Anyone rooting for our home team, the New York Nicks, this season can hang up their orange and blue jerseys and call it a day. The myriad of injuries and the overall subpar team performance on the court have shown us that this season is not going to be a good one for the beloved New York team that just can’t seem to get it together this year. Could a new coach be the answer to the Knick’s struggles?

Coach Mike Woodson has made very few good decisions in the past few games this season. In the December 16th game against the Washington Wizards, Woodson could have possibly cost the Knicks the game by not calling a timeout. The last minute of the game was the most intense when Andrea Bargnani hit both of his free throws with the Knicks leading 100-97. But then the Wizards got the ball in the hands of player Bradley Beal, and he tied the game with 45 seconds left on the clock. The Knicks were back in the lead when Beno Udrih sunk one of his foul shots with 24 seconds on the clock, bringing the score to 101-100.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ3uMFctBHA

But the game wasn’t over yet. Here is where the choices of the Knicks and Wizards coaches made the difference between losers and winners. Coach Randy Wittman of the Washington Wizards called a timeout and made a plan for his team to get the ball and make a basket, which they succeeded in doing. Beal blew past Udrih and scored the game-winning shot for his team, but the same cannot be said for Knicks player Carmelo Anthony. With 6.9 seconds left on the clock, he received the ball down on the baseline and then dribbled up the court towards the bench, expecting a timeout. He realized too late that his coach wasn’t calling a timeout, and he tried to force the three-point basket, missing the rim and hitting the backboard. The game was over, and the Wizards finished with a one-point victory, totaling the score at 102-101.

After the game-winning shot by Beal, Woodson should have called a timeout and taken advantage of the rule that allows players to throw the ball in from half court. Instead, Carmelo took a lousy shot, and the Knicks lost the game. This call doesn’t only lie on Coach Woodson, though, since Carmelo also could have called a timeout. No one made the potentially game-saving call, but ultimately it is the coach’s responsibility to call those plays. That being said, if Coach Woodson continues down this path, will the Knicks be hiring a new coach soon?

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