USA TODAY International Edition
Knicks are on roll, but for how long?
Tom Thibodeau isn’t a big fan of rehashing the past or looking into the future. The Knicks head coach prefers to focus on the present and expects his players to approach each day with that same perspective.
But for everyone outside the organization, what the Knicks have achieved through the first 35 games of the 2020 season represents a significant sign of progress for a team that’s been an NBA doormat for the better part of the last 20 years.
Just don’t expect Thibodeau to think about any of that.
“I think it’s important to know the history of the organization, that part is important,” Thibodeau said after the Knicks’ 109- 90 victory over the hapless Pistons on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. “But our focus has to be exactly on what’s in front of us and that’s each day, each game and each practice – just keep trying to improve. And we have a young team. We have a team that can grow.”
That leads to the big question: Where is this team headed?
After beating the Pistons for their third consecutive victory and second in two days, the Knicks went into Monday 18- 17 and owned sole possession of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
It took the Knicks 60 games last season to notch their 18th victory.
This is the latest in a season that they’ve owned a winning record since 2012- 13, a 54- win campaign and the last time they made the playoffs.
And they’ve shown enough through 35 games to indicate that this is sustainable.
“The reaction to the winning record, honestly in our locker room it’s expect
ed,” said Julius Randle, who had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists against the Pistons. “I said all year, we feel like every time we go out we have a chance to win the game.”
Julius Randle and the defense
Randle’s all- star season has been a major role in the Knicks’ resurgence, and he’ll be a major reason the Knicks end the playoff drought if they get there.
He is averaging 23.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 41.9% from the perimeter.
The 26- year- old has taken on a leadership role in the locker room and he’s played every game this season.
Randle has had a stellar year, especially considering the struggles he en
dured last season, his first with the Knicks and one that had many wondering how much longer he’d be in New York.
Now? Randle has put the Knicks on his back.
Aside from Randle, RJ Barrett has made strides in his second season while the addition of Derrick Rose has given the Knicks a reliable point guard even if he’s in the latter stages of his career. Alec Burks has provided solid 3- point shooting off the bench, and Immanuel Quickley, who has had some rough games recently but got going late against the Pistons to finish with 12 points, has often provided a spark.
Overall, the Knicks have not been a good offensive team.
But their defense, the patented hardnosed defense that’s become a staple of
Thibodeau’s coaching career, has made up for it.
The Knicks are second in the NBA behind the Lakers with a defensive rating of 107.4.
New York has given up an average of 104.4 points per game, best in the league.
The Knicks have been strong on that end of the floor all season.
If the Knicks continue to play at that level, it should keep them in good standing.
What lies ahead
The soft Eastern Conference has also helped. Just four teams in the East own winning records: the Sixers, the Nets, the Bucks and the Knicks.
The Knicks have had an easier schedule and they’ve taken advantage, beating the teams they should be beating.
Things won’t be quite so easy in the second half, which includes the longest road trip of the season in May – a sixgame swing out West with games against the Rockets, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Suns, Clippers and Lakers.
But that’s not for another two months.
Right now, right at this point in the season, 35 games in, the Knicks are a winning basketball team.
They’ve surpassed expectations in many ways.
Still, it’s all about where they are in the end.
Thibodeau just wants his team taking things day by day before they get there, not thinking about what it could mean.
“It’s a proud organization and I was here during the ’ 90s, but that doesn’t have anything to do with today,” Thibodeau said. “So just like I wasn’t looking ahead, I don’t want us looking behind and what happened in the past.”