Out of Whack

In blowing a 13-point lead to the Cavs, New York showed that it has a ways to go to optimize it's offensive personel

Good morning. We had our first close(ish) loss of the season, against an opponent who the Knicks always seem to win the close ones. Not ideal, even if it might be expected. Let’s dig in…

Game 3: Cavs 110, Knicks 104

• Karl-Anthony Towns attempted just eight shots, sixth most on the team and just one more than Cam Payne, who played 22 fewer minutes

• For the third straight game, New York failed to top 30 attempts from deep

• The game turned late in the third, when Jalen Brunson briefly left with a knee injury and a 13-point lead evaporated thanks to a 25-8 Cavs run

• Brunson returned but didn’t have the magic touch in the fourth.

• The best Knick of the night, Josh Hart, was taken out going for a loose ball in the fourth quarter. He tried to stay in but had to leave shortly thereafter

Lest anyone believed that New York had it all figured out after their first win of the season, think again.

“Process” has become a dirty word in the NBA ever since the Sixers co-opted it a decade ago, but it is an incredibly relevant term for these Knicks. In turning over half of their rotation and attempting to redefine their best path to wins on both sides of the court, no one should have thought this would be easy or fast. When a team like Cleveland comes to town - talented, hungry, and with years’ worth of chemistry to fall back on - New York’s growing pains are going to be laid bare.