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David Fizdale must be a glutton for punishment. How else do you explain his eagerness to have his Knicks take on the defending champion Warriors Friday night at the Garden?
Asked about the prospect of facing the best team in basketball, Fizdale used the word “awesome” and explained, “This is great for these kids. This is the league. They have to learn.”
Fizdale made his comments in the bowels of AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami after the Knicks endured a 110-87 badping at the hands of the Heat on Wednesday night. A putrid third quarter in which the visitors were outscored 45-20 led to a listless fourth quarter.
“We made mistakes and the trust broke down,” Fizdale said.
It was the Knicks’ fourth straight loss, and with Kristaps Porzingis and first-round rookie Kevin Knox out rehabbing injuries, this would seem to be the absolute worst time to face the defending world champions.
“We’ve got to go out there and lock in tremendously or we’re going to get embarrbaded,” said guard Tim Hardaway Jr., stating the obvious.
It’s cliché to say this game will let the Knicks know where they’re at. We already know the answer to that. When it comes to basketball power rankings these two teams are at opposite ends, and the Knicks are years away to even getting close to where the Warriors are.
The Warriors are already legendary, winning three of the past four NBA championships, and building their own Dream Team. The Knicks are learning by taking baby steps.
Playing a game at Madison Square Garden is simply a stop on the Warriors’ national tour where the rocks stars go from city to city making appearances and beating up on the home team. Things don’t really get serious for them until the playoffs.
For the Knicks, every game is learning experience; every 48 minutes offer a valuable lesson in what is needed to become a consistent winner. The loss in Miami was a test failed in mental toughness. Snapping a three-game losing streak on the road takes more than what the Knicks have right now.
Against the Warriors, it will be all about playing with heart and the will to compete.
“That’s not a game you can play cool,” Fizdale said. “You have to earn the champions’ respect by competing at a high level.”
Even at 1-4, there are thing to like about the Knicks. You like that Fizdale was brutally honest in his badessment of his team’s shabby performance in Miami, and the challenge it faces against Golden State.
“Welcome to the NBA,” he said. “It’s unforgiving.”
It stinks that Porzingis and Knox are out. They’re the players who could really benefit from this. As much as Fizdale likes to talk about building a culture and call each game a learning experience, the bulk of the current roster won’t be around for the glory days the Garden is hoping are ahead.
“A lot are things we can correct,” forward Lance Thomas said, “being tougher on defense when it matters and making the right read at certain points of the game. Sometimes it feels like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit.”
The Warriors probably sleep through video sessions. A critique of every play is valuable for the Knicks.
“A lot of guys don’t even know it until they see it,” Thomas said of the video sessions. “You can think you’re playing really hard and you can think you’re in the right spot on defense, but the film never lies. Once guys see that, we have enough competitors on this team that they take it to heart to make sure they don’t want to look like that again on film.”
With the Warriors coming to town that would be tough to watch come Saturday. But Fizdale isn’t afraid of that, either.
“They understand the process that we’re in,” he said.
Awesome.
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