If there was any team that needed the All-Star break to come, it was the Knicks.
Three straight games they saw healthy fourth-quarter leads go down the dump, resulting in crushing loss after crushing loss.
A reset was needed and head coach Tom Thibodeau said that’s exactly what happened as they completed their practice on Thursday.
“I think the break gives you the opportunity to take a step back and we had a general meeting to start off and just talk about where we are and what we have to do moving forward and some things we want to concentrate and improve upon, but take it step by step,” he said. “You concentrate on practice today, the game tomorrow and we go from there.”
The Knicks find themselves in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with 23 games left to play. Remember, the ninth and 10th seeds in each conference can battle for a final playoff berth, and the Charlotte Hornets (ninth) and Atlanta Hawks (10th) aren’t too far away.
“It’s just about what we believe in the locker room, committing to the right habits every day and knowing what we have to do as a team to win games and finish games. That’s where our focus is,” Julius Randle said.
That’s the goal for the Knicks to finish the season, but Thibodeau knows they must close those games they have leads in.
“I think the big thing is understanding – we got a lot of young guys – how big the fourth quarter is,” he said. “That’s a big part of it. When you have a lead, you don’t want to overthink, but you have to play with a poise but a toughness that goes along with that.”
But Thibodeau isn’t knocking the type of leads the Knicks are getting. Clearly, they’re doing something right to be up that big, and it may be amplified with Derrick Rose and RJ Barrett seemingly ready to return to the mix.
Rose has been inactive since mid-December, but Thibodeau said he’s been doing everything at practice. Now it’s a matter of getting his body ready for contact.
“His conditioning – there’s obviously nothing you can do that can replicate an NBA game,” Thibs said. “He’s taking on contact for the first time, yesterday and today. He’s been running on the court, shooting drills, that sort of thing. But no contact, so his body’s got to get used to taking the contact.”
Rose adds “veteran leadership,” which will help in those fourth quarter situations.
“I think when you have leads like that, it’s control and manage the game. That’s a big part of your point guards,” he explained. “It’s a big responsibility. Obviously, it was disappointing that we didn’t close those games out, but we did a lot of good things to build those leads. Then you gotta finish the game.”
Having Barrett’s 18 points per game back in the mix, too, will be huge. He’s missed the last four contests, but was on a heater, averaging 22.2 points over his last five games.
With these two returning, the Knicks should be back to their regular rotations. But it all comes down to finishing games, and more importantly, doing it one at a time. That’s the only way the Knicks tack on to their record and hopefully find themselves within striking distance of a playoff berth.
A big test will come Friday night when the Knicks take on the Miami Heat, the best team in the Eastern Conference right now, at Madison Square Garden.
