Knicks Suffer Demoralizing Loss to Bucks at Home

After all of the waiting Knicks fans have done in the past three plus years for the team become a legitimate competitor, what is the worse scenario--not having the talent, and expecting the Knicks to lose, or having the talent present, still suffering demoralizing losses?

For years, the Knicks have coveted major talent in the form of some of the league's biggest stars. After finally being able to bring some of the league's best to the Big Apple, something just isn't clicking.

It showed in the team's demoralizing 100-86 loss at home to the Bucks, a team that was previously 0-8 on the road this season. The Knicks lacked physicality, consistency, but most of all, chemistry, as they have all season long.

The Knicks have made headlines while bringing in the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler, but the fact of the matter is big names do not necessarily equal chemistry nor success.

Anthony went on to admit during last night's post-game chat with the media (in the clip above), that it was difficult for his team to claw back as the Bucks played with a higher determination to win. The better Milwaukee did on the court, the more deflated the Knicks became.

The Knicks star, who led his team with 35 points but shot only 11 for 26 from the field, did say, however, that he felt as though players were getting set up for shots in the right places, but that those shots simply weren't falling.

Many will beg to differ with that notion. The lack of an efficient floor general has clearly shot the Knicks in the foot early on, and there has been simply no flow to their offensive game.

Players are not getting set up properly. That has been evident in Stoudemire's game throughout the season, as he lacks a true pick and roll partner. STAT has consistently been jacking up off balance jump shots, coming off passes he catches with his back often already facing the basket. When one of the most prolific scorers in the game is not getting set up properly (despite what Anthony says), the team is obviously going to struggle immensely.

Anthony added that tonight's game against his former team, the Nuggets is a must-win for the Knicks, but not because he has anything to prove, having spent a successful 7 plus years in Denver.

While he may not have anything to prove to the Nuggets, Anthony and the Knicks need to begin proving to the NBA that they are a contender, because so far, that simply has not happened.

Without a point guard and an efficient flow to the offensive game, this mismatched Knicks roster has failed to produce at the level it was expected to. While Chandler has helped elevate their defense, the offense has been stagnant, preventing the team from scoring and being able to pile up the wins.

The team no stands at 6-9 on the season, currently riding a five-game losing streak.

When they face the 11-5 Nuggets tonight, the Knicks will see a prime example of what a balanced team looks like. Though there's no true star power in Denver, the Nuggets have created a healthy attack from A to Z with good chemistry and a coach that knows how to adapt to different situations with various lineups in George Karl. Win or lose, the Knicks could learn a few things tonight, ironically enough.

Tonight's game will mark Danilo Gallinari's first game at the Garden since the Carmelo Anthony trade.