If the New York Knicks want to find themselves in the win column at some point this season, they should probably get the basics down first.
Following their 110-88 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Tuesday night, Knicks guard Courtney Lee called out some of his teammates' knowledge of the playbook, or lack thereof.
"We messed up on a lot of plays where the ball wasn't getting delivered on time or one or two guys not being on the same page as far as the play-calling," Lee said, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "That's on us. We've got to pay attention more in practice, make sure we execute more when we're out there."
Lee was one of the more vocal Knicks on the court, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting in a team-high 35 minutes of action, adding three assists and a pair of boards.
New York, as a whole, converted just 42.4 percent of its field-goal attempts, while missing 11-of-12 from behind the arc. Lee can accept the ball not falling through the hoop, because even the cleanest looks don't always go in. The fact that his team wasn't spacing the floor properly, though, is what really grinds his gears.
"If we miss shots, we miss shots. That's part of the game," Lee said. "But not being in the right position takes away a shot for your teammates. We got to learn the plays."
Tim Hardaway Jr. expressed similar sentiments, adding, "We're all out there just running like we don't know what's going on. It can't happen."
The Knicks are one of just three teams (Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks) that have yet to win a game. They return home Friday to Madison Square Garden to host the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
