Top > Sport > 2006 > January > 2006-01-18

Streak Ends for New York

We all knew it couldn?t last forever. After winning six games in a row the New York dropped two straight games, marking their first two losses in 2006. The way they looked against Toronto, they surly won?t be the last. Although the Knicks could boast of a perfect record, they certainly weren`t playing perfect basketball. In their last two games - Sunday in Toronto and Monday at home against the Timberwolves - those deficiencies were unmasked.

The Knicks were able run off six wins in a row primarily because they were outscoring opponents, as opposed to shutting down teams defensively. The Knicks were able to make plays in the clutch and win in spite of their defense. Even in the midst of the winning streak, Larry Brown and his troops were well aware that it would only be a matter of time before this defensive deficiency caught up to them. In the seven games they had played this month, the Knicks were allowing 109 points per game. Through the first two months of the season, they were allowing 99 PPG.

Deference is not the only thing the Knicks need to work on. New York holds the dubious distinction of having turned the ball over more often than any other team in the league. Against the Timberwolves, the Knicks committed a couple of key turnovers down the stretch that sealed their fate. The most damaging turnover in the game occurred with one minute and 13 seconds left in the fourth.