Fool's Gold

I tried to warn you Knicks fans, but you didn't want to listen. I couldn't convince you that what you were seeing in the regular season would not carry over to the playoffs. But I'll bet you are convinced now.

The regular season is a marathon. Teams are going to manage minutes and effort to not exhaust players and minimize injuries. All that "hustle" and "tough defense" you were watching was mostly the result of other teams pacing themselves in preparation for the playoffs. Why would any top-notch free agent come to the Knicks only to be whipped through the regular season by this coach.

The Knicks regular season was fool's gold.

Unfortunately, the fans and this group of young players had no idea how much the intensity would be ramped up by all teams including the Atlanta Hawks. So let this be a lesson to you.

You can have all the hustle and feel-good moments you want during the regular season, the playoffs come down to talent and experience which this Knicks team has very little of. 

Your team overachieved, enjoy the fun you had during the regular season but your team has been exposed. This nucleus of players will not ride in any ticker tape parades down the canyon of heroes. Just typing that makes me laugh hysterically.

Hopefully the Knicks will draft intelligently, and the head coach will finally learn how to pace veterans while developing young players. I really do want to see the team become competitive to really drive up the rivalry this city needs. If they are one and done over achievers this team is only good for yucks. 

The Hawks return to Madison Square Garden next Wednesday hoping to close out the series and I really think they will. Atlanta has found its game and knows how to exploit the weaknesses of this team as today's game showed.

The Knicks Lose Again, ATL 113 - 96 NYC.