Why the struggle?

The Knicks are one of the worst losing streaks of the season. Earlier in the season they lost six straight games. But this one is sticking out the most because of the timing. The Knicks need to get back to moving the ball and not worry about who is doing the scoring. They play better when the entire team is producing and it’s not just Carmelo and Amar’e.

Now that the Knicks have Carmelo they have gone away from the things that made them a playoff caliber team. Nothing against Carmelo, but the team is looking to give him the ball every time down and he isn’t giving them anything. Yes he can give you 25 points any given night, but the team is lost with him on the floor. The Knicks need to get back to a team effort rather than a one-on-one type of team.

The team also needs to expand the rotation in order for long term success. During this losing streak other than last night the Knicks only would use three or four guys off the bench. That isn’t enough because the Knicks had to play 18 games this month. The guys need to stay fresh and healthy so that once the playoffs come around everyone could produce.

Lastly, the team success relies on far the players want to go. The team is almost there in getting a win, but they have to come out and play their game. They must get off to fast starts, close each quarter, and dominant the fourth quarter. Defense has been much better, but the team just can’t score. The Knicks also need to maintain their momentum and get to the free throw line to win games. Fouls and turnovers really hurt them and they struggle to finish off a brilliant defense series. The Knicks need to just relax and play their game and everything will fall into place.