The gap between good NBA teams and bad NBA teams is narrow. The most dominant team from year-to-year, on average, only outscores opponents by an average of one basket every quarter. The gap between a pretty bad team and a really bad team playing out the string in late March is virtually non-existent. Exhibit A: the Knicks’ 137-128 overtime loss in Charlotte Monday night, an entertaining but ultimately doomed affair. C’est la vie.
New York was shorthanded, missing both Kyle O’Quinn (injured hip) and Emmanuel Mudiay (sick). The Hornets spent pretty much the whole first half in rhythm, leading by as many as 17 while looking like the team some considered a dark horse for a top-four seed in the East.