NEW YORK CITY – The Knicks played host to their rivals, the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. The season series was at 3-0 in Brooklyn’s favor, and they were looking to earn the season sweep of the Knicks. The sweep would not come easy, as the Knicks rallied from down by as many as 16 points. New York fought valiantly and showed the same heart that we saw from them last Friday against the Celtics. Brooklyn was a team still fighting in the playoff race, and the Knicks gave them all that they could handle. They would however fall short to the Nets 100-98, in heartbreaking fashion.
For most of the game, New York had no answer for Deron Williams. Williams had a flashback from his more productive days, as he could not be kept out of the paint and was making contested jumpers. He led the way for the Nets, finishing with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also was the catalyst on the go ahead possession late for Brooklyn. It was his drive and break down of the defense that created a good shot opportunity, which was then tipped in by Brook Lopez for the go ahead basket with :02 seconds remaining. Besides scoring the game winning basket, Lopez had a strong game. He put up 18 points, 7 rebounds, and a whopping 5 blocks.
The resiliency that New York showed to not only stay in the game all night, but to storm back late in the 4th is something they can build on. New York hopes to end the season on the right note, and the heart they have shown is proving that is what they really want to do. The Garden appreciated their tough play by providing a lot of energy down the stretch, but the current roster doesn’t have the firepower to win games consistently. We merely see glimpses of greatness too inconsistently from this group.
Andrea Bargnani led the way for New York with 22 points and 5 rebounds. Cleanthony Early had a good game, including some key baskets down the stretch to aid in the Knick comeback. Early finished the game with 14 points and 6 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
The Knicks have now fallen to 14-61, and each game is a potential record breaker for losses in a season in Knick franchise history. Thier next opponent will be the Washington Wizards Friday night, in Washington.
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