Getty Bam Adebayo, New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are known for their rabid fanbase and the hostile atmosphere they can create inside of Madison Square Garden, and it would seem Bam Adebayo appreciated their energy during the Miami Heat‘s loss on February 2.
When speaking to the media after the game, Adebayo credited the Knicks fans for acting as a sixth man and providing their team with fresh bursts of energy throughout the game.
“I feel like we let them get comfortable, and they get in a rhythm. And that’s when the crowd gets into it, and that’s when they get the extra energy of Madison Square. But I think that was the toughest thing. When we got going, they could combat that with, you know, they had that crowd, and they just get bursts of energy,” Adebayo said.
The Knicks currently find themselves sitting 7th in the Eastern Conference and will be hoping to continue climbing up the rankings as they bid to bring playoff basketball back to New York after missing out on the post-season last year.
Erik Spoelstra Rues Miami’s Poor Defense
In an evenly-matched game, Erik Spoelstra believes the Heat failed to execute on the defensive end, or at least, to their usual lofty standards – something which he credits as allowing the Knicks to make some timely threes throughout the first half of play.
“Some of the threes they hit in the first half, that just wasn’t us being on top of our game. And that’s not to take away anything from the Knicks. But, we’re at our best when we’re disruptive; we’re covering ground. We typically do a much better job. They were able to get some easy clean looks at the beginning and then some breakdowns in the second half…I think those were aberrational,” Spoelstra said.
This was the first meeting between the Knicks and Heat of the season, meaning they will still play each other another three times before their season reaches its conclusion on April 9, when they will face off against the Indiana Pacers.
Knicks ‘Could Pounce’ If Zach LaVine Is Made Available
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Knicks are seen as a legitimate candidate to trade for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, should their Eastern Conference foes make him available via trade.
Latest for @YahooSports: Revisionist history suggests when NBA All-Stars seek a trade, his preferred list of teams can often backfire. In 2017, Kyrie Irving even left Boston off his group of desire teams… by design:
“That is why someone like Zach LaVine, the Bulls’ two-time All-Star who’s in the first season of a five-year, $215 million maximum contract, would have no shortage of suitors if Chicago decided to move the 27-year-old guard before next Thursday’s deadline — despite some concern about his recovery process from offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee…The Lakers, Heat, Knicks and Mavericks have consistently been mentioned by league personnel as holding motivations to land LaVine if the time does arrive,” Fischer reported on February 2.
After missing out on Donovan Mitchell in the off-season, LaVine could be seen as a high-level consolation prize who could help lift the Knicks roster to new heights and ensure they enter the playoffs as a competitive team with their sights set on more than just progressing beyond the first round.