Closing Seconds

…Who is the Knicks’ Go-To Guy?

by Guichard Cadet

Two more 4th quarter collapses begs the question: who is the Knicks’ go-to guy? It should be the same for every team – the coach. Each time a game comes down to the final seconds my mind flashes to Bill Parcells’ first visit to the Meadowlands as coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

At one point the game was a one-sided affair, with the New York Giants on the losing end. Then it all changed and the Giants were leading by 3 points with just seconds to play. Giants coach Jim Fassell tried to close out the game, by playing it safe. He instructed his kicker to angle the ball away from the Cowboys return man.

The game would go into overtime due to an errant kickoff followed by a pass to setup the game-tying field goal.

Needless to say: the Giants lost in overtime. Players make plays, good or bad. Coaches enable them by knowing the game situation, and the personnel.

Herb Williams has done a good job at strategizing and using all of his personnel. Yet, when it comes to closing out games, he has followed where his predecessors left off. Squandering double-digit second half leads has been part of the Knicks repertoire since the Pat Riley days. But, ever since Don Chaney’s regime, the team has not been able to continually hit the shot to salvage the win.

Sunday night, with the team up by only 5 points, Williams started the final quarter with the defensive unit that had stymied the Seattle SuperSonics. The lead evaporated before he could reinsert his perimeter threats. The Knicks never regained their offensive form and lost by 10 points.

Last night against the Miami Heat, every player gave their all, fully knowing their playoffs hope was on the line. The Heat had played the night before, a blowout win in which Shaquille O’Neal sat out the fourth quarter.

In a game which both teams enjoyed double-digit leads, the Knicks dominated most of the second half, until it mattered most.

With less than a minute to go in a tied game, the Knicks intercepted an errant pass. Instead of calling a timeout and showing a complete understanding of his players’ psyche, Herb let a play develop. Except there was no play: Jamal Crawford hoisted a three-pointer and missed badly.

Seconds later, Heat coach Stan Van Gundy faced a similar scenario. He rightfully called a timeout and detailed a play. All of the next day’s headline will reference Dwyane Wade’s game-winning buzzer-beating shot, but this loss was in the fine print. Who is the Knicks’ go-to guy?

As a rookie coach, who has yet to start the season as “the coach”, Williams is astute at motivating his players to extend other parts of their game. Last night, Crawford passed up many open looks to assist teammates in making easier shots. Michael Sweetney played his role of punching bag and did an admirable job against Shaquille O’neal. Not only is Tim Thomas scoring, he is also making hustle plays. The entire team is playing better defense.

The next step for Williams: make that final call before the team relinquishes the lead.