The New York Knicks will play the Washington Wizards tonight trying to snap a two game losing streak. The have just two wins this season and are hoping that they can beat the Wizards. So far this season the Knicks haven’t played up to expectations and are slowly falling behind the top teams in the league. Their last game was very disappointing considering the effort from Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Both played exceptionally well considering their struggles on the defensive end. Anthony was caught playing defense with his hands rather than with his feet. Both players need to play defense the entire game and show the team that they are going to play defense.
This game is expected to go the Knicks way, but they are looking as if they can’t beat anyone. More importantly the Knicks were expected to at least win five games in a row considering the teams they were facing. But at this point they look suspect on the defense to say the least.
Iman Shumpert will not start tonight’s game after coach Mike D’Antoni deemed that he doesn’t want to give Shumpert “too much too fast”. Shumpert has played very well in his first two games of his career and is setting the tone off the bench. His energy and defensive abilities make him very valuable to this team. Shumpert will get his chance to start this season, but now is his time to just come off the bench an do what comes naturally.
The Knicks have struggled on the defensive end and are not protecting the paint. They should try more defensive schemes and see what works. Last season the Knicks played better in a zone defense rather than man to man defense. Also, their switching on the defensive end is giving the opposition the matchups they want.
This game will be a major blow to the Knicks if they lose. The Wizards are winless this season and the Knicks don’t want to be the loser tonight. This game has the makings of being a blow out, but the Knicks have to play hard and have energy to beat this young team in the Wizards.
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