It really is a wonder that Francis made an appearance last night. The way the season's been going, we forgot he even went on sabbatical. But for as vomit-inducing as last night's game against the Kings was, there was one moment where the Knicks had the Landriest offensive execution in the game.
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The first quarter went terribly wrong for both squads. There were some fun blocks from a fiestier than average Amar'e Stoudemire, but that was just a pretty garnish for the plate of crap both teams were serving. They shot so poorly that the score was 16-9 with 2:54 left in the period. A whirlwind of buckets ended the period with the Kings up 24-15 as the Knicks shot 6-24 from the field.Second quarter was a bit more festive and Clyde began to open up a bit. On the topic of road trips, he said, "I like staying in hotels actually. I don't have to do anything ... 'Please don't disturb me' on the door!" No surprise. Clyde likes to take things easy. He'll take his fruits and Omega-3-rich dishes in peace.
We were also treated to Shawne Williams and Pooh Jeter on the court together. I thought the synergy here would just cause poop to rain from the heavens but Extra E missed all three of his looks from downtown and all six shots total.
Toney Douglas was the only Knick playing with some energy. Fitting, since he sat all but four minutes of the Utah game in EnergySolutions Arena. He didn't shoot well (9-17), theme of the evening, but he came with the effort you expect. Nine boards - 7 defensively - and a steal in transition to prevent a layup, though it made him (and all of us) wince cause of his bummed shoulder. And he finished with 21 points. How significant was that? It was literally a quarter of the Knicks' points.
Amar'e, despite his 25/13/4/2/5 line, couldn't will this team to a win. And as he benefited from call after call in the fourth quarter, couldn't convert those attempts into three point plays to give the team life. And Samuel Dalembert had his number around the basket blocking everything with those Dhalsim arms.
Raymond Felton and WIlson Chandler, bless their hearts, couldn't get anything to drop. The combined to shoot 6-29. Felton actually got to the rim a bunch but missed four layups. Also missed all of his threes.
It was that kind of game. It wasn't some 90's-esque defensive showdown. Sometimes both teams just shoot poorly enough to do the defense's job. As Osborn said, there was nothing to take away from it. We know the team is better than this. The Kings know they caught the Knicks at the right time.