Tied after 1. Down by ten at the Half. Down by 4 after 3. Then the knicks started to get some life and took a 4 point lead and for about 6 minutes in the fourth we got some quality basketball and it seemed possible that they could pull a W against one of the top teams in the west. Then Melcame alive. Hitting 5 straight shots and making it look easy. Way too easy. 5 straight jumpers or driving shots that gave the Nuggets an 8 point point lead and took all the confidence the Knicks had up until that point away. They continue to look weak in the all important 4th and it doesnt seem to be getting any better.
To be honest they looked scared down the stretch. The ball wasn’t moving smoothly between the players and several times they had to rush their shot just to beat the shot clock. And that won’t work under the Dantoni system. We need someone to who can step up and take control and a few weeks ago I thought that would be a Al Harrington, but lately he hasn’t stepped up. He has to learn to drive and shoot. The power dribbles, followed by an out of control behind the back dribble that usually just turns the ball over, need to be tamed. Too often he ends up making a turnover or taking a sloppy shot. The percentage just isn’t their and it has to get better to make the trades look like they make sense. The guy has boxing in his blood and needs to show that determination and fight that we saw in the New jersey game and during the west coast trip.
Posted on December 29th, 2008 by Jimmy Mootzarella
Filed under: Al Harrington
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