“NY is exhausted” – ESPN react to Knicks blow 10-Pts 4th-Qtr lead in 113-112 loss to Thunder

“NY is exhausted” – ESPN react to Knicks blow 10-Pts 4th-Qtr lead in 113-112 loss to Thunder

To 112 great to have you with us from our Delta MSG Studios from the garden Bill pedo along with alen Han so Cleveland lost to Denver Nicks lose that means the Knicks still fourth in the conference a half game behind Cleveland very uncharacteristic fourth quarter tonight Allen for the Knicks they came

Into this game 38-2 in games this year in which they were leading after three but they give up 38 fourth quarter points and they go only 10 of 17 from the line in the fourth quarter and they lose another tough one yeah and we’ll talk about how this game ended but let’s

Talk about why this game turned and it’s the last five minutes of the third quarter up until seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter Nicks were out scored 22 to5 that was it right there you rely so much on your starters to get you back

In this game your bench has to help you in some way has to hold at least a lead in when you’re playing at home and that didn’t happen this has been a conversation now we’ve been having about this team since the All-Star break when it comes to bench minutes and how

Critical they are and we see in certain games the Knicks cannot hold a lead or can’t can’t keep distance from another team or even play catchup when the bench comes in it’s an issue that really reared its ugly head tonight in this game then let’s talk about how the game

Ended and you you just talked about it when we watch back some of that stuff Jaylen Brunson drives to the basket and gets clobbered by Lou Dart that should have been an N1 they did not get the call on that play and so it sets up for

A game winner a tough shot by Shay gilgas Alexander it’s why he’s an MVP candidate that’s an incredible shot for him to make Falling Away opposite hand as well and speaking of hand du McBride’s probably going to watch that back and say should have had my hand up

On that one well the thing with Shay gilis Alexander what makes him so effective he’s about 6667 long arms and dece McBride really has a height disadvantage in that matchup so it’s close I don’t think it was that it was a that’s a great shot like that’s a great that’s a

Hard shot to make again Turning Away fading and then shooting with the the back in that is a difficult shot to make it’s a great shot that he made and you just watch right here first of all Jeffrey’s got to be better on the’s he’s

On he’s on him but that’s a tough shot in Rhythm just a turn and these guys practice those kind of shots all the time Jaylen Brunson shot at the end too that looked good good release good good finish good everything he just just a little short on that one he easily could

Have won this game with that very same looking shot they practice these all the time but it’s you have to tip your cap sometimes when a player makes a great shot and that’s what SGA did here’s Jaylen again Watch Brunson turn and look it’s a good look gets it off just short

That’s all it was just short it’s make or Miss League you know we hear this all the time so you can’t really complain about either look but I’ll tell you what the one before runson gets hit I mean not just hit he gets clobbered that is

That is a theme we heard Tom tiido postgame get the Spurs bring it up we see this time after eight free throw attempts in this game is it because Brunson is just so effective at making the shot that the refs are not paying attention to the contact paying

Attention I would hope they would be I’m not I’m not paying attention is not the right use of the word but it’s because he’s so strong a lot of times he’ll get hit and it doesn’t look like he’s getting hit right because he he gets he

Gets there’s a couple of times even in this game after the release he gets hit but I’m telling you like there are just to me frustrating moments Tom tibo talked about it after the game in San Antonio watch this here Dort comes in and watch the hip boom that’s a hip

Check there’s no way that’s not would love a play like that on his end Ryan lingren Rangers but this is basketball when you make hip-to-hip contact on a layup finish that’s a foul and again you know we’ll find out tomorrow that they’ll say there was contact it should

Have been a foul but it’s too late now he should have been at the line with the opportunity to make it a two-point game to force the Thunder at least the best they could do is take this thing into overtime he doesn’t get that opportunity and again there’s other reasons why as I

Mentioned the bench minutes were to me top of a list of my concerns after this game but the way this game finished with a non- call there after Tom Tibido already talked about this after the game in San Antonio continues to be a problem and a a a frustration for the Knicks and

