Knicks vs. Lakers: Now Is the Time To Lose
The Knicks play the Lakers Thursday night. The Knicks won the first meeting in New York, 92-80.
On this night, the pretense can stop. The Lakers can stop acting as if they want to win every single game they play. They can stop with the we-need-to- be-tougher speech. They can table their snobbish distaste for tanking. The Knicks are in town. The Knicks have the worst record in the NBA. They are five games up on the Lakers.
If ever there was a game to lose, a game to mail it in, it is now.
But the problems is, the Knicks themselves. They, don’t have the same aversion to the word “tanking” as the Lakers do. They sat down Carmelo for the season. They pushed Amare Stoudamare out the door. They got rid of their best perimeter defender in Iman Shumpert and their headache, J.R. Smith. Their team consists of names you never heard of: Lance Thomas and Alexy Shved and Langston Galloway. It’s hard to lose a team with “C” level players.
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But, you can try.
This Knick game is pretty much unwatchable except for Jordan Clarkson and his development via Steve Nash. Those that can stay glued to the television for four quarters deserve a medal. But, if the Lakers can cut into the Knicks 5 game lead that will be a good night of basketball.
For Derek Fisher fans, seeing him on the sidelines, the last of the Phil Jackson disciples actually employed as a coach, is refreshing. He has moved on from his playing days even if his team is eviscerated night after night. But, these proletarian Knicks do play hard. They have that in common with the Lakers.
The thing is though, if the Lakers bungle the draft and the summer, which is entirely possible given that Jim Buss runs things, there will be anger and then a loud sigh followed by a yawn. Of course, Jim Buss screwed up. Of course he did.
But, if the Knicks mismanage their summer, what will be the new narrative of Phil Jackson? No one can take away his accomplishments as a coach but will he suddenly fall into the deep category of overpaid but failed General Managers?