Amar’e Stoudemire has to accept that the Knicks just aren’t that talented. Sometimes it’s not about effort or desire when a talented team decides to run you off the court.
Stoudemire called Friday nights 105-78 blowout loss to the Thunder “unacceptable.’’ He then questioned his teams desire.
Stoudemire questioned the Knicks’ courage and desire after they suffered their worst margin-of-loss defeat this season.
Westbrook made a brilliant return from a broken right hand, which had forced him to miss 13 games, in crushing the Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The loss left the Knicks 0-3 on their Southwest trip. They return to the Garden on Sunday to face Miami with a 4-13 record.
“They played like they wanted it more,’’ Stoudemire said of the Thunder. “At this point, I don’t see how a team wants it more than we do. It’s unacceptable. We should be in desperation mode. We’re a team that’s fighting for a win. Right now we got to have a higher sense of urgency and more enthused and mentally involved.’’
What did Amar’e expect?
The Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony (back spasms) for the second straight game, and have no one outside of Jose Calderon that can consistently get his own shot.