The New York Knicks had a frustrating game on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. Not only were the shots not falling for them, but they also absorbed a lot of hard, physical contact without the benefit of a foul call from the officials.
The Knicks are spending too much time complaining to officials
The players’ frustration was evident in their body language, and at times they would give the official an earful. While the inconsistent officiating is reasonable to be frustrated at, head coach Mike Brown was not happy with how the players handled it.
NBA: Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks
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“The thing that I was most disappointed in was in the first half, everything that happened on the court, we blamed the officials,” Brown said, via Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “And that was disappointing to see because we were the culprits of a lot of stuff that happened out on the floor. Six of their first eight points came from the free-throw line, and we fouled them. I couldn’t even use a challenge because we were fouling.”
The Knicks committed 25 personal fouls in the game against the Magic, which allowed Orlando to take 33 free throw attempts. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with five fouls, and Jalen Brunson fouled out. Mitchell Robinson also found himself in foul trouble with four fouls, which limited his action throughout the night.
The Knicks need to stay disciplined defensively
New York has done a solid job at staying more disciplined on defense through the early part of the season, but they were the opposite of that on Wednesday. Browns words against the berating of officials are a different perspective than what Tom Thibodeau provided, as he was known for regularly getting in the face of officials over a call he disagreed with.
NBA: Orlando Magic at New York Knicks
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Brown has emphasized that players need to maintain focus so that they can stay locked in on both ends of the floor. When they spend more time arguing with officials, it can throw off their rhythm and also allow the opposing team to get easy fastbreak opportunities off of missed shots.
The Knicks need to stay more disciplined defensively and not revert to the bad habits they had last season. They’ll look to clean that up on Friday against the Miami Heat as they hope to get back in the win column.