Knicks Win Big Against Suns, Lose to Magic

Two days, two games, two different Knicks teams. Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks followed a 126-99 win over the Suns with a 118-104 loss to the Magic. It’s amazing the difference a day makes. The Knicks ripped D’Antoni’s former team by 27 points. By the fourth quarter the Suns had most of their reserves in. The Knicks reached 100 points in the third quarter and really broke the game open in the second quarter. They took a 71-58 lead into halftime. It was a spectacular offensive performance for the Knicks.

The following day’s game against the Magic wasn’t a carry over from the night before. Orlando, a much better defensive team than the Suns, held the Knicks to just 39 points in the first half. The Knicks did, however, get good performances from their up-and-coming players Danilo Gaillinari and Wilson Chandler. Gallo had 27 against the Suns and 20 against the Magic. Chandler put up 14 on the Suns and 24 on the Magic. 

The future of this franchise may hinge on the development of these two players. A free agent’s choice to come to the Knicks may depend on the cast of players that will surround him. Gallo and Chandler are locked into the Knicks next season and you know D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh want to get them developed quickly, meaning they’ll be on the floor for extended minutes this season. 

The Knicks, meanwhile, would like to play teams that have an uptempo style of basketball similar to theirs every game. They have a better chance at outscoring teams in a 140-130 game than beating a team in a 95-90 game. When it comes to teams that play good defense, the Knicks won’t win. They have to hit open shots when they get good looks against better defensive teams or else they’ll be held to under 40% shooting and lose by 20. 

The Knicks have some building blocks. Their development of those blocks this season will be key for the future of this team.

Tags: Danilo Gallinari, Donnie Walsh, Mike D'Antoni, Wilson Chandler