The Knicks tried to apply the power of positive thinking to get themselves out of their doldrums. But it was clear after Sunday’s night stunning loss to the Pelicans at the Garden they have developed a loser’s mentality that could prove difficult to shake.
That was the characterization offered by coach Mike Woodson, who said his team “played on our heels,” in the final minute of a 103-99 defeat.
It was echoed by Carmelo Anthony, who said, “I think we’re playing to lose rather than playing to win right now. When you lose games the way we’ve been losing them, at home, on the road, you start playing tense.”
It’s a damning assessment for a team that hoped to right itself after a 0-4 road trip. Instead, the Knicks (3-13) suffered as brutal a loss as they have experienced all season, which is saying something for a team on a nine-game losing streak. It was especially painful because New Orleans (8-8) played most of the game without its best player, Anthony Davis. He left with 1:33 remaining in the first quarter after breaking a bone in his left hand.
But the Knicks couldn’t take advantage. It was almost painful to watch the closing minutes, though it spoke volumes about how badly the Knicks are playing. With the game in the balance, they committed three turnovers during a one-minute span, and then ended the game by missing five consecutive 3-point attempts in the final 25 seconds.
Two of the final three misfires came from J.R. Smith and the other was by Anthony, who again missed at the buzzer — though the game had been decided by then.
Despite the offensive woes, it was the Knicks’ late-game defense that horrified Woodson. The Knicks led 93-88 with 6:24 to play, but were outscored 15-6 down the stretch.
“We’re not getting anything from a defensive standpoint when we need it,” Woodson said.
You could call this the low point of the season, but how can anyone be sure this underachieving team has hit bottom? The Knicks keep finding ways to make their fans even more miserable.
The only positive in this horror show is the rest of the Eastern Conference stinks, too. Sure, the Heat and the Pacers will dominate and earn the top two seeds, but with Derrick Rose out for the season in Chicago and the Nets playing just as poorly as the Knicks, there’s no clear favorite to finish with the third or fourth seed and earn the coveted home court for the first round of the playoffs.
Check the landscape, and the Knicks are just three games out of first place in the Atlantic Division. But there’s nothing in their current play that suggests they can turn their season around without some drastic measures, namely a trade or a coaching change.
Woodson may not last the week, and certainly could be done if the Knicks don’t somehow beat the Nets on Thursday night in Brooklyn.
“I’ve got to find some identity with this team,” Woodson said after the Knicks’ seventh straight home loss. “It’s my job to figure it out. It’s my job to get these guys committed for 48 minutes.”
The Knicks have been searching for a workable chemistry on both ends of the court that can produce wins. It has been a difficult process.
Smith missed practically all of training camp recovering from offseason knee surgery. Raymond Felton has been hampered by a hamstring injury. Amar’e Stoudemire might never come close to being what he once was. Iman Shumpert is searching for his confidence. And Anthony can’t make a game-winning shot.
“We just can’t seem to figure it out,” Anthony said.
Right now, the Knicks look like a team caught between the pressure of trying to end a long losing streak and not understanding how to go about it. That’s a loser’s mentality.