The New York Knicks are one Terrence Ross away from a perfect record.
Alas, Ross exists, and a 3-0 start does not.
Here are five random thoughts from the Knicks’ first three games of the season:
What is energy?
The Knicks shared a common sentiment after letting go of a 13-point lead to the Orlando Magic on Sunday, when they took their first loss of the season to fall to 2-1.
Orlando played harder, the Knicks said. Or they didn’t come up with enough loose balls. Or the Magic entered with an edge after the Knicks waxed them at their place two days prior.
No matter how you cut it, New York didn’t have enough energy, so said head coach Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle, Derrick Rose and others. But what does that actually look like?
“You guys can see it when we’re out there and we’re playing with energy,” Randle said following the 110-104 defeat on Sunday. “We’re flying around, and we’re getting stops and deflections, blocking shots, getting up the court, moving the ball, playing with pace. It was just not there tonight.”
The Knicks have a high standard for energy, and there were moments when they were bouncy against the Magic. But playing with urgency means more than just diving out of bounds to recover deflected passes.
