After making the second round of the playoffs last season and winning a playoff series for the first time in many years, the Knicks faced off against the Boston Celtics in their season opener. The team did not follow the advice given by our very own James Dolan, and New York lost their first game of the season due to a couple of reasons.
The Knicks were unable to score consistently in the first half of this game which caused the team to fail behind. New York only scored 18 points in the first quarter of this game. If the team continues playing that poorly going forward, it will be a very long season on the offensive end.
They picked it up in the second half of this game but they were unable to contain Kristaps Porzingis as they lost 108-104.
Knicks to blame: Inability to guard Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis was able to notch another revenge game against the Knicks, as he scored 30 points on 53 percent shooting. The Knicks were unable to guard from the three-point line in this game as the elite Celtics big man was able to make five threes. As a whole, it just seemed like neither Julius Randle nor Mitchell Robinson were able to stop Porzingis from the perimeter in this game.
Going forward, the Knicks will have to guard the elite offensive big man on any contender, otherwise they will get clamped by the Bucks, Sixers, and others. There were a lot other reasons that the team lost the game, including failure of the offensive end by key players.
2. Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson did not play well in this game. The best player on the Knicks shot 28 percent from the floor as he fought his way to 15 points on the night. Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown were able to give Brunson the clamps. The first quarter of this game hit especially hard for the rising star as he missed all of his five shots.
Brunson will probably rebound in the Knicks next game, but it is something to watch as his poor offensive performance was against one of the top teams in the East. When the Knicks face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on the third of November, it will be important for Brunson to show off his offensive skills.
Yes, being guarded by Malik Beasley is a lot easier of a defensive matchup than being guarded by Jrue Holiday, but it's important for Brunson to show that he can score in games against top Eastern conference teams. The season just started but the concerns about the offense from last year's playoffs are still there. Brunson will need to show that he can play extremely well on the offensive end against a top team.
The Knicks' next game will be very good test for Brunson to prove that the season opener was a fluke, rather than the new reality. The Hawks will most likely have defensive star Dejounte Murray guarding Brunson for most of the game. Brunson can prove that he is still an extremely good offensive option by owning his matchup against one of the best defenders in the league.
1. Julius Randle
While he played better in the second half of this game, Julius Randle did not play well overall. Randle shot 22 percent from the floor for the entire game which is extremely poor. To be quite honest, his play on the offensive end seemed similar to his play in the postseason last year. The Knicks had a lot of other reasons for their sloppy play, but it seemed like Randle was a big reason that the offense was chaotic.
Randle's play in the first half of the game was downright awful, as he took ten shots and only made one of them. To be quite honest if Randle or Brunson played slightly better in this game, the Knicks probably would have won. The Celtics were not playing sharp ball themselves and were allowing the Knicks to come back multiple times.
New York can probably get away with this type of play from their highest-paid players against lower-tier opponents, but the squad did nothing to prove that they can end up in the top-three of the East. Randle had some bright spots in this game, including a three-pointer from the corner that helped cut into the Celtics lead.
Still, his offensive troubles were more impactful than ever. There are lot more games to be played but it's never too early for a wake-up call for Randle.
