February 1st 2016
Warriors 116 NY Knicks 95
Last night at the world’s greatest arena there was an atmosphere like none other. The anticipation, the excitement that this visiting team (Golden State Warriors) brought to Madison Square Garden can be compared to the days of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Knicks welcomed the Golden State Warriors to New York City. The champs came into this game with a record that is simply defined as historical thus far. At 44-4 they have the best record in the NBA and a formidable line up that includes last years regular season MVP Stephen Curry and one of the and if not most versatile players in Draymond Green. The chance to eclipse the Bulls record of 72-10 and to win another title in the process is part of the allure that drives the team and basketball fans around the globe.
The Knicks looked to score a huge upset win, and it followed that story line in the beginning. Curry was 1-6 at one point during the 1st quarter as the Knicks came out strong, led by Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez who had 6 points in the first after Kristaps Porzingis picked up two early fouls and was relegated to the bench. The Knicks jumped out to an early 18-12 advantage and seemed poised to have a very competitive night against the visitors.
The lead didn’t last long as Curry did manage to score 8-points in the first and helped pulled the Warriors to within 2 to end the period. Curry was not his usual flamboyant self last night. He shot a woeful 5-17 and finished with 13-points on the night. The last time Curry visited the Garden he had his career high 54-points. The Champs are not a one headed monster, they have players that can erupt at any time and the other half of the ‘Splash Brothers’ did not disappoint. Klay Thompson erupted in the second quarter, he went 7-8 and scored 17-points in the period helping the visitors jump out to a 55-49 lead at the half. Draymond Green recorded his 9th triple double of the season (20pts, 10asst, 10rbs) and showed once again why he is so valuable to the team. Shaun Livingston also contributed with 11-points off the bench. Thompson who started off the season slowly has really picked up his scoring as of late, including last night’s game, in his last three outings he has scored 45pts, 32pts and 34pts respectively. The other brother has picked up the scoring when Curry has off nights which makes it very difficult for opponents.
Carmelo Anthony had 24-points and 10 rebounds but he could not lead the Knicks to a second straight win. Porzingis had 14-points in this one but was limited to only 20 minutes of action because of foul trouble. One of the key match-ups going into the game was that of Arron Afflalo and Klay Thompson. Thompson finished with 34-points however Afflalo who has been extremely inconsistent this season only had 5-points on 2-12 shooting in 37 minutes of action. The Knicks really needed to have a strong offensive output last night however they just could not match-up with the Warriors. The Warriors uptempo offense and small line-ups created problems for the home team. The Knicks just did not have the offensive fire power to compete.
There were some bright spots for the Knicks even in a blow out loss, Derrick Williams had 11-points and a thunderous dunk in the first quarter over Marreese Speights that brought the Garden faithful to their feet. Sasha Vujevic also finished with double figures in scoring as he contributed 11-points off the bench. Jose Calderon did not play last night so the Knicks were short handed at point guard
For the Knicks, this loss shows once again that they have to get better offensively and defensively if they want to hang with the ‘big boys’ in the league. This is their 7th loss in their last 10 games. The Knicks have improved since last season’s disaster however if they want to make the playoffs this season they need to continue to work and clean up some of their defensive lapses.
The Knicks are now 23-27 and host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at 7:30pm at the Garden as they look to rebound from this defeat.
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Photo Credit: Kathy Willen AP