Hawks Give Carmelo Anthony Hard-hitting Truth About Reality
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Two things became amply clear by the end of the Atlanta Hawks’ 112-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday night: The Hawks, short on respect following a 60-win 2014-15, aren’t going anywhere, and Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks have a ways to go before they can hang with the NBA’s real contenders.
The Knicks didn’t raise any banners prior to tipoff in celebration of their 122-97 shellacking of the Milwaukee Bucks the night before—though they might as well have. The optimism emanating out of New York after that gutsy road win was undeniable.
Not only did the Knicks thoroughly outclass a playoff team on both ends of the floor, but they did so at the expense of Greg Monroe, the free agent who, per the New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy, spurned them for the greener pastures that awaited him in Milwaukee.
Korver in particular killed the Knicks defense—the same one that finished fourth in preseason efficiency and, to this point, has basked in elite paint protection and the ability to suffocate opposing shooters. It wasn’t just that Korver shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. It was that he was on the floor at all.
Neither Sasha Vujacic nor Derrick Williams nor Lance Thomas had any luck defending him. He forced them away from the ball-handler in transition by dotting the corners. He sent them flying with well-timed pump fakes. He pulled them out of the lane in half-court sets by lurking behind the three-point line, allowing the Hawks to attack the rim at will.
And attack they did.
Almost 40 percent of the Hawks’ total shot attempts (32) came inside the restricted area, of which they converted 75 percent (24). And the Knicks didn’t do themselves any favors as the game progressed.
Open looks fell more than 46 percent of the time. They shot 41.7 percent from deep. The ball moved. They had 26 assists on 42 made baskets.
Atlanta is, as currently constructed, still a contender in the Eastern Conference.
New York is not.
That’s the story of this game. And there’s nothing especially wrong with that.
A learning experience. That’s exactly what this loss was.
The Knicks learned that they desperately need Arron Afflalo to get healthy so they’re no longer subject to Vujacic’s porous perimeter defense against wings with any semblance of mobility. They learned, or at least started to learn, that Grant, not Calderon, is the answer at point guard. They learned that they still need Anthony, who is now shooting 32.6 percent from the field this season after his 10-of-27 showing against Atlanta, to make shots.
Most of all, they learned that there are limits to their optimism.
By Dan Favale,
