Schmeelk: Knicks' Fisher, Anthony Need To Be Much Better In Late-Game Situations
By John Schmeelk
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The Knicks lost another close game on Thursday night with Carmelo Anthony missing a low-percentage contested three-pointer with time running out on the clock. It is a theme that has carried through the last couple Knicks seasons, and there seems to be no end to the strategy that puts them in those situations. It showed again on Thursday night.
With the Knicks inbounding with about five seconds remaining, head coach Derek Fisher failed to design a play that would get Anthony the ball going towards his own basket, forcing him to waste valuable seconds pivoting and changing direction. There was no screen set for him, or any other play of any kind off the ball to set up a teammate for a shot. That's bad coaching. (An easy play would have been to run Kristaps Porzingis from the paint to the corner or wing for a jumper. With DeMarcus Cousins guarding him, he never would have followed him out that deep.) The team didn't have to take a three, either, just trailing by two.
Anthony, meanwhile, had his head down, and despite having the time -- five seconds is an eternity in the NBA -- he never considered anyone taking the final shot besides him. If he had seen Porzingis under the rim, he would have passed him the ball with either a lob early in the possession or with a zip as he went to shoot. The same goes for Arron Afflalo on the wing or Sasha Vujacic in the corner, both of whom were being guarded by one player. But Anthony felt like he had to take the final shot and never looked to see if anyone else was open.
Did Rajon Rondo foul him? Absolutely. But the grab happened after Melo extended into Rondo's chest to create space, and before Melo took a leaning three pointer in which he jumped towards the defender. Nine times out of 10 you aren't going to get that call, even if there is a legitimate foul. The foul wasn't apparent to me until seeing a replay. Referees normally do not reward a player for taking a shot that isn't natural and has little chance of going in, and when said player initiates contact by jumping into a defender on the ground. Fair or not, that's the reality. The shot was just short of a heave.
Fisher and Anthony need to have better ideas for these last-second game situations, and agree that it is permissible to pass the ball. He doesn't have to take a last-second shot every time. Anthony was happy to pass only a couple of possessions earlier and found a wide openAfflalo. He missed the shot, but it was the right play and a much better shot than the game-winning chuck. Anthony has been a willing passer in all other parts of the game this year, and that should continue in the final seconds.
Similarly, Fisher has to put his best player in a better position so he doesn't have to work so hard to get his shot off. He needs to be given more options to move the ball. Run a play that's not an isolation, maybe? Or if it's an isolation, at least have some screens and movement off the ball. Anthony is more than capable of being a closer -- he just needs some help. If those things happen, end-of-game situations for the Knicks will get better very quickly.
And by the way, running back on defense might not hurt in the final minutes, either.
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After the Knicks lost their third straight game in a listless effort against Utah, Fisher indicated in his postgame interview that changes would be coming. With the starting lineup playing so poorly to start the past three games -- giving up 29, 24 and 29 points in the first quarter of those games -- it was thought that those changes would come with the starting lineup. That was not the case.
The starters stayed the same and they played a little bit better, with four starters finishing at -1 or -2 during their time on the floor. Instead, Fisher stapled Kevin Seraphin to the bench and put Kyle O'Quinn back in the lineup. Playing someone less obsessed with scoring isn't a bad thing and O'Quinn fit in well with the second unit. But apparently, Vujacic shooting 3-for-5 and scoring 10 points against the Jazz in a blowout convinced the coach that he deserved to play over rookie Jerian Grant.
Let's pause for a moment and examine the absurdity of this decision. Fisher and Anthony have both complained about the team playing too slow. Grant is the team's fastest guard. When the second unit is on the floor, Grant is the only player who can create his own shot (spare an occasional drive by Derrick Williams) and get open looks for others. He is a legitimate pick-and-roll point guard. There isn't anything Vujacic does better than Grant, unless you want to make a big deal about being 2 percent better behind the arc. At one point Vujacic was out there with Langston Galloway, O'Quinn, Lance Thomas and Williams. How is that lineup supposed to succeed?
As a kicker, Fisher then decided the best chance the team had to win was play Jose Calderon and Vujacic TOGETHER in the backcourt at the end of the game. Keep in mind, the Knicks Achilles' heel the entire game was their inability to control Rondo and other Kings guards from getting into the paint whenever they wanted. Fisher's answer was to play his two least athletic guards at the same time. He got away with it for much of the game with Vujacic finishing a team-best +8, but that begs to be more coincidence than anything meaningful.
Vujacic should never, ever play over young players like Grant and Galloway. The Knicks are not going to win games because of Vujacic. They will not be better in the future because of Vujacic. It looked like Fisher learned that lesson earlier in the year, but now Fisher has entered his mad-scientist mode once again.
Fisher does deserve credit for one thing, however. He finally went with Anthony and Porzingis at power forward and center for an extended period in the fourth quarter. Even though he failed to utilize them well by putting Kings bigs into pick and rolls every play, that's the right idea and the best offensive lineup for the Knicks. There should be more of that down the road, perhaps even with the starting five.
You can follow me on Twitter @Schmeelk for everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports.
