Knicks News: Close Losses Can't Be Reason to Give Up on Season

While fans are already prepared to give up on the season and start watching hockey, the New York Knicks still should have hope going forward.

The outlook certainly doesn't look great for a team that has turned a 2-1 start into a 4-15 record through 19 games. It's not surprising fans are already looking toward the 2015 draft and seeing who can be obtained if the squad just tanks the rest of the year.

However, it is important to remember the current team is not as bad as the record indicates and there is still hope for this season.

Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal noted that a league-high 11 of the team's first 18 games were within five points with five minutes remaining in the game, only for the Knicks to go 2-9 in those situations.

He notes the defense is the problem, as the Knicks "have surrendered 122.4 points per 100 plays in clutch scenarios, third-worst in the NBA. And opponents have shot 47 percent against the Knicks in those scenarios, which ranks fifth-worst."

Add in another five-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and these close losses continue to be a recurring problem.

After the game, Iman Shumpert explained to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that these types of defeats could lead to a bad mindset:

"

I don’t want to get in that dark place. I’ve been in that dark space and I couldn’t get out of it, so I don’t want to get in that. ...

We’ve lost so many games that guys are just thinking down the stretch or just hesitant to do certain things. Once you lose a few games like that, sometimes you get in your mind that you’re playing not to lose instead of just playing to win.

"

A proper mentality is everything in sports, and it seems like the Knicks are on the brink of collapse.

This wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the minds of fans, who are hoping they are at least bad enough to earn a great draft pick. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv discussed the merits of losing as many games as possible down the stretch to try to bring in someone like Jahlil Okafor or Emmanuel Mudiay.

Meanwhile, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News mocked the mindset of a team always looking toward next season:

The problem is a team like this in a major market is never truly going to bottom out. According to Zach Lowe of Grantland, "the Knicks approached a record $145 million in net gate receipts last season, nearly $3.5 million per game."

This means while other teams will be fine benching their stars and letting no-name players do whatever they want on the court, New York will want to at least remain competitive to keep fans watching.

With talented players like Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, there will at least be some wins here and there.

So if you can't lose all of your games, what can you do? How about win?

The Knicks have played poorly, but they are far from being one of the worst teams in the league. As previously mentioned, almost all of their games have been competitive. This is a far cry from the Philadelphia 76ers, who lose just about every night by at least double digits.

According to Begley, Anthony recently explained his beliefs that his team should be winning more of these games:

From a talent perspective, he is 100 percent correct. The Knicks might not be one of the best teams in the NBA, but Anthony should be able to carry teams to wins on his own. Jose Calderon is an above-average point guard and Shumpert is a quality role player who would help just about any team win.

There is no doubt the roster as currently constructed has the ability to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The key is a belief in winning, which apparently is fading quickly for this veteran club. This comes down to head coach Derek Fisher finding a way to inspire his troops and get the most out of his players when it counts. 

As Shumpert implied, the season appears to be on the brink of falling apart. However, the players can use the close losses as a positive instead of a negative, knowing that they are only a few plays and some better bounces away from having a much better record.

Fisher is new at coaching and a lot of the criticism that has been directed at him has concerned his tactics However, the most important task for him at this stage is keeping his team mentally prepared for the rest of the year.

If he can do that, the Knicks might have a better finish than most people anticipate.

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