Knicks completely stuck in confusing mediocrity

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A quarterback and change in season, the Knicks are so-so. They are win-one, lose-win, win-two, lose-two. They’re at sea level. They’re even Steven. They are .500.

They are 11-11.

They are a puzzle.

“We started off slow,” said coach Tom Thibodeau after the Knicks scared the Bulls, wiped out a 21-point deficit, took a late lead, then retired, 119-115 – another near miss , another near-without-stogia, another confusing night at the home gym in a season that’s already filled with it.

“There was frustration and it’s so hard to play when you’re frustrated.”

The Knicks are on the Eastern Conference cup line, tied for 10th with the 76ers so far, technically ahead thanks to a 2-0 record against Philly so far this year. They were 5-1 at one point. But they’ve been 6-10 since. They are unable to get out of their own way at Madison Square Garden, where a packed house has seen them drop to a difficult 5-7 this season.

They’ve got a disturbing habit of playing games exactly like this, games where they spend a lot of the first part looking like the worst version of themselves, and then spend so much energy – with a lot of heart – that even with the encouragement of a sold-out crowd, there isn’t enough left in the tank at the end of it.

Knicks
Tom Thibodeau argues with an official in the Knicks’ 119-115 loss to the Bulls on Thursday.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

It happened Tuesday in Brooklyn. It happened Thursday at the Garden. It happens too often.

“We have to stop digging holes,” said Evan Fournier.

For so long Thursday night, it looked like the Bulls might try to do to the Knicks what the Grizzlies did to the Thunder in Memphis, giving them a 152-79 beating that feels like a typo every time you watch it. . The Bulls took a 37-17 lead in the first quarter to jump to 65-44 with just over two minutes left in the half. Taj Gibson pulled two quick screen calls and two quicker techniques, ending his night after three minutes, narrowing the Knicks’ options further.

Still, when Alec Burks got a 3 with 8:12 left, the Knicks were back to 97-97. When Julius Randle made nice offensive moves below twice, the Knicks actually took a one point lead, at 106-105 and 108-107.

Viewers at home had seen Randle and Fournier engage in a heated argument as they left the pitch – which Randle later described as a rebound debate – but now everyone was happy, everyone was taken. at the moment, everyone thought there might finally be a going well for the Knicks…

Knicks
Evan Fournier (left) and Julius Randle (right) react on the court during the third quarter.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Except that for the moment, it does not go like that for the Knicks.

Average record. Average team.

“We’ll find him,” Randle insisted. He spent time on the two extremes on Thursday night, having a fine evening of 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, but also missing a few deadly free throws late in the game and returning the ball on seven – seven! – times.

“Too much,” he muttered, shaking his head.

The last was the worst, Randle with the ball, just under a minute to play, the game tied 111-111, the Garden ready to unload, send the Bulls back to O’Hare without a plane. But Alex Caruso – who appeared to play every defensive possession with an extra hand, maybe two, on Thursday night – took the ball. Zach LaVine took two free kicks.

And that was it.

Knicks
Julius Randle had another inconsistent night against the Bulls, scoring 30 points but committing seven turnovers.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“We have to understand that we have to be more consistent and keep the guys healthy,” said Randle, mainly referring to RJ Barrett, who missed the game due to illness. “But everything will be fine. A nice descent could put us ahead of the East in two weeks. We just need to have a sense of urgency. ”

Perhaps we owe them a great race. Their fans certainly owe that sense of urgency, especially those who have seen them become an inexplicably bad team within the friendly confines of Penn Plaza. They come to you with a lot of heart. They give you thrills in games that so often seem to be heading for garbage time.

That’s what average teams do. That’s what .500 teams do. That’s what 11-11 teams do. Win one, lose one. Offer hope, offer despair. Up. Down. This great race would be useful at this time.

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