Bad Loss; Knicks Don't Have A Closer

The difference between the Knicks and the top 8 teams in the East was more than evident in last night's loss. Lack of a leader and a go to player sealed the Knicks' doom down the stretch. Often when the Knicks are carried all game by one specific player, it is that player who also makes the big mistake late in games. Last night David Lee, after being left off the All Star reserve roster, was magnificent; until the final 4 minutes. Lee committed two very costly turnovers that were just plain lazy. He also missed an easy right-handed lay up that would have pulled the Knicks within 1 with seconds remaining. Despite being left-handed, he makes those in his sleep. Finishing with 29 points and 18 rebounds is just a taste of the mis-leading stat lines that he continues to put up, night after night. Don't get me wrong, I love Lee and think he is a special kind of player and if I'm asked he or Al Horford, I would pick Lee, hands down. But Lee, like the rest of the Knicks, continues to struggle getting the job down down the stretch of games. If the Knicks were a baseball team, they would be a team without a reliable closer, a team that can never expect to go anywhere.

Yes, Mike D'Antoni has maximized every ounce of talent he has on this roster and I commend all the Knicks for their increased effort and dedication to detail this season. But an 'E' for effort will not get you into the playoffs. All 8 team ahead of the Knicks have started to tighten up any chinks in the armor and pull away from the rest of the pack.

Starting from the one seed and going down to the current eighth seed, each of those teams has at least one thing the Knicks do not have. A go-to player.

Cavs obviously have Lebron James as their closer.
Celtics will use Pierce as their horse.
Atlanta is interesting because they actually have two in Jamal Crawford, who has built himself a reputation for making clutch shots being the best part of his game. But Joe Johnson is the MAN on that team and if he wants the ball, he gets it.
Orlando gets a little tricky, in my view, they are missing this true closer, but with the surplus of talent they have on their roster they have guys in Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter that are both capable of making big shots and have done so before.
Toronto as we saw last night, has Chris Bosh. A legitimate all star PF. Hedo Turkoglu is also a proven big shot maker.
Miami has a top 5 NBA player in Dwayne Wade who is definitely a legit closer.
Bulls, losing Ben Gordon may have raised eyebrows in this aspect but they have remained strong. With their improved play this past month I would definitely say Derrick Rose is their go to guy with Luol Deng as a strong #2 option.
Bobcats have what I'd call one of the best shooting guards in the league in Stephen Jackson. If you factor in his clutch-ness, he creeps up even higher on that ladder.

The charging foul on Al Harrington looked like a block to me and at home I would expect the Knicks to get that call. No one argued; players nor the announcers so I am sure I'm alone on that theory, but I've watched enough NBA to have seen that go the other way numerous times.

Regardless another loss is in the books, but this one hurts. Knicks lose more ground in the standing and go 0-2 in a two week span against a division rival. Back to back road games in Washington and Minnesota this weekend loom large for the Knicks small window of post season opportunity.