Warriors Use Second-Half Run to Beat the Knicks (original) (raw)

Warriors 92, Knicks 78

Knicks’ Strengths Vanish, and So Do Hopes of Winning

Knicks guard Landry Fields scrambled for a loose ball against Golden State's Andris Biedrins, left, and Monta Ellis.Credit...Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Dec. 29, 2011

OAKLAND — Carmelo Anthony would have saved the Knicks with a timely jumper, if only he could have made any. Tyson Chandler might have saved them with a timely rebound or blocked shot, if only he could have stayed on the court.

The Knicks’ presumed strengths were not in evidence, however, nor was their composure or any sense of cohesion Wednesday night, and their first road game ended in a stunning 92-78 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors were missing Stephen Curry, their star point guard, and they trailed for most of the game. But Monta Ellis got hot in the fourth quarter, leading the Warriors (2-1) on a 28-6 run while the Knicks imploded at both ends of the court.

“The whole game, our offense was awful,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said, bemoaning the Knicks’ failure to build on an early 8-point lead. “We let opportunities slip by, just because we weren’t in sync, we didn’t make shots, we turned the ball over, we gave up layups. And we let them hang around until they caught a little bit of fire.”

Ellis (22 points) had been held largely in check until he got loose for 12 points in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors converted 10 of 15 shots. The Knicks (1-1) were 5 for 19 in the period, with Anthony missing all four of his attempts and Toney Douglas going 1 for 5.

Anthony finished with just 13 points, going 3 for 13 from the field. Amar’e Stoudemire was just as erratic, going 5 for 14 for 16 points. Chandler played just 21 minutes 34 seconds — and 1 minute in the fourth quarter — because of foul trouble, finishing with 3 rebounds, 2 points and a look of disgust.

“As a team, we’ve got to start understanding our defensive principles,” he said. “Because right now we’re doing a lot of making up, so we’re getting a lot of fouls, because of being out of position.”

So the bravado that accompanied a season-opening victory over Boston vanished quickly, replaced by humility and a necessary reminder that the Knicks are very much a work in progress.

D’Antoni used 11 players in the first three quarters, including two rookies — Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan — and Steve Novak, who just arrived last week. Mike Bibby, who missed Sunday’s opener because of a sore back, had 2 points and 4 assists in his Knicks debut.

The Knicks sagged when either Stoudemire or Anthony was on the bench, and sometimes even when they were on the court.

“I’m not making any excuses,” Chandler said, “but we’re a young team that’s coming together and we have to build. And unfortunately we’re learning things on the fly.”

There will be no time to work out the kinks. The Knicks immediately headed to Los Angeles for a Thursday night game against the Lakers. They close the trip Saturday in Sacramento.

For the second straight game, the Knicks benefited — or should have — from a noteworthy absence. This time it was Curry, who sat out the game to rest an injured ankle. Still, the Knicks’ backcourt had trouble holding its counterparts in check. Ish Smith, who replaced Curry, had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Brandon Rush added 19 points off the bench.

“Just one of those games where you see we’re not quite ready yet,” D’Antoni said.

David Lee, the former Knicks center, added 13 points in what will be his only game against the Knicks this season. Because of the abbreviated schedule, the Warriors will not visit New York, which also means that Mark Jackson, the former Knicks star, will have to wait a year to make his coaching debut at Madison Square Garden.

Jackson is trying to infuse the Warriors with a defensive conscience, and he beamed after watching them hold down Anthony and Stoudemire.

“This is going to be strange to hear, but we are a defensive team,” Jackson said. “It’s a shocker.”

The night featured four more Knick debuts, as Bibby, Novak and Jordan joined a rotation thinned by injuries to Jared Jeffries and Iman Shumpert. The fourth was Jeremy Lin, who entered with 1:27 to play and the game out of reach. The mix-and-match lineups were reminiscent of a preseason game, and underscored how weak the Knicks’ bench is.

Novak, a shooting specialist, did not take a shot in his first 5-minute stint, but he later converted his first 3-pointer, in the third quarter. Bibby, the Knicks’ backup point guard, did not have an assist in his first 9-minute run.

Harrellson, who seemed so promising in the preseason, played just 4:19, picking up two quick fouls and a turnover.

The Knicks took a 43-37 lead into halftime, thanks to their defense, a 7-point burst from Bill Walker and a welcome resurgence from Landry Fields, the second-year guard, who had 13 points in the half. They led by as many as 8 points.

“Our defense was really good the first half,” D’Antoni said. “We’re up 8 points, and we should have been up 20. And we weren’t and then we paid for it.”

Fields seemed to be finally emerging from a slump that began last February. He played with the aggression that made him a fan favorite, attacking the basket and showing little hesitation with his shots, going 5 for 7 from the field. But he had four turnovers in the game and disappeared in the second half, missing the only three shots he attempted. He was replaced by Walker (14 points) down the stretch.

REBOUNDS

Jeremy Lin, who broke into the league with the Warriors as an undrafted rookie last year, was warmly cheered when he entered the game. He promptly took, and missed, a 19-footer. The Knicks claimed Lin off waivers on Tuesday. He might see little meaningful action until he learns the playbook. “He’s from Harvard. It will take him about an hour and a half,” Coach Mike D’Antoni quipped. Lin is serving as the third-string point guard for now.

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