Knicks start slowly again in rout by Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers' Alonzo Gee, right, knocks the ball away from Carmelo Anthony in the first quarter. (Dec. 10, 2013) Credit: AP
Mike Woodson may not be able to survive too many more performances like the ones the Knicks have been giving him lately.
Losing by 41 points at home Sunday to Boston didn't serve as the wake-up call everyone thought it would. The Knicks spotted the Cavaliers a big lead early and let point guard Kyrie Irving get anywhere he wanted Tuesday night. Irving had 37 points in a 109-94 rout of the Knicks that should keep the seat Woodson currently occupies hot.
The last-place Knicks, losers of 11 of their last 13, dropped to 5-15, matching their worst 20-game start ever. They're back at home Wednesday night to face the Bulls, and another poor showing could push Woodson closer to the unemployment line.
"The losing is just becoming unacceptable,'' Carmelo Anthony said. "Hopefully, everybody feels like that. I can't be the only one that's feeling like that.''
The slow starts in the first and third quarters don't reflect well on Woodson's ability to get his team prepared and make the proper adjustments.
The Knicks, again without Kenyon Martin (sore ankle), were down 18 in the first quarter. They charged back and tied it in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers (8-13) ran away after halftime. They shot 15-for-23 in the third and outscored the Knicks 33-20 to take an 81-65 lead into the fourth.
"It just feels like that same old song again,'' J.R. Smith said.
These trends make it seem as if Woodson's message isn't getting across. Anthony disagreed.
"I really don't think it's a disconnect,'' he said. "In practice we're doing all the right things, sticking to our schemes. We're making it happen in practice. You're seeing effort from everybody. In practice we're more competitive than we are in the games right now. It's really not supposed to be like that.''
Anthony said he believes Woodson can straighten out the Knicks, but added, "We've got to help him figure it out.''
Woodson has said he doesn't worry about his job. But when asked if he thought he'd be given the time to turn around the Knicks, he didn't sound confident. "Hopefully, Kenyon will play [Wednesday],'' he said. "Tyson [Chandler] is making his way back. Hopefully, I'll get a full deck and see where we are.''
Lost in this defeat was Amar'e Stoudemire's second straight strong game. He shot 7-for-10 and scored 15 points. But besides Anthony (29 points), the Knicks got little from their starters.
Andrea Bargnani shot 5-for-17. Raymond Felton had six points and sat out the last 19:20 after re-aggravating his left hamstring. Iman Shumpert and Metta World Peace, in his first start as a Knick, each had two points.
Irving shot 14-for-23 and had 11 assists and one turnover. Backup guard Jarrett Jack scored 17.
The Knicks trailed 48-45 at the half and got within within 53-52 on Anthony's three with 8:41 left in the third. But Irving's 12 points and five assists in the third helped the Cavs regain their 18-point lead, 81-63. The Knicks couldn't recover a second time.
It's clear something will have to change, whether the Knicks make a trade or Woodson is let go. But Anthony said he's not worried about that.
"If we start thinking about that, we'll be 5-25,'' Anthony said. "It will all be spiraling downhill if we start thinking about that.''
It already is.
