just a few days ago Julius Randle He talked to himself in front of many reporters. he shook his head.
“Oh my god,” he said. “It’s time for him to win one of these types of games.”
of new york knicks had just survived a late almost comeback victory from toronto raptorstrailed to 16 with just over three minutes to go into regulation, but pulled within two before New York won 112-108Finally, Knicks dodged a potential catastrophe by staring at the basketball gods with a leather face.
The finish was dramatic, but a win is a win. And this particular win meant the Knicks were humming, making it a four-game winning streak. After all, if a team doesn’t blow away the lead, no matter how close their opponent is, a blown lead isn’t a blown lead.
“We did a free throw at the end and ran a stretch,” Randle said before issuing the punch line. “And they didn’t hit all the ridiculous shots.”
“Ridiculous” is one way to describe it.Whenever the Knicks build a big lead, it feels like whoever they’re playing against somehow transforms into 1996 chicago bullsVarious actors have played the role of MJ.
Luka Doncic?It’s ridiculous.
demar derozan?It’s ridiculous.
Jerami Grant?It’s ridiculous.
And now add one more silly thing to the crease. Monday night, the Knicks put up his 17 points at home in a game following their win in Toronto. milwaukee bucks However, the deal could not be concluded.Bucks 3-pointer He fired from a land and roared and snapped in the second half New York winning streak with 111-107 win.
It’s the seventh time this season that the Knicks have lost in a single game with a double-digit record.Some of the losses were particularly heartbreaking — giving up a 9-point advantage with half an hour left in Dallas, or giving up that 23-point advantage. Atlanta Hawks evaporated.
The Knicks cannot hold the lead. But there is a larger context to this. NBA.
thanks to athleticNBA analyst Seth Partnow has compiled league-wide stats on blown leads for this article.The Knicks have let go of at least seven double-digit loss advantages this season. 14 teams have lost by at least six double-digit margins. 21 people blew at least 5 people. All teams turned at least three double-digit leads into losses. memphis grizzlieswho somehow still blows away.
of portland trailblazers He has a 14-point comeback against the Knicks, but he’s also blown a double-digit advantage. Nine Most losses in the NBA this season. The Hawks exited Madison Square Garden with a 23-point comeback, but also struggled on the other side, regaining a double-digit lead. 8 of their defeat this season. Doncic broke his heart with a deliberately missed free throw and became the floater that tied the game, but you can probably guess where this is going.of Mavericks let go of a double-digit lead at 8 of their loss.
In reality, this happens all the time (unless you’re in Memphis).
The prevalence of the 3-pointer changed the game. Sending out 3 straight, stalled looks out of a corner and you’re back to it. The dynamic is reversed if one or his two rolls his player wins his hand hot, as some Bucks did on Monday night. Hardships like the Knicks suffered against Milwaukee happen almost every night in the NBA these days. Losing teams have taken his double-digit lead in his 26% of games played across the league this season.
And now, like Randle, head coach Tom Thibodeau is laughing.
“You guys kind of made me laugh — there’s no safe lead in this league. … With a 20-point lead with three minutes to go, it’s not safe,” Thibodeau said over the weekend. “For 3, it’s important that the formulation of the game allows us to regain ground quickly.”
Monday was a team effort from Milwaukee.
Jules Holiday, Brooke Lopez When Grayson Allen Each hit the 3s several times in the 4th quarter. Holliday seemed unable to stop draining a step back down the stretch. Joe Ingles Two sunk in third place. The Knicks frustrated the Bucks for most of the game, collapsing hard from the perimeter into the paint. When playing against a two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, you have to give up something and hope it doesn’t come back to bite you. It didn’t hurt them until it happened.
The Knicks have a second half kink that they have to work out. It’s a far cry from the Grizzlies who hold the lead with their fists clenched.
They missed the decisive free throw. Attacks have stalled. Sometimes it completely collapses, like his final 30 seconds in Dallas or when Atlanta turned a 23-point deficit into his double-digit advantage by just a quarter.
Not having a 3-point shot means that when it gets hot, teams like Milwaukee are no match. It was hard to ignore the disparity from behind the arc on Monday, as both teams let their opponents fly his 3s, but the Bucks 19-of-49 and the Knicks 11-of-41. Only succeeded twice.
New York can score, but the offense is organized. It’s not built to retaliate from deep inside.
However, this trend is also not as extreme as it seems. All of these blown leads may feel insane at this point, but the Knicks aren’t the only ones.
Seth Partnow contributed to this story.
(Julius Randle Photo: Jamie Sabaw/Getty Images)
