The phrase “nothing comes easy” could not be any more true from the New York Knicks’ point of view. After an impressive 19-point win against the Atlanta Hawks in their season opener, the Knicks have fallen in each of their last three contests, including one heartbreaking, final second loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks have looked very competitive in each and every game this year and they seem to be getting contributions from a different guy every single night. Perhaps the most impressive effort came in their most recent game against the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks and their budding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Going into the game as an 11-point underdog, the Knicks held their own, hung around all game and outscored the Bucks 35-17 in the 3rd quarter. Doing all of this against arguably the best team in the eastern conference was very impressive, even in a loss.
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the first week however, has to be the injury sustained by the Knicks first round pick, Kevin Knox.
While attempting a beautiful Euro-step move on a fast break with Terry Rozier in his path, Knox appeared to have turned his ankle in a very awkward position. The rookie couldn’t put much weight on it and after he got fouled on his shot attempt, he wasn’t able to shoot the necessary free throws and was forced to leave for the remainder of the game. The 19-year-old was coming off an impressive game against the Nets where he shot 50% from the field, 3 of 4 from three and scored 17 points. The Knicks say he is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. With the Knicks in the midst of a rebuild, don’t expect them to rush their young star back so soon.
Aside from the Knox injury, the Knicks have gotten contributions up and down their roster including impressive minutes from undrafted rookie Allonzo Trier and Tim Hardaway Jr.. Hardaway Jr. is averaging 27 points per game through the first four games, including a sizzling 31-point performance on opening night. New Head Coach David Fizdale clearly has had an impact on the effort level as well as the conditioning of the entire roster up and down thus far. The team comes out and plays 110% every night and have yet to really play “poorly”.
The Knicks will look to remain as a tough team to beat as they take on the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, followed with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Garden on Friday night.
