Knicks struggling when they try too hard to exploit mismatches against switching defenses
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) scores during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Credit: AP Photo/LM Otero
DALLAS — There are times when it is just one of those nights, when the shots won’t fall and the opponent can’t miss, and the team on the losing end throws the film away.
Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone didn’t want to do that when the Knicks hammered the Nuggets on Monday, and the Knicks shouldn’t do it with their 129-114 loss in Dallas on Wednesday.
While they weren’t slamming the effort and leadership the way Malone did after Monday's game, the Knicks think they learned something in the loss, a lesson they need to correct quickly to remain what they believe they are — a team that will be a championship contender by the end of the season.
There has been a common denominator in the Knicks' most disappointing performances this season, and it hasn’t just been missed shots. It’s when opponents opt for a switching defense against their talented offensive group, and in hunting for the mismatch, the Knicks' smooth and unselfish ball movement grinds to a halt.
After praising the Knicks' offensive prowess before the game, Jason Kidd and his staff put the clamps on it by mimicking the game plan the Knicks saw in Boston and in Houston and now may see until they prove they can play against it.
“We’re giving teams the game plan,” Josh Hart said. “I’m not sure what our record is against teams that just match up traditionally, one on one, five on five, etc, or teams that switch, teams that junk the game up.
“We know Houston did it. They did it. Going to Charlotte for an early game, we know they’re going to do it. Boston does it . . . So we have to adjust accordingly, whether that’s putting me in the actions and still getting the [center] and doing that. Or playing faster, playing with more thrust. And causing teams to mess up on switches. We have a talented team. Guys who can shoot the ball. So when we’re playing slow, we’re easy to guard. Because we’re going against set defenses. Then it’s just 'let’s see if we can make shots.' ”
“That's every day,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “There's a new challenge every day. I can guarantee you, Jason Kidd's a hell of a coach. He looked at the game and found ways he could play against us. He did a great job. They were ready.”
After the Houston loss earlier this month, the Knicks pointed to efforts to get a mismatch, whether it was Jalen Brunson taking on a slower big man or Towns posting up a smaller player. And as they tried to take advantage, the ball stopped moving, defensive help came and the Knicks were just standing still rather than flowing the way they have in the sort of offensive performances that — even on this trip in Phoenix and Denver — can look unstoppable at times.
“I think it causes us to get stagnant,” Hart said. “Instead of, when teams switch, we’ve got to play faster. We got to put them in a position to make mistakes off ball, off screening, miscommunication, those kind of things. When we’re playing slow, know they’re switching and we just try to find a mismatch. And then it doesn’t matter if we have a mismatch when you’re going into a set defense behind. So we got to play faster, make them make mistakes and capitalize that way.”
The Knicks tried to remind themselves that they are 18 games into an 82-game season and that what you see now is not what you’ll see when the postseason arrives.
“It’s honestly the NBA,” Brunson said. “Some nights you can look ridiculous and some nights you can look ridiculous in the other way. Like I said, we’ve got to level out. It can’t be a roller coaster. It has to be a steady incline for us all the way.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
