No Porzingis, No Hardaway Jr. = Big Problems for the NYK

The Knicks are officially below .500 after last night’s beating courtesy of the Indiana Pacers, the final score being 115-97. The absence of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. proved to be too much for the Knicks to overcome once again. Indiana saw seven different players score in double figures. The Knicks have now lost five of their last six games. Last night’s game couldn't have started any worse. The Pacers made five of their first six shots and we all thought, “oh Christ here we go.” 

Without KP and THJ, the Knicks two best players are Courtney Lee and Enes Kanter. But in typical Knicks luck, or lack thereof, there was something wrong with these guys as well. Lee is battling a virus, flu whatever it is. He looked a shell of himself all night, which Mike Breen repeatedly reminded us of. He was so ill in fact that one play in the 2nd quarter, Lee’s pass hit the rim and led to a Victor Oladipo dunk down the other end. That was one of his three consecutive TO’s in the 2nd quarter. One of the best hockey assists you will see all year in the NBA. Kanter was battling a sore back, therefore carrying the team was not going to be his thing last night. The two combined for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. These guys simply weren't close to 100% but hey at least they went out there and tried to compete. I'm giving these two a pass. Both have shown when healthy that they can be solid pieces for this Knicks team going forward. 

So that left the Knicks with one hope, Michael Beasley. Let's just really sit back and think about that. Michael Beasley. Anyway, Beasley actually came out of the gates hot. He was the only threat early on in the game for the NYK. In the NYK’s last game, Beasley scored 21points. However, with Beasley comes turnovers and fouls. He registered two quick TO’s in the game, and in the 2nd quarter, picked up his third foul. At that moment, he had 13 points on 6-8 shooting but was forced to sit. You can say the Knicks were finished before that, but his third foul was the icing on the cake for Indiana. They went into the half up 66-40 on the NYK. 

This game of course featured the antics of Lance Stephenson. The infamous Lebron James ear-blower danced with the ball every time he had it. After a couple horrible possessions, he would finally get it going when he blew by Frank on a sick move which he finished off at the rim. Every time he did something on the court he was dancing and making sure everyone watching in person and at home knew he was in the game. Typical Lance Stephenson. You either love or absolutely hate this guy. There is no in between. This game also had some other bizarre moments such as Enes Kanter forgetting a shot clock existed. He was mid post-move when the 24-second horn went off and he wasn't close to finishing his move. Joakim Noah was legit triple teamed one play in the 4th quarter. And finally, Willy Hernangomez was the leading scorer for the Knicks. He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knicks return home tomorrow night with a matchup vs the (8-15) Memphis Grizzlies who last night finally ended their 11-game losing streak. Memphis is without Mike Conley, but it is still unclear how long KP and THJ will be out. Without these two, along with Lee and Kanter not being close to 100%, it will continue to be an uphill battle for the Knicks vs most teams. 

Knicks lose by 18 to the Pacers and are now under .500 (11-12). #KnicksTape pic.twitter.com/tHzY5Zqals

— KnicksTape (@KnicksTape) December 5, 2017

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JR Back for the Showdown in Indy

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The Knicks were brought back down to reality Tuesday night, falling to the Charlotte Bobcats 108-98. This game could be categorized as a schedule loss as Gregg Poppovich would call it. The Knicks may have been looking ahead to Thursday night's match-up against the rival Indiana Pacers. The Knicks started out nice, but as the game progressed the lackadaisical effort kept getting stronger and stronger.  Coach Woodson’s team didn’t have much interest in defending, letting AlJefferson and Kemba Walker go off for a combined 60 points. Tyson Chandler played only 15 minutes scoring 5 points and pulled down 4 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony struggled from the floor scoring 20 points on 9-22 shooting.

There was not much to talk about from this one other than, you guessed it, J.R. "Tweeting Asses, Smoking Weed, Untying Shoes, Etc." Smith. To the surprise of many Smith got his second DNP in four games. According to Frank Isola of the Daily News Smith’s benching comes after he and Woodson got into a confrontation regarding Smith’s minutes or lack thereof in overtime verse the Suns the night before. Woodson has seemed to reach his end with Smith and has him on a leash shorter than his brother Chris’ basketball career. According to various sources, Smith will play on Thursday in Indiana, and it will be interesting. Will we get the J.R. who doesn’t shoot the ball at all? Will we get the efficient Smith we got in Philly? Either way, expect a lot more Tim Hardaway Jr. who has been proving himself as a legit player since the season began.

The Knicks passed their first home test of 2014 in flying colors. Tonight they get their first road test of 2014 going to Indiana where the Pacers are close to unbeatable. Chandler and Kenyon Martin need to play their toughest game of the season with Hibbert and West always looking to bang in the paint. Anthony will have Paul George on his case and Shumpert will have to fight off the pesky New Yorker Lance Stephenson. The match-up that will swing the game is Raymond Felton vs. George Hill. If Felton can recreate whathe did against Miami the Knicks will pass another big test and take a gigantic step in the right direction.