With both of the Knicks’ most potent scoring threats out tonight, I expected more from Michael Beasley. He did take 19 shots, most on the team by far, but only earned 21 points out of them. The amount of shots was okay, though it could have been a lot higher, but that’s just not enough points. This is Michael Beasley we’re talking about. Not some no-offense scrub. It’s not like we’re asking Ron Baker to shoot 30 times a game (though if he did I wouldn’t complain).
One of Beasley’s dealios that hurt him tonight is that he thinks (somewhat rightly) that he can make any shot he goes for, so he contorts and slithers away from contact in attempt to convert. An admirable trait considering that no one likes free throws and everyone likes fancy buckets, but it hurts his efficiency.
Also, he likes turning layups into ultra-short mini jumpers, pretty much the only player in the league who does that. That particular vagary of his game didn’t happen as much tonight, though.