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New York Knicks continue to suffer frustrating losses on the road

By Ed Easton Jr.

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks stands on the court during the first half of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on December 30, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 30: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks stands on the court during the first half of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on December 30, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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The New York Knicks are struggling before the All-Star break to find ways to win games away from the friendly confides of Madison Square Garden.

It is no secret that championship teams in past seasons have found ways to win on the road in the most hostile of arenas. The New York Knicks may not be championship contenders, but they need to follow that creed if they are ever going to break through this season for a possible playoff berth in April.

New York is a woeful 4-15 on the road this season, with the latest defeat coming Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The change of venue seems to have affected the team’s overall confidence because their record home at Madison Square Garden is 15-8. New York has become a dominant force at home, even in losses, as most games have come down to crunch time.

The assumption by some critics around the league, most notably Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, is the Knicks were given a pass by the league. The belief that New York could play so many early season home games was questioned by the veteran coach during a recent interview.

"“Twenty at home and 11 on the road, A cynical person — which I’m not — would say the league tried to help them and build some confidence at the beginning of the year by giving them a lot of home games and giving them a chance to get going and pick up some confidence. That’s what a cynical person would say. Not me. It’s just by chance they got so many home games early on.”"

The upcoming Grammy awards and other events booked for Madison Square Garden have forced extra early season home games. That conspiracy was quickly put aside, but the mystery of finding ways to win on the road remains. The numbers tell the immediate story. New York boasts an offensive rating of 108.2 in home games and only 99.7 on the road, according to NBA.com.

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek still feels very optimistic about his team’s progress on the road as he spoke with reporters after last night’s loss.

"“It’s not like we’re a championship team, but again I’ll go back to our last five road games; We won two of them, had one in Miami with the call against [Kelly] Olynyk, all of a sudden we win that game, and Washington and Minnesota are teams we want to become someday. Maybe not this year, but those are two of the better teams in this league. We played them well for 40 minutes. Then we have stretches where we won’t do so well. So that’s why I’m saying.”“We’ve played some good teams out on the road, These last five games we’ve played pretty decent on the road. We’ve got to find another level, another level of toughness, going after balls. If we can get that level, heck, we’ll start winning these.”"

The return of Tim Hardaway Jr. brings plenty of hope for a floundering offense that is in need of another consistent scoring threat. The Knicks will look to bring Hardaway Jr. along slowly to ensure he’s fully recovered from the stress injury in his left leg.

Next: 2017-18 Week 13 NBA Power Rankings

The Knicks return to action back home on Sunday night against Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.

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