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New York Knicks Defense Lacks Playoff Intensity

By Nathan Grubel

Oct 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after being called for a foul against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after being called for a foul against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks went from looking like an improved team in the Eastern Conference in their win against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night to a once again inferior squad as they lost to the Atlanta Hawks 112-101 on Thursday.

If there’s any good news to the Knicks’ start to the season it’s that their offense has been putting up points despite the early struggles of star forward Carmelo Anthony (32.6 percent shooting from the field through his first two games).

Unfortunately, their defense has struggled mightily, especially against Atlanta. The Hawks were able to get up 24 three-point shots against the Knicks and connected on 10 of them, giving them a clear advantage over New York, who only shot 6-of-29 from beyond the arc.

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Open three-pointers were the basis of Atlanta’s offense, and they started early. Al Horford got up two deep shots within the first minutes of the game, and the onslaught didn’t stop there.

Kyle Korver and Lamar Patterson followed with efficient shooting from downtown, opening up the floor for guards like Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder to get to the rim and create in the lane.

The biggest part of the problem for the Knicks was that their second unit was the one playing defense, not the starting group.

The effects of age versus youth clearly showed, as Atlanta’s young lineup gave the Knicks’ older squad fits both inside and out. Jose Calderon, Robin Lopez, Sasha Vujacic and Anthony are all towards the downsides of their careers, with Kristaps Porzingis being the only player among them yet to hit his prime.

Their second unit is full of defensive studs who all have age on their side. Their entire bench, composed of Langston Galloway, Jerian Grant, Derrick Williams, Lance Thomas and Kyle O’Quinn, all have length and athleticism to make an impact on defense.

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