NBA Playoffs 2011: New York Knicks Play Disgusting Game 3

If you watched this game tonight, you would understand why I am so disgusted.  This was by far the worst game that I have seen these Knicks play.  So much so, that I thought we were in the Isiah Thomas era and this was a meaningless game for a bottom-feeding team.  But then I realized, this is 2011 and we have Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.  This game should've been close to at least giving the starving home crowd something to cheer for.

The lack of energy from this team was evident from the opening tip, with the Celtics out-hustling and out-muscling their ways to loose balls and offensive rebounds.  When the Celtics came out swinging, the Knicks gave up.  Instead of fighting back, they accepted the blows and were knocked out by the end of the half.  Needless to say, it was painful to watch.

Once again, as I stated in my other article, Landry Fields did not come to play this game, just like the rest of the series.  He ended up with 2 points, going 0 for 2 from the free throw line and 1 for 5 from the field.  He also had many lapses on offense and defense, whether it was committing a costly turnover or giving Ray Allen too much room from three point land.  In my opinion, he should be benched in favor of Billy Walker or Shawne Williams.

Jared Jeffries showed us again why he is considered one of the worst offensive players in the league, missing layup after layup and getting more and more hesitant as the game went on.  Although he had a good scoring game, with 12 points on 5 for 11 shooting, the six shots that he missed were mostly easy inside shots. The frustration is unbearable watching him pass up open shots and hesitate on layups.

To make matters worse, Amar'e Stoudemire was still hurting from his back spasms that kept him out of Game 2.  He played awful, just like the rest of the Knicks squad. Stoudemire was 2 for 8 from the field and 3 for 4 from the free throw line, finishing with 7 points.  He probably should've sat out this game as well so that he would be ready for Game 4.

Overall, this was by far the worst performance by the Knicks the season, but it is what it is.  It won't help to dwell in the past, as they need to look forward to the next game and focus on winning Game 4.