New York Knicks’ bench hopeless in Game 2 - NBA playoffs 2010-2011
The New York Knicks have lost two in a row to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Each lose has made it apparent that the New York bench is underperforming and not putting up the required numbers.
This has left most fans asking if the Knicks bench has what it takes. This question will be on everybody’s mind who wants to see the Knicks go into the next round. However the answer won’t be a different one from the first two meetings if the bench continues to disappoint the team with skimpy performances in the remaining showdowns of the seven games series.
Bench play counts a great deal especially when it comes to the playoffs. After a poor outing in the opening meeting of the first round, the All-Star Carmelo Anthony notched up a brilliant performance and supported both the offencive and defencive sides of the court. With Chauncey Billups not in the starting line-up, and the prolific Amare Stoudemire failing to put up an upright performance, Mark D’ Antoni’s team was struck with another hopeless contribution from the reserves.
Despite an impressive game-high 42 points and 17 rebounds, Anthony lacked support from the remaining players that provided room down the stretch for the Boston Celtics to seal a magnificent 96-93 victory.
Knicks reserves went 8 for 27 in game two followed by a horrendous effort from the guard-forward Bill Walker, shooting a nightmarish 0 for 11 along with 0-5 from beyond the arc. In more than 32 minutes of play, Walker ended the night with only two points that came from free throws in the preliminary minutes of the second quarter.
Jarred Jeffries was the lone bench player to lend some support with his 10 points. Jeffries surged forward with a layup shot followed by a scorching blow from downtown by Anthony in the defining moments of the game to snatch back the lead 93-92. However the Celtics’ star Kevin Garnett buried a jumper and Delonte West landed two decisive free throws as the Boston romped with second straight victory.
The Hall of famer Doc Rivers said after the game, “We won the game. That's all we got out of that. They had no Stoudemire, no [Chauncey] Billups ... They played hard. We were lucky to win."
Although the Celtics were not at their best and their bench struggled big time as well, the defending champions of the Eastern Conference did not give away to many chances to the opposition. As the series progresses, Boston will definitely regain their momentum and all of their players will be firing on all cylinders. When that happens, the Knicks won’t be seen in high spirits on the court if their slump continues.
The Boston Celtics will be arriving at Madison square Garden to face off against the New York Knicks for their third first meeting. Knicks coach D’ Antoni needs to provide confidence to the team especially because New York will be sent back home if they lose two more games.
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