It was a disillusioned, however not defeated, locker room. The Knicks’ eight-game profitable streak had simply been snapped by the underachieving Raptors.
Whereas the workforce’s first loss since Dec. 3 was being dissected, gamers had been already looking forward to Friday evening. Moments after the bitter defeat, they had been keen to place it behind them and shift their focus to the Bulls.
“We took a step again tonight, I took a step again tonight,” Jalen Brunson mentioned after considered one of his worst performances as a Knick — a forgettable seven-point, five-turnover displaying he felt led to his workforce’s downfall Wednesday. “We are able to’t take two, three, 4, 5 steps again. Now we have to take one other step ahead, prepare for Friday.”
As spectacular and eye-opening because the eight-game profitable streak was for coach Tom Thibodeau’s workforce, and it definitely modified the narrative within the early a part of this season, it would solely be important if the Knicks can construct on it. If they will maintain that top degree of play. If they will proceed to defend, share and shoot the ball as they did in these eight victories.
That’s definitely what the robotic Thibodeau is preaching. Even throughout the win streak, he performed down the importance of the momentum the Knicks (18-14) had been constructing, sustaining the one factor that issues is making ready for every recreation the identical and persevering with to enhance. He doesn’t need his gamers fascinated with what they've achieved or trying too far forward.
“Make our corrections, prepare for Chicago, and be able to go,” he mentioned.
There have been positives to take from the loss, regardless of a lot that went mistaken. Quentin Grimes, a serious key to this latest run, was out with a sprained proper ankle Thibodeau believes is minor. The Knicks had been overwhelmed soundly on the glass, permitting 16 offensive rebounds, and had been a minus-12 in turnover differential. That they had no reply for Pascal Siakam, who went off for 52 factors. However they nonetheless had been proper there in the long run, rallying from a number of double-digit deficits earlier than going chilly within the closing three minutes.
“On the finish of the day, I nonetheless suppose we’re taking part in actually good basketball, taking part in rather well on each ends of the court docket,” RJ Barrett mentioned. “We have to simply preserve that up.
“We’re taking part in collectively, shifting the ball. Everyone’s studying one another, figuring one another out. You recognize when one man goes to assault, when one man goes to shoot.”
A lot has modified for the reason that Knicks’ earlier loss. Grimes grew to become a useful cog, Barrett has discovered his recreation, and Julius Randle has proven glimpses of his pandemic self. The protection has begun to develop right into a energy. The Knicks are tenth within the league in offensive ranking (113.4) and ninth in protection (110.8). As soon as final within the NBA in 3-point taking pictures proportion, they're as much as twenty fifth and climbing at 33.4 p.c. They're in sixth place within the Japanese Convention, simply two video games within the loss column behind the streaking fourth-place Nets.
“The most important factor I take away [from the streak] is we will do it. We are able to do it,” Barrett mentioned. “We’ve proven that. So there’s no excuses. We’ve simply bought to remain collectively.”
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