The New York Knicks have shown, when healthy, that they are one of the best teams in the NBA. Even when they are not at full strength, they are not an easy team to play against given the level of physicality they bring to the court.
When you are facing the Knicks, you know what you are getting into. They are going to play hard every night and will keep fighting until the last whistle. If you don’t match that intensity, they will run you out of the gym.
Unlike some teams in the NBA, New York has an identity to rely on every night. Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks are going to crash the boards and play hard defensively, making their opponent earn every point.
Even during the team’s most recent struggles with several key players missing from the lineup, New York was competitive. The heart and effort level brought to the court every night is something other teams cannot keep up with.
During a recent five-game stretch, what the Knicks have accomplished on defense is truly amazing. In the current NBA, offensive reigns supreme. Players and teams are setting scoring records seemingly every night; that is, unless they play New York.
Five opponents in a row and six out of the last seven, have been held under the 100-point mark. Over that five-game streak, the Knicks have allowed only 422. They are the first team in over six NBA seasons to hold opponents to that number of points, a truly impressive feat given how offensive-minded the league has become.
As Kevin O’Connor also pointed out, the Knicks are giving up only 90 points per game in March, an unfathomable number in today’s NBA. Teams are routinely scoring that in three quarters with offense at an all-time high.
Arguably their most impressive performance came on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings. New York went into Golden 1 Center and held Sacramento, who is eighth in the league with 118 points per game, to only 91. They have had only one lower-scoring game this season and it came back on November 4th on the road against the Houston Rockets.
Defense has been the Knicks calling card throughout Thibodeau’s tenure with the team and they have turned things up to another level. With OG Anunoby in the lineup, there isn’t a team in the NBA that can get the job done defensively as effectively as New York.
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