To be clear, most NBA teams — outside of the Cavaliers, Thunder and Celtics — and particularly the one a handful of subway stops away over the Manhattan Bridge would trade lineups and coaches and standings locations with the Knicks right away. They’re 26-15 on the midpoint of the season. They’re third within the Eastern Conference. They’ve two superstars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and two other starters who’re among the many league’s best defenders.
But after their loss to Oklahoma City on Friday, the Knicks faced questions on whether or not they felt their name belonged among the many upper tier of NBA contenders, with an 0-5 record against the highest two teams in each conference on their ledger. They responded with a robust win against the Bucks two days later. They fell flat against the Pistons in a disappointing loss Monday. If there have been ever a swing that captured their roller-coaster season, that stretch materialized as the right sample.
So when Tom Thibodeau fielded a matter following their 124-119 loss to Detroit about whether the Knicks were still trying to find a defensive identity, it really could’ve been extrapolated into an all-encompassing one concerning the state of the team. They’ve an excellent record halfway through the season but not adequate to be comfortably ahead of the play-in tournament segment of the standings. They’ve individual pieces to anchor their defense, but it surely stays a middle-of-the-pack unit — and a spotty one at best in clutch situations comparable to Monday. Their elite collection of starters could face a significant depth problem with only one injury.
Who, really, are the Knicks? They’re still figuring that out as their regular season hits Game 42 on Wednesday against the 76ers. Sometimes, they resemble contenders. Other times, pretenders. And with the NBA’s hardest remaining schedule ahead — with opponents possessing a combined winning percentage of .522, per Tankathon — the Knicks’ path toward the postseason features loads of possibilities to earn that elusive win against a contender and many possibilities to fade further down the standings, toward the four-team play-in tournament portion nobody expected them to smell at the beginning of the 12 months.
To be clear, most NBA teams — outside of the Cavaliers, Thunder and Celtics — and particularly the one a handful of subway stops away over the Manhattan Bridge would trade lineups and coaches and standings locations with the Knicks right away. They’re 26-15 on the midpoint of the season. They’re third within the Eastern Conference. They’ve two superstars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and two other starters who’re among the many league’s best defenders.
But after their loss to Oklahoma City on Friday, the Knicks faced questions on whether or not they felt their name belonged among the many upper tier of NBA contenders, with an 0-5 record against the highest two teams in each conference on their ledger. They responded with a robust win against the Bucks two days later. They fell flat against the Pistons in a disappointing loss Monday. If there have been ever a swing that captured their roller-coaster season, that stretch materialized as the right sample.
So when Tom Thibodeau fielded a matter following their 124-119 loss to Detroit about whether the Knicks were still trying to find a defensive identity, it really could’ve been extrapolated into an all-encompassing one concerning the state of the team. They’ve an excellent record halfway through the season but not adequate to be comfortably ahead of the play-in tournament segment of the standings. They’ve individual pieces to anchor their defense, but it surely stays a middle-of-the-pack unit — and a spotty one at best in clutch situations comparable to Monday. Their elite collection of starters could face a significant depth problem with only one injury.
Who, really, are the Knicks? They’re still figuring that out as their regular season hits Game 42 on Wednesday against the 76ers. Sometimes, they resemble contenders. Other times, pretenders. And with the NBA’s hardest remaining schedule ahead — with opponents possessing a combined winning percentage of .522, per Tankathon — the Knicks’ path toward the postseason features loads of possibilities to earn that elusive win against a contender and many possibilities to fade further down the standings, toward the four-team play-in tournament portion nobody expected them to smell at the beginning of the 12 months.
