Knicks continue to struggle

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Larry Brown hears the boos, too.

Bad shots. Awful defense. Poor decisions. And a whole lot of frustrated fans at Madison Square Garden.

"This is much more difficult right now than I ever imagined," the New York Knicks coach said Thursday after practice.

More than a quarter of the way through his first season in charge of his hometown team, the man who preaches doing things the right way is stuck with a bunch of players doing just about everything wrong.

New York has lost six in a row, falling to 6-17 with losses Friday and Saturday. Worse, after playing well during a recent trip out West, the Knicks haven't been competitive in two games since returning home.

"We're just not doing it," Brown said. "We're not matching the energy of our opponent. We're doing the same things we've done all year. We turn the ball over too much, don't make simple plays, and don't execute very well."

Never was that more evident than recently. In double-digit home losses to Milwaukee and Orlando, the Knicks committed 38 turnovers -- they rank last in the league in that category -- and left shooters wide open while struggling to defend pick-and-rolls. The Bucks and Magic combined for 23 3-pointers, many of them uncontested.

"They had like miscommunication out there. They didn't help each other," Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu said after the Magic's 105-90 victory Wednesday.

"I think they have a bunch of young guys there and they're still learning, so that's why they messed it up."

Brown isn't the only New Yorker tired of the lapses. The Knicks were booed during both games, especially in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's loss.

"I don't tune them out at all," Brown said. "I hear it all. I'm embarrassed. I know how much they love basketball and love this team and want us to do well."