Triangle could be hurting Knicks’ defense, too
Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez, bottom, passes the ball as New York Knicks guard Justin Holiday (8), forward Kyle O'Quinn (9) and guard Courtney Lee, right, watch during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, in Chicago. Credit: AP / Matt Marton
CHICAGO — Jeff Hornacek said Courtney Lee may be on to something.
After Wednesday night’s blowout loss to Houston, Lee surmised that the Knicks need to practice against something other than the triangle so they’re better prepared to defend the rest of the NBA, which isn’t running that system. “There’s probably some truth to that,” Hornacek said.
The Rockets humiliated the Knicks, feeding them huge doses of pick-and-rolls. Their coverage was like Swiss cheese — holes everywhere. Hornacek acknowledged that pick-and-rolls have been “killing” the Knicks, but he also said they “should be able to handle” it. “We just got to do a better job one-on-one, on the ball,” he said. “We’re relying on help too much, and then when guys help, it becomes a four-on-three. Teams are good nowadays with their spacing, their moving the ball around the court. So we’ve got to do a better job one-on-one on them.”
Rose: A plus for Chicago
Chicago native Derrick Rose is a White Sox fan, but he’s happy that the Cubs won the World Series for a city that has experienced so much civil unrest. “I felt the energy of the city,” he said. “The city is on some type of high right now. It’s great for the city right now with everything we’ve been going through, the killings — everything. We need some positive light shined on it.”
Noah gets it
After trading Rose and losing Joakim Noah to free agency, the Bulls said it was time to break up the core. “It was time for change; there’s no question about that,” Noah said. “Now I can look back at [last season] and see where things went wrong. It’s not about blaming one person. Everybody in that locker room is good people. It’s just [stuff] happens . . . I have no hard feelings towards anybody.”
Melo downplays post
Carmelo Anthony’s Instagram post after the Knicks’ previous loss is being dissected, but he said there is no hidden message.
In the post, he is hugging a basketball and under it, he has the lyrics from a song by rapper Jeezy, including “It’s necessary to know that everybody won’t see it, that everyone won’t join you, that everyone won’t have the same vision . . . ”
Anthony said he thought the words went with the picture he used. “His album just came out,” he said. “Oh, please, don’t overthink it. It’s too early for that. Just you know, I love the game. Please don’t dissect that and overthink that. Please don’t. It’s too early for that.”
Buzzer-beaters
Lance Thomas was unavailable because of a sprained left ankle.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
