There was nothing more important than the internet.
Shortly after a first-round playoff matchup was set against the Pistons, the Knicks coincided with the worst defeat of the season and were thinking about other things.
It began on Tuesday, with the Knicks groping for an opportunity to knock off the reigning champion, losing their lead to the Celtics in the final seconds of regulation and losing the game in overtime.
Two days later, the Knicks blew a 13-point second half lead for Detroit.
On Friday, the Knicks vented a 23-point lead to the Cavaliers.
What if Sunday's regular season finale in Brooklyn doesn't affect the playoff seeds? So, what if it goes against one of the worst teams in the league?
The Knicks are not in a position to treat them as meaningless for minutes.
“We'll talk [the playoffs] All 82 games will play, Jalen Brunson said after Friday's loss. You can't continue doing this. It's important to have short-term memory right now and keep moving forward. I know it's difficult. I know it sounds like BS, but that's literally what we have to do now to get better.
“I got another game and I can talk about it all.”
After facing the top two Eastern Conference teams and upcoming playoff opponents, the Knicks (50-31) will have a proper matchup to rediscover their confidence.
Nets (26-55) lost all three meetings with the Knicks this season, becoming 5-20 since February 22nd, regularly exhausting their youthful, inexperienced lineup that only Brooklyn Die Hard can accurately identify.
The Knicks are 35-8 against teams that have lost their record this season. This was another last chance for a layup and the 51st victory of the season, and will be the most marked in the franchise in decades before facing the Pistons at Madison Square Garden the following weekend.
“We have to find something to make this team a success and work on it,” Josh Hart said. “Obviously, playoff basketball is on a different level. physicality picks up. Intensity picks up. So we have to make sure we prepare physically this week, but more importantly, mentally.
“We're not playing near the best basketball. This week we'll look at the situation and how to take us to the best basketball we've got…but we have to get out there and get the season right with Brooklyn ready, mentally and physically ready.”
In preparation for the postseason, Tom Thibodeau relaxed his full mentality and gave Hart, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson a rest on Thursday before sitting down in the town of Karl Anthony.
The Knicks coaches did not disclose their lineup plans for the net.
“We need to be better as a team. We need to get a rhythm,” Thibodeau said Friday. “It's always a question everyone has. It's rest vs rhythm. I think each team has to decide what's best for their team. And in our case, we rely on healthcare. [but] He continues to fight to run through the finish line. ”
The piston can wait.
“When I get there, I'll get there,” Thibodeau said. “There's still one more game.”
