Knick Defense Reawakens in 2nd Quarter Against Rockets
Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes had a strong first period and the Knicks scored 27 points. It looked like deja vu all over again. The 29th ranked Houston Rocket offense had put 35 points up in one quarter to lead the Knicks by 8. Was this be another ‘Texas Chain Score Massacre’ like the one in SanAntonio two days earlier?
Thankfully, it took the floundering Rockets two more periods to score another 35 points, while tNew York countered with 55 points of their own. The stats for the two teams was quite similar. It wasn’t a redoubtable offensive performance, the Knicks have had many more intimidating scoring displays. It was the 24 TOs, including 10 steals, that provided the 20 point cushion for the Knicks. Defense turned the tide.
The rhythm with which winning teams play reappeared in the final three periods. FGAs were generally unforced and the ball movement was improved. As is usually the case, better FG%s would have produced more assists. Jalen Brunson’s return shouldn’t upset this rhythm, but RJ’s expectations to put up 20 every night may bring the return of the team that lost 5 in a row, not the one that had an 8 game winning streak.
Over the winning streak, the Knicks allowed an average of 95 points, not counting the 120 in the OT win. Again, discounting the OT Mavs game, the opposition scored an average of 118 points in four defeats. There were varying factors in each of these games, but the average difference of 23 points between wins and losses is too significant to be ignored.
Signs of a team playing with a positive rhythm are easily recognized. On offense, shots are not forced, the ball moves, loose balls are corralled, good shots are passed up for better ones. On defense, passing lanes are protected, passes are challenged and tipped, shots are tightly contested, everyone rebounds and players don’t leak out before the ball is theirs.
When the season began, the Knicks played like a bottom 5 team that garnered a few victories when their opposition was without 2 or more starters. During their 8 game run, New York played team ball on both ends of the floor. The tightened rotation resulted in a more unselfish and defensive minded squad.
What happened that made the Knicks revert to the early season version of themselves. RJ and Jules had huge offensive games, 60 and 73 points between them in consecutive losses to start the skid. The tone changed. Selfish offense and lax defense reemerged. The loss of Brunson and Barrett did nothing to set back the D. What had happened was that the positive rhythm of a good team had been lost to selfish play.
The first quarter of the Rocket game was a prime example of a team that was out of rhythm. Randle dominated the ball and forced three ill-advised drives that resulted in bail out calls by the refs. They could just as easily have been one offensive foul and two no calls. Grimes, a former U of H player scored the Knicks first 7 points, then followed with an air ball and a fast break where he should have given up the ball. Will the personality of this Knick team continue to fluctuate wildly, or settle back into a positive rhythm and build on this game?
Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468696