The last time Derek Fisher and the New York Knicks hosted the Charlotte Hornets, the Knicks picked up their second consecutive win, and boosting themselves to their first and only winning record (2-1) of the season. Two months and eight days later, the script has been completely flipped after the Hornets delivered a 110-82 defeat to a Knickerbocker squad that’s on a 15-game losing streak, and trying to recapture its identity.
Between the 28-point effort of NBA Player of the Week Kemba Walker, and a rough shooting night for New York, the game night was a rough one for Fish’s squad.
“Yeah you know it was a tough afternoon for sure,” Derek said in his postgame presser. “Guys just couldn’t sustain the energy after the first quarter and ran out of gas.”
After keeping the game close in the first quarter, the Knicks came out in the second and delivered their worst 12 minutes of the season. The team shot a 6-of-20, totaling 13 points, and allowing 41 points, putting them down by more than 30 going into the half.
Saturday afternoon’s contest capped an exhausting stretch of games that wore down a patchwork lineup that is trying to compensate for injured stars, and the loss of traded players. Fish said a lot of his players were running on “E,” including key starters who struggled to keep up with an offense that averages 96 points per game.
“I think (with) a poor shooting night, (and) some guys not having it is understandable,” he said. “(With) our sixth game in nine days, and the last one is in the afternoon, Jose (Calderon) didn’t have a lot of pop, Cole (Aldrich) who has been playing a lot of minutes was out of juice, so some of that comes with it.”
Things only got worse for the Knicks later in the second half after the team fell behind by as many as 45 points. The Hornets let off the gas late, and the Knicks fired off 38 points in the fourth to end the game, though it was too little, too late.
Although many have criticized the Knicks in their 5-35 campaign, there is still a lot of optimism circling the organization. During the postgame presser, the media cited team President Phil Jackson in crediting D-Fish for his cool and collected personality during this tumultuous season.
“I think in a lot of ways that’s what leadership is, is not to gloat and smile and take all the credit when things are going well, but being consistent and persistent in who you are even when things aren’t going well,” he said. “If you want the people who work with you and around you to exemplify certain characteristics and a certain way of handling certain situations, then you have to lead by example. I think it’s important that these guys on this team understand that I’m here with them, and we’re going through this together.”
Fans have also recently come to Knicks games with paper bags over their heads to their frustrations toward Derek, but Jackson directly intercepted the blame after making a written statement to the fans.
“This is a mea culpa. I take responsibility for it,” Jackson said of the frustrating season. “The fans. I want them to leave Derek alone in this regard. He’s doing the best job possible. It’s not his fault.”
Coach Fish was receptive, and said he and Jackson collectively see great things for this team in the future.
“In terms of Phil saying what he said, of course it means a lot to me to have the support of your leadership, your management and the people that you work with,” Derek said. “I think he understands how I think about the way we’re trying to do this, and how important it is to be very smart about the way we build this out, and the type of people we want to have. Not just the players, but the other people in the organization as well.”
NEXT UP
With their brutal stretch of back-to-back games behind them, the Knicks will take a much-deserved break when they travel across the pond to take on the Milwaukee Bucks (20-19) in London, England for a 1 p.m. EST tipoff.