New York: The Knicks are doing pretty well, sitting eleven games above .500. But when you aim for a championship, even small slip-ups can feel huge.
They’ve dropped a few games they should’ve won, like the recent 116-99 loss to the Timberwolves. That was their sixth loss in nine games, and it’s tough to see them struggle at home, especially with a favorable schedule ahead.
Jalen Brunson, the team captain, mentioned they need to get back on track. He’s right; it’s all about how they handle these ups and downs. They can’t just sulk about their losses; they need to focus on what’s next.
Despite the setbacks, the Knicks are still in a solid position, holding the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re just 2.5 games behind the Celtics, but they’ve got to step it up against the top teams.
Brunson believes they’ve been communicating well and striving to improve daily. He emphasized that they can’t be satisfied with just winning; there’s always room to grow.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has instilled that mindset. He’s never satisfied, pushing the team to keep improving. But they’ve got to tighten up defensively, which has been a struggle lately.
Since their nine-game winning streak ended, their defense has been shaky, ranking among the worst in the league. They’ve also had issues with bench scoring, which isn’t helping their cause.
Slow starts have been a problem too. In their losses, they often fall behind early, which happened again against Minnesota. Thibodeau pointed out that they need to focus on rebounding and challenging shots better.
While bench scoring is a concern, they’re hopeful that Karl-Anthony Towns can help boost their offense once he’s back from injury.
Thibodeau believes that as long as they keep improving, they’ll find their rhythm. He’s all about daily progress and fixing what’s not working.
The Knicks want to be strong on both ends of the court. With Towns out, they’ve struggled defensively, and the offense has been inconsistent.
Being eleven games above .500 is great, but it doesn’t tell the whole story of their journey toward a title.
Brunson summed it up well: sticking together as a team is key. The more united they are, the better they’ll perform.