Knicks drop heartbreaker to Thunder

THUNDER 95
KNICKS 94

This will go down as a game that the New York Knicks should have won. Forget about moral victories, because after three quarters of play, the Knicks had the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team considered the second best team in the NBA behind the Miami Heat, on the brink.

After an inspiring third quarter that saw New York scratch and claw its way to a lead, thanks to big time shooting by J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks held an 81-75 lead. They had out played the Thunder; they had kept Kevin Durant somewhat silent through three quarters, and played with a brand of physical play on defense that we haven't seen in a long time.

But, as has been the case for much of this season, the Knicks were a one quarter wonder. Like their second quarter against the Heat that proved to be a footnote in a 99-93 defeat, the Thunder rolled over the Knicks in the fourth thanks in part to the fact that New York couldn't shoot worth a damn.

The Knicks managed only four points in the first 6:02 of the fourth quarter, yet still found themselves with a chance to pull the game out, down only 87-85. New York missed eight open shots in the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter, while the Thunder did just enough to take the lead thanks to a handful of baskets by Durant, and a three by Reggie Jackson.

But it wasn't like the Thunder were running away with this game. They were missing their shots, and still struggled against the Knicks pressure. The problem was that when the Knicks needed baskets to fall they couldn't get them. If New York had nailed even two or three of these shots, they would have won going away.

Smith, who led both teams with 36 points, was the biggest culprit in the fourth. He went 2-for-9 in the fourth quarter, while his teammates, Jason Kidd, and Raymond Felton couldn't even hold on to the basketball.

Yet, here were the Knicks, after forcing a bad shot by Durant with a chance to win the game, down by only one point, with :07.9 ticks left on the clock. For whatever reason, coach Mike Woodsen decided to leave the ball in the hands of his coldest player, Smith, even though he had Stoudemire and Steve Novak on the floor. Smith, in Carmelo Anthony fashion, hogged the ball in the final seconds, and took an off-balance shot that was practically impossible to make, and watched the ball hit the back of the board and roll off.

What if Smith had passed the ball to Stoudemire or Novak? What if he decided to flip to Jason Kidd when he was near him? So many questions that will remain unanswered. But, the fact remains this was a gold opportunity for the Knicks to beat one of the NBA's elite on a national stage, and they came up snake eyes. Instead New York once again teased their fans with a moment of brilliance, followed by another moment of pure ineptitude that makes it harder and harder to believe this team can advance even past the first round of the playoffs. Shame on them.