The New York Knicks had a less-than-ideal trip to Los Angeles after suffering back-to-back losses to both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, with their loss to the Clippers coming most recently on Monday night, 126-118. 

There were a number of problems with the Knicks that led to their downfall to the two Los Angeles teams, but the things that stands out the most has to be turnovers. 

The Knicks have up the ball a combined 39 times across their two losses to rack up a combined 45 points off of turnovers for their West Coast opponents. Taking care of the ball is one of the fundamental parts of a game that drives a coach up a wall when it's not done well, and the Knicks have certainly been perpetrators of that.

However, head coach Mike Brown was more understanding with his team than might have been expected and he blamed an excess of energy and excitement for his team's mishandling off the ball.

"Tonight and yesterday, I thought most of our turnovers weren't forced," Brown said (via HoopsHype). "It's not our guys playing lackadaisical. I think our guys are trying to play the right way. They're just trying probably a little too hard at times. A guy could be open and he thinks his teammates' open so he's trying to thread the needle."

Still, no matter the reason, the volume of turnovers that the Knicks were committing will make it hard for them to win games against any team, let alone teams with talent like the Lakers and surging Clippers. 

Those are the kind of mistakes that become especially glaring when it comes to the playoffs when the margin for error is razor thin. No matter the surplus of talent that the Knicks have on their roster, giving away the ball and eventually the game isn't a sustainable game plan for any team. 

If their surplus of turnovers really does come down to over-excitement and poor decision making, then something does need to be done about the way that the Knicks manage their composure. 

Should that be the root of the problem, its again only something that would be magnified in a playoff atmosphere. 

The Knicks are typically a tight team when it comes to taking care of the ball. They only turn the ball over an average of 13.8 times per game, the sixth-least in the NBA, so their recent lapses are certainly out of character and many not be here to stay.

Either way, it's a problem that Brown is certainly aware of and may take steps to fix.