Don’t look now: Here come Knicks
The New York Knicks finally seem to be headed in the right direction. And they’re poised to snap their NBA playoff drought before anyone expected.
New York moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 109-90 rout of the Detroit Pistons to start the week. The Knicks have won three games in a row and seven of nine to climb back over .500 at 18-17, the first time they’ve been above .500 on March 1 since the 2012-13 season – which is also the last year they made the playoffs.
Most thought the Knicks would struggle through another rebuilding season. But they are young and hungry and eager to start changing expectations.
“Honestly, in our locker room it’s expected,” said first-time All-Star Julius Randle. “I’m not really surprised where we’re at as a team. We have a certain level of focus on a night to night basis that gives us a shot every night.”
The Knicks are in position to get back to the postseason thanks in large part to a defense that has morphed into one of the best in the league.
In his first year in New York, Tom Thibodeau has seamlessly
implemented his famed defense and has the Knicks second in the NBA in defensive rating, according to NBA.com, behind the Los Angeles Lakers and ahead of the Utah Jazz. The Knicks allow the fewest points per game, the lowest opponent field goal percentage and the lowest opponent 3-point percentage.
“We’ve got a young team. We have a team that can grow,” Thibodeau
said. “If we get everyone committed and willing to sacrifice to put the team first, good things can happen.”
After the top three in the East – Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Milwaukee – the standings are tight. Just 1 1⁄2 games separated New York in fourth and Chicago in 10th. The second tier of Eastern Conference playoff contenders was wide open.
Can New York emerge from that group? The offense has struggled despite Randle’s breakthrough as a scorer and playmaker. But if the Knicks can continue playing top-notch defense, they have as good a chance as anyone to grab the No. 4 seed.
Thibodeau isn’t satisfied with simply being one game over .500 and wants the Knicks thinking bigger: “One, I’m never happy. Two, I always think we can do better.”