Up & Down

Let's revisit where Monday's loss went awry.

Good morning! The Knicks are back in action tonight in Miami, with the game tipping off at 7:30. Josh Hart is listed as questionable. If he plays 48 hours after Monday’s injury, give him all the Mike & Ike’s he wants. Halftime zoom link is below.

Up & Down

Because things are all doom and gloom in the New York sports world at the moment, I want to start this newsletter off on a positive note.

Looking back at my favorite stretch of basketball from Monday night, it might be the Knicks’ most effective three-possession stretch of the young season. I want to hone in on those three plays not just to inject some positive vibes into the discourse, but to show a counter example for what we’re going to see a little later.

In totality, the last 18 minutes of Monday’s loss to Cleveland is a reminder that the development of this offense will be many things, but linear isn’t one of them. First up:

Spacing in action.

We’re midway through the third quarter and Karl-Anthony Towns is standing at the top of the arc. As has already become a familiar sight, there is no center clogging the lane, meaning the paint is open for any one of the four perimeter players to go to work. With no great hiding spot for Sam Merrill, OG gets the benefit of having a mouse in the house and promptly takes advantage. Offense doesn’t get much easier or cleaner than this.

Having had quite enough of that, the Cavs send help on the very next possession:

Watch Josh Hart here, because he makes this corner three possible.

By cutting into the dunker’s spot, Hart draws the attention of Darius Garland, who has to help off of Mikal Bridges in the corner. From there, Towns makes an exceptional pass through a thicket of arms, but only after patiently working deeper into the post until the help is fully committed. Keep this in mind for later.

On the last play, it’s Mikal Bridges’ turn to work the body:

You’ll notice Jarrett Allen coming in to help, after which Georges Niang dips down to take Allen’s assignment (Hukporti). From there, Bridges delivers a perfect pass to Anunoby behind the arc. Up 13, New York was rolling. If only basketball games lasted 32 minutes.

Sadly, the outcome of this one may have turned on the very next Knick possession.