When Jeff Hornacek was asked for his midseason assessment of the Knicks before their 41st game of the season Wednesday night at the Garden, the essence of his answer was this: “They ain’t scared.”
That counts as progress after last year’s debacle under former team president Phil Jackson felt like “Dead Men Walking” every time the Knicks took the court. At least the 2017-18 Knicks are a more competitive bunch capable of giving you your money’s worth but with plenty of flaws they’ll need to improve upon if they’re going to be a serious contender for a playoff berth. Wednesday night’s double-overtime loss to the Bulls was the latest example.
The Knicks played hard and gritty, battling from behind to send the game into overtime and then getting a thunderous dunk from Kristaps Porzingis to force a second overtime. But a late turnover by guard Jarret Jack gave the Bulls just enough room to earn a 122-119 win, dropping the Knicks to 19-22.
It marked the third time this season the Knicks have lost to the Bulls (15-27), the kind of team they need to beat — especially at home if they’re to be taken seriously.
The Knicks led all of the third quarter and much of the fourth before allowing the Bulls to hustle their way back into the game and outlast them in overtime. It was hardly the ideal way to reach the midway point.
“This is a team that’s beaten us three times on sheer will and playing hard,” Jarrett Jack said. “We have to understand that’s the identity we’re trying to set for ourselves.”
Let’s give the Knicks at C-plus for the first half. There have been a lot of good things about the Knicks over the first 41 games. The emergence of players such as Michael Beasley, Doug McDermott and Enes Kanter has given fans new faces to cheer for. If there has been a downer, it has been the inconsistent shooting of Porzingis, who is still learning how to combat being the focus of everyone’s defensive game plan.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. sidelined for what seems like forever with a leg injury, defenses have made life miserable for Porzingis, who was shooting just 41 percent (88-of-214) from the field over his previous 10 games before Wednesday night when he was 11-of-24 from the field and scored 24 points. Hardaway’s imminent return and threat as a 3-point shooter should create more space for Porzingis.
“Whenever you have a full team that helps everybody,” Hornacek said.
It will be asking a lot for the Knicks to get over .500 by the end of the year. They are still a young team with plenty of growing pains ahead. Beasley, who had 26 points against the Bulls, can get hot and carry a team during certain moments, but the team’s identity is becoming that of a scrappy team that needs several pieces playing well in order to win.
Their relative youth and inexperience playing with each other is especially evident on the road where they’ve won just 4-of-18 games. It also hurt them Wednesday night down the stretch with Jack committing a key turnover.
“It’s just a bad feeling that we weren’t able to finish the game,” Porzingis said. “We had many opportunities. We just forced things, didn’t take the right shot and missed shots.”
The Knicks need to improve their guard play in the season’s second half. Jack had a triple-double Wednesday night with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. But Rookie Frank Ntilikina (no points) hasn’t offered much. Ntilikina might prove to be a competent point guard in time, but the 19-year-old remains a work in progress. Meanwhile, Courtney Lee had 16 points, but didn’t attempt a single free throw in 45 minutes on the floor.
Considering the offseason they went through with Jackson being fired and the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City, the Knicks appear on the upswing. They’re certainly not scared. Now they have to work on trying to be good.