You Practice How You Play

One thing that has always gotten on my nerves while attending Knicks game this season, aside from the the high-cost of seats, the low-grade of play and the awful video montage played during team introductions, is the haphazard way in which the team warms up before the game starts and before the second half gets under way. This lack of organization seems emblematic of the hapless and rudderless Isiah Thomas regime. And, in my opinion, is entirely connected to way that they look when the whistle blows. Like every time that the team comes out of a timeout without a play called, these purpose-less warmups show that there is no cogent leadership, no structure and no blueprint for success. This is a team with no plan.

When coming out of the tunnel after half, the team rarely takes the floor at the same time. One night David Lee will be out two or three minutes before anyone joins him. The next night it's Wilson Chandler and Renaldo Balkman out by themselves. And, I have no problem if a few guys want (or where asked) to get a little extra work in, but once everyone is on the floor there should be some semblance of order. Some idea that they are on the same page. Even if just to keep them from getting in each others way. Or sending balls caroming off one another before finding the net. Yet, it is clear every night that there is no rhyme or reason to what they're doing while warming up. It's clear that these players are just sent onto the floor without any tangible instructions from their coaches as to how they should be using the time allotted. They are out there killing time.

This picture, taken during half-time of Monday night's game against the Hornets, shows there is no overarching plan for what is happening on the court. David Lee is working on free throws. Eddy Curry is at halfcourt talking with Jennaro Pargo. Jared Jeffries and Nate Robinson are joking around just past the three point line. Randolph Morris is trying to shag balls under the hoop and doing his best not to get caught having to shoot any of them. Mardy Collins, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford are shooting jump shots from various points on the court.

Now, I'm not saying that the Knicks (or any professional team) need to execute some sort of complex weave-passing drill straight out of Hoosiers, that David Lee shouldn't, in fact, be practicing his free-throws or that the team needs to come charging out of the locker room with linked arms while Guns 'n' Roses is blaring from the PA like a high school team. But they should come out with a more structured plan than they've got. They should come out like most every other team that visits the Garden does. With a plan. Whether simply layup lines or jump-shooting lines there is almost always ORDER to what the other team is doing.

In this picture of the Hornets warming up before the second half begins on Monday you can see that Byron Scott sends them out on the court to get loose and not to socialize or mess around. There is one line of players out on the wing and another under the basket. The players on the wing dribble towards the base line and shoot a jump shot while the players under the hoop rebound the ball and make an outlet pass to a player at the front of the other line. All players will shuttle to next line after they take their turn shooting or rebounding. It's simple. It gets everyone on the same page. It gets them passing to each other. It gets them making eye contact. It gets them taking shots that they are likely to shoot in a game. And, it's aesthetically pleasing to boot. They look every bit like a professional hoops team.

They Hornets practiced as a team and then they played as a team. They won as a team. The Knicks practiced as individuals and then they played as individuals. They lost as individuals.

Because, say it with me now, you practice how you play!