The Latest Road Trip, ‘Murderers Row’.

The New York Knicks completed a brutal late-season west coast road trip. The men sporting the black, orange, and blue city edition jerseys took care of business during their first two games out west against the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies respectively. The Knicks then got blown out by the Denver Nuggets, and two nights later, New York’s favorite team suffered a late third quarter, plus an early fourth quarter collapse against the Phoenix Suns.

Continued Feud Between Jae Crowder & the Knicks in Phoenix.

Associated Press

Jae Crowder and the Knicks have a little history. The tension between the two parties were the same during the Friday night game in Phoenix. Jae Crowder and Julius Randle got involved during the fourth quarter. Words were exchanged between the two. The referees seemed to be on top of the situation, looking to make an effort to deescalate as soon as possible, especially due to prior confrontations Crowder had with a few individuals including the Knicks coach.

Tom Thibodeau Believes in the Expression, ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’.

Tom Thibodeau has this Knicks roster playing extremely tough, tenacious, and inspirational basketball on both ends of the court. The potential 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year candidate believes in winning games and refers to losses as learning experiences. Thibs strongly believes in the expression “Iron Sharpens Iron” and he applies the saying to his young roster during a brutal west coast road trip against NBA championship contenders. Knick players haven’t taken any shortcuts when it comes to putting in time and work on their craft. Julius Randle continues to improve as well as RJ Barrett. Obi Toppin has been improving recently in his rookie season. The former Dayton “High” Flyer is slowly but surely becoming acclimated, especially with Derrick Rose as the distributor on the second unit.

RJ Barrett’s Ongoing Impressive Three Point Shooting Leaves Knicks Fans Thrilled.

RJ Barrett continues his ongoing three point-shooting onslaught. As Barrett continues to relish the disrespect from some of his peers in the NBA, the former Duke star’s three point percentage is currently 39% this season. Is Barrett a prolific three point shooter? According to his sample size this season, especially with the way he struggled shooting early on, its safe to say Barrett has arrived as a valid three point threat for the Knicks. Playing alongside Julius Randle under a Tom Thibodeau system, high quality, open field goal attempts are encouraged, thus raising the perimeter shooting percentages of Barrett and Randle.

Obi Toppin’s Improved Overall Play Gives Knicks Tremendous Hope.

Obi Toppin’s struggled in stretches in the early part of the season. Toppin suffered nagging injuries early in his debut rookie season, however, Toppin’s stock has been rising steadily recently. The 6’9” high flying power forward seems to be getting more comfortable as time goes on. He’s beginning to earn more trust from Tom Thibodeau. The 23- year old Brooklyn native is also getting use to playing alongside Derrick Rose. Could the Luca Vildoza signing have a positive impact on Toppin next season. Only time will tell.

Taj Gibson, World Wide Wes, and Leon Rose Made Amends With Chris Paul after loss in Phoenix.

Taj Gibson, World Wide Wes, and Leon Rose made amends with Chris Paul after loss at the fairly newly renovated Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Taj Gibson leveled Chris Paul who went stumbling to the floor during the fourth quarter of the contest. Chris Paul immediately jumped back up and furiously expressed his displeasure with Tom Thibodeau, who fired back a few words to Chris Paul in the heat of a highly intense moment. Taj Gibson was charged with a flagrant one foul. Frustrations spilled over into dirty play, and Taj Gibson let the frustration get the best of him that moment, however after the game the two got the chance to reconcile.

“Randle’s Island” was in Full Effect at the Staples Center on Mother’s Day against the Los Angeles Clippers.

On May 9th, Julius Randle and the Knicks gave the Los Angeles Clippers a taste of “Randle’s Island”. Derrick Rose, Reggie Bullock, and RJ Barrett had clutch moments during the 106-100 victory at Staples Center against the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard led Clippers. Obi Toppin contributed a solid ten minutes with 7-points on 3-4 shooting including 1-2 from downtown. The Knicks bounced back after the tough loss in Phoenix. The Knickerbockers were able to execute down the stretch due to efficiency from Rose and Randle. Knicks were without Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks. The Knicks held the number one ranked three point shooting percentage team in the Clippers to below 35% behind the three point line. The Clippers connected on 12-35 from downtown.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers Get Revenge on the New York Knicks at Staples Center.

Harry How-Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers came into this game without Dennis Schroeder nor LeBron James. The New York Knicks had their own two guys out in Immanuel Quickley and Alec Burks. This was a grind out, defensive game at the Staples Center, however the Knicks couldn’t close them out as they lost in overtime. RJ Barrett struggled with his shot all game. Julius Randle had a huge three point bucket in overtime. However, Talen Horton-Tucker came to the Lakers rescue with a huge three point basket with less than 30-seconds left in overtime. The Knicks finished the west coast road trip 3-3. Julius Randle blamed himself for the loss against the Lakers.

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