Yahoo Sport 
David Fizdale says Knicks didn't believe they could beat the Bucks
It took 21 games for the New York Knicks’ season to go from embarrassing to bleak. Following a 44-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, Knicks coach David Fizdale offered up a depressing quote about his team’s competitive spirit.
Fizdale told reporters the Knicks went into the game believing they couldn’t defeat the Bucks, according to Newsday.
“Whatever word you want to use for it, lack of tenacity, intensity, focus, competitiveness,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said after the carnage was over. “I don’t feel like we came into this game believing we could win this game and that was what was most disappointing. I felt like going into every other game we felt like we could come out, compete, and beat anybody. Tonight, we didn’t come out with the idea that we could beat this team.
“I don’t know why. But it was definitely there. We didn’t come out with the right mindset for whatever reason, whatever my motivational talk was didn’t take hold I guess. We’ll bounce back. We’ll get into the film. We’ll own it. we’ll watch it and we’ll get ready for another very good basketball team.”
There’s no charitable way to read that quote. Fizdale called out his players’ effort and preparation for the game. He didn’t fully absolve himself of blame, saying his “motivational talk” must not have worked.
As expected, the Knicks have gotten off to a rough start this season. At 4-17, the team has the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have been dominant. The team has gone 18-3, good for the best record in the NBA.
Considering that, the odds were stacked heavily against the Knicks on Monday. Even if the team played exceptional basketball, it still might have lost to the Bucks.
Still, that’s no excuse for the team completely abandoning all hope during the game. The season has already been bad, but it might get even worse if this is how the Knicks are responding to adversity just 21 games into the season.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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