Young’s hands. Both Ntilikina and Taj Gibson shut off the lane on a P&R, leaving Young with an open lane for an easy layup.
How could Coach leave a rested HOF player with a lot of game left on the bench as his dog tired 45+ minute players faded in the final moments? Are his 12 apostles so emasculated that they don’t state the obvious to Thibs? Isn’t Tom Thibodeau the coach who relies too heavily on his veterans? This was a huge faux pas on Coach’s part and indicative of the deeper problem of late game paralysis.
Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468667