The Knicks, Once Full of Promise, Resemble the Walking Wounded as the Playoffs Approach

“You have to deal with reality” is a phrase the head coach of the New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau, often repeats.This mantra was already well worn before the team officially announced that three-time All-Star Julius Randle, out with injury since January 27, is lost for the remainder of the season due to impending shoulder surgery.The good news is defensive wizard OG Anunoby, who has played in just three games since the end of January due to an elbow injury, made his return Friday night at Chicago. But his presence wasn’t enough to keep the Bulls from claiming a 108-100 win to hand the Knicks their fourth loss in their last five games.Mr. Anunoby played 29 minutes, scoring 12 points. The faster he can work his way into playing shape without a setback, the better for the Knicks. Same for Mitchell Robinson, who recently returned to action after being out since December following surgery to his left ankle.The Knicks’ reality is they are stumbling into the playoffs without the confident swagger and positive energy they enjoyed before a rash of injuries decimated their team. Mr. Anunoby and Mr. Robinson need to get into playing shape and the Knicks are desperate to regain a winning chemistry before the post-season begins. “Our reality is we have to go with guys that are available and that’s what we’ve done,” Mr. Thibodeau said this week.A 120-109 triumph over the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden on Thursday was much-needed before the start of an important four-game road trip that began at Chicago. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Knicks are trying to avoid falling into the play-in tournament.Now 45-32, the Knicks stand in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, one and a half games ahead of the sixth-place Indianapolis Pacers and two games ahead of the Miami Heat. The top six teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs outright. Teams that finish seven through 10 enter the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth playoff seeds.The four-game road trip that continues Sunday at Milwaukee will likely determine whether the Knicks remain among the top six. The must-win scenario is forcing Mr. Thibodeau to push a team that has played much of the season, especially the second half, short-handed by injuries.Jalen Brunson poured in 35 points against the Bulls, two nights after scoring 35 to help erase a 21-point deficit and beat the Kings. Josh Hart added a season-high 31 points to end tye three-game losing streak. But that kind of ultimate effort is physically demanding and will be difficult to sustain for the rest of the regular season. Mr. Hart, a valuable all-around player, played just 11 minutes against the Bulls before being ejected in the first quarter for a Flagrant 2 foul for kicking Chicago’s Javonte Green in the head. Mr. Hart left with zero points. That doomed the Knicks.When asked by the Sun about winning games without wearing out his team before the playoffs, Mr. Thibodeau said he doesn’t have many options. “Some teams have the luxury of building up a big cushion,” he said. “Those teams can rest guys. But for a lot of teams, you can’t, particularly teams that have been short-handed all year. You’ve just got to find a way to win games. That’s the challenge. You just approach it day by day.”The Knicks’ fatigue has been showing up in slow starts in recent games. They were down 15 points at halftime at Miami and trailed by 12 points in the fourth quarter before tying the game with four minutes left. The Knicks ran out of gas and lost 109-99. Against the Kings, the Knicks trailed 35-20 at the end of the first quarter and by 21 midway through the second quarter. They were down 20 points in the second quarter against the Bulls and never really threatened.Asked by the Sun if players are fatigued, Mr. Hart said, “At this point, you’ve just got to fight through the fatigue and fight through the injuries. Everyone is feeling something. You can’t harp on that.”Guard Donte DiVincenzo, who has played above his 16.3 points per game average of late, said the Knicks need to bring energy from the start of games. “Going down the stretch we have to be ready to go,” he said. “Everything is close in the standings from three to seven. We have to have more urgency.”Mr. Brunson has been carrying the Knicks, averaging 34.4 points over his last five games before this trip, including his brilliant 61-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs. “He’s having a phenomenal season,” Mr. Thibodeau said of Brunson. “It’s not only his play. It’s his leadership. It’s everything. He’s carrying a big load. They’re loading up on him pretty good. He’s making the right play. He brings the best out of everybody and he does it consistently every night.”If you ask Mr. Thibodeau, Mr. Brunson is doing this with little help from the officials. “He’s getting fouled,” the coach said — then repeated the same phrase six more times for emphasis. Mr. Brunson, though, doesn’t make excuses. “You have to adjust to how they’re calling the game,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.” Mr. Thibodeau continues to emphasize the basics — “if we defend and we rebound and take care of the ball we’ll be in position to win.”

The Knicks, Once Full of Promise, Resemble the Walking Wounded as the Playoffs Approach

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