For Jaylen Brunson so the Knicks outplayed in the fourth quarter but they were dominant in the third quarter they put up 39 points they outscored OKC 39-25 in the third quarter first half they went four of 21 from downtown but the third quarter they went six of 12

From downtown and they got themselves pointed in the right direction it’s the magic of the three-point shot in the end great Rhythm took a lead and it just felt like you know what they got control of this game their defense was really good for the most part in this game and

So you had that you had that feeling when they took the double digit lead that they could okay you just got to get this thing into fourth quarter you’ve mentioned the record that they have 38 when they have a lead going into the fourth quarter and especially in their

Own building it felt like they had an opportunity to get a win against a really good Oklahoma City Thunder team and then the bench minutes happened and those bench minutes like I said to me are a concern when you consider 5 minutes to go in the third quarter first

Four or five minutes of the second of the fourth quarter and you’re out scored 22 to5 and the whole game turns and now suddenly in a dog fight asking your stars your your starters your Jaylen Brunson who just comes off an exhausting 61 Point performance come back in and

Get us back into this thing again it’s a lot to ask night in and night out the bench has to do better you’re talking about the bench and that goes along with the fact that Hart played 46 minutes and McBride played 4 five can’t take him out

Of the game right because there’s just not enough confidence in the guys right now coming off the bench that’s why it would be really helpful to get Randall and O anob be back for obvious reasons to slide everybody back to help with some bench support that is the depth the

Depth conversation that we continue to have with this team and that has been the thing when we saw them in January they were almost the perfect team because of all the pieces and how they fit and then the bench was able to give you something but because you’re taking

From the bench now it’s a deficit of the players that you have to push into the starting lineup it does weak it and the guys that they acquired at the trade deadline that were supposed to help bolster that and Alec Burks and buam bogdanovich they have not provided yet

Enough at this point to be able to give you that buffer when the starters go out when your scores go out to keep giving you some offense and to keep leads maintain them and also don’t let a deficit turn into a bigger one if you’re chasing the scoreboard all right so the

Knicks are up by 10 after three and to your point the first couple of sequences of the fourth quarter were so important if you I walked down the hall and I came back and it was one-point game just like in like the first two two minutes of the

Quarter and that’s the NBA again a turnover you know like you can’t finish at The Rim they hit a couple of shots momentum turns real quick and you know this Thunder team they’ve got good depth they’ve got guys that can score against the Knicks in OKC in late December he

Went for 33 in this one on 14 of 18 shooting if you haven’t heard of Jaylen Williams but watch him play this guy’s going to be Allstar he he is really amazing remember about 10 years ago when the Thunder had Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant then they had James Harden

He’s like sort of James Harden is that he’s that player you’re just learning about but they know is a special player time will tell if they can keep all these guys together because of the money how much it costs to keep these guys together but while on rookie deals

They’ve got themselves a great team what a confident player high efficiency player strong body and he was letting all the nick players know you’re not big enough to guard me and that was showing itself throughout this game OKC challenging for the top spot in the whole West they do clitch a playoff spot

Meantime the Knicks situation five still for the Knicks by the way now with eight to go to clinch a playoffs but top six that’s important also to keep in mind you want to avoid the worst they can do right now I believe is seventh but you

Don’t want to be in the play in at all so top six is most important but also obviously at least maintaining something in the top four all right so the Knicks lose another tough one great game against the Spurs Friday another boy we great jobs to be able to watch this has

Been it’s been a lot of fun these have been a lot of fun to watch even though neither of these last couple of games have resulted in Nick’s wins when we come back we’re going to Have gete getting you foree fore Fore speech do get two foreign foreign foreign spee foreign foree spee Foree for spee foreign spee speech Fore spee for foreign foree foreign spee fore for foree spe no for speech spe speech fore spee spe the Fore Miss s good my fore spee spe [Applause] Fore Foree Foree foreign foree spee speee righte Spe y for

“NY is exhausted” – ESPN react to Knicks blow 10-Pts 4th-Qtr lead in 113-112 loss to Thunder