(AP)
Mike Woodson should stop at the Duane Reade near the Garden, buy the biggest alarm clock he can find and bring into the locker room for today’s noon start against lowly New Orleans.
His Knicks need to wake up.
They simply haven’t been ready to play at the start of games, and that’s inexcusable.
Talk all you want about injuries and age issues, but the bottom line is the Knicks have not stepped onto the floor prepared to play, and that’s an indictment against the team, the coach and the approach Carmelo & Co. bring to their work space.
The Knicks are allowing other teams to get the best of them at the start of games, especially at home, and that’s the worst thing that can happen to any team. That’s a direct reflection on how they prepare, mentally and physically.
The Bulls, minus Derrick Rose, ran out to a much too easy 29-18 first quarter lead Friday night in their 108-101 win over the Knicks at the Garden. But it gets much worse: In 10 of the Knicks’ past 11 games, they have been outscored in the first quarter. Five of those games occurred on their own home floor.
That’s ridiculous.
The Knicks don’t need a film session like Woodson held yesterday to point out their flaws. All they have to do is look at the scoreboard. Yes, an occasional lapse happens — it’s a long season. But to let an opponent get off to a first-quarter lead in 10 of the last 11 games is not just a trend, it speaks volumes about a team’s work ethic.
The Knicks must be better than that. They should not have to be reminded that setting a tone early works wonders. They should not walk onto their home floor and not be ready to play. That’s evidence of a team that has not made the commitment to winning, the commitment to playing defense.
It also points to the fact there is no “D’’ in the Knicks’ DNA right now.
If the Knicks are to be anything but a tease this season, all that must change. The Knicks have run out of excuses already, only 36 games into the season.
You know things are bad when the Knicks are calling a game against last-place New Orleans a “must win,’’ as they did yesterday. The Knicks played great early this season, had a tremendous home-court advantage and then flushed it all away to the point that opponents like Lil’ Nate Robinson mock them on their own Garden floor. The Knicks simply think they are better than they are and have stopped making the physical and mental commitment to playing defense and communicating as a team.
They thought it was going to be easy.
It’s not easy. You can’t take that much time off in this league. The Knicks were down 11 points to the Bulls after one quarter Friday night and 21 at the half. The last time they faced the Bulls at the Garden, they trailed by seven points after one quarter and 15 at the half.
The one game the Knicks did grab the lead after the first quarter in the last 11 games happened to come against the Spurs, one of the Knicks’ best wins of the year.
“We need to get off to a great start [today],’’ Carmelo Anthony said yesterday. “Just for our own sake. Get out there, get our confidence back, get off to a fast start and win the basketball game.’’
Commit to winning from the start. Commit to defense. Noted Amar’e Stoudemire: “It takes a lot of energy to catch up, so you can lose the game in the first quarter.’’
The Knicks need to start winning games in the first quarter.
Buy that alarm clock and lay off the snooze button, Knicks, starting today.