Following the New York Knicks May 6 loss to the Miami Heat, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith provided a scathing review of what he saw from his favorite team.
I think there should be an investigation as to what the New York Knicks were doing the night before today’s game, because they did not come ready to play, at all, Smith said. They were in Miami the night before the game, we all know that can pose a distraction, and they looked like it…
They were awful, from start to finish, they got outclassed. Jimmy Butler, nine consecutive games, from last years conference finals, with 25 points or better. Julius Randle, my God, how awful can you be? He was sitting up there, he didn’t shoot well at all, only had 10 points. Him and Brunson combined to shoot 0-for-10 from three-point range. The New York Knicks couldn’t hit the backside of Broadway if they were standing on it.
The Knicks, as a collective, shot 34.1% from the field and 20% from deep on 8-of-40 shooting, as their inability to make good on their chances cost them dearly in a game that could have seen them take control of their playoff series.
Tom Thibodeau Blames Offensive Struggles
When addressing the media following New York’s latest loss, head coach Tom Thibodeau discussed his team’s shortcomings on the offensive end, refusing to blame an individual, but rather, noting how the whole team had to improve as a unit.
“I thought defensively we were solid but I thought offensively, we didn’t play the way we wanted to.”
– Tom Thibodeau
“I thought defensively; we were solid. But I thought offensively; we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Thibodeau said. “And I don’t put it on any one player because I think it’s done collectively. And if we have three guys in the right spot and one guy not, the whole unit suffers. So everybody has gotta do their job, they gotta understand what their job is, and you gotta do your job.”
Knicks fans will now be hoping that their team can rediscover their shooting touch ahead of game four, which will now take on an added importance in the Knicks attempts to reach the conference finals.
Nikola Vucevic Urged Knicks to Utilize Bench Scorer
During the Knicks May 6 loss to Miami, Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the Knickerbockers struggling offense, noting how they had another scorer on the bench, but that he wasn’t getting any playing time.
Knicks need some shooting to help their offense… they do have a guy sitting on the bench that can do that 🤷🏻♂️
“Knicks need some shooting to help their offense…they do have a guy sitting on the bench that can do that,” Vucevic tweeted.
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Stephen A. Smith Puts Knicks on Blast After Crushing Defeat by Heat