We can chalk up the loss to the Knicks being on the end of a tiring road trip, or Chandler Parsons having a well-above average performance, or we could overreact and say that the Knicks are a doomed team going nowhere. Maybe it is a combination of the three.
A microcosm of the Knicks unraveling came in the third quarter. After Carmelo Anthony missed an ill-advised one-on-one shot, he began complaining to the ref that he was fouled. Unfortunately, the ref was standing on the sideline, causing Carmelo to turn away from the basket, while a Rocket ran right by his back and had a free dunk.
Soon after, Tyson Chandler got tangled up with Omar Asik, and Chandler threw an elbow at Asik, eliciting a flagrant foul. At this point in the game, Chandler was getting out-rebounded, out-played, out-hustled, out-manned, out-witted ... (you get the point) ... by Omar Asik. So much for veteran leadership.
I guess these are just moments of frustration, and we'll see how the rest of the season plays out. But the one person I kept my eye on was Coach Mike Woodson. Would he yell at his guys? Was he also piping mad and berating the refs?
As far as I could tell, he had the same emotionless face he typically has for the better part of any game. Maybe he doesn't want to yell at his guys in front of the media and he's gonna rip into the guys later. Maybe this is a player's league, and he doesn't want to get the boot like the previous Mike, coach Mike D'antoni. Maybe he gave on the night.
Maybe the solution is to end the road trip, have a day off, and play against the lowly Pistons.
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