Are the Knicks Contenders or Pretenders?

Where Do Knicks Stack Up in the East?

Come playoff time, will the Knicks become contenders or pretenders? Despite their stumbles against the Lakers and Clippers, the Knicks seem more like a contender.

They have boasted one of the NBA’s best defenses in the past month with improved physicality, rebounding and communication. Yet, they display inconsistency with their fouling. They feature one of the most talented and selfless All-Star duos in Towns and Jalen Brunson. Yet, they also struggle with efficiency and maximizing their fit. They have a strong two-way player (OG Anunoby) and glue guy (Josh Hart). Yet, they have health concerns (Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson), an inconsistent wing (Mikal Bridges) and a fluid bench rotation (Jordan Clarkson, Jose Alvarado).

No wonder the Knicks (41-25) rank third in a crowded Eastern Conference.

The Detroit Pistons (45-18) lead the Eastern Conference with a physically-imposing defense, youthful energy and a more refined point guard (Cade Cunningham). The Knicks have lost all three of their regular-season games to them this season after beating Detroit in a six-game first-round series last year.

So much for the Boston Celtics (43-21) having a gap year amid an Achilles injury (Jayson Tatum) and two cost-cutting trades (Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis). The Celtics rank second with Jaylen Brown as the No. 1 option, respected role players and Tatum returning last week. The Knicks have gone 2-1 against Boston, but that happened before Tatum’s return.

The Knicks upset the Cleveland Cavaliers (40-25) last year in the second round, but the fourth-ranked Cavs still have a puncher’s chance this postseason. Before the trade deadline, Cleveland dealt a young player who struggled to stay healthy (Darius Garland) to the Clippers for a veteran point guard (James Harden) with enough of a résumé to suggest he can elevate an elite scorer (Donovan Mitchell) and two big men (Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen). The Knicks have also won two of three against Cleveland, but their lone loss happened after the trade.

Meantime, the Knicks remain focused on themselves.

“It starts with our mindset and our approach,” Brunson said. “We understand the opportunities when it comes to these games where we can be better and what we can do. Obviously, you want to try to change in-game and adjust in-game. That’s obviously a lot easier to make adjustments after the fact and be prepared for the next game and understand what you did wrong.”

What Can Brown Do for the Knicks?

The Knicks expect immediate results. They fired veteran head coach Tom Thibodeau despite leading New York to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. In a statement afterward, Knicks president Leon Rose said “our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship.”

Brown has won NBA titles as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs (2003) and Golden State Warriors (2017, 2018). But he lost in his lone Finals appearance as a head coach with the Cavaliers (2007). Through his successes and failures, Brown has remained consistent with overseeing elite defenses and eventually became more adaptable with a fast-paced offense. Though Brown has stayed disciplined with his game preparation, he has become more deliberative about when to have intense practices and film sessions.

“Our guys have embraced the standard of sacrifice, competitive spirit, connectivity and overall belief in each other and the process,” Brown said. “Everybody is a lot better with the accountability aspect of it.”

Can the Knicks Remain Elite Defensively?

The Knicks have held each other accountable on defense for the most part. Since Feb. 1, the Knicks have the NBA’s fifth-best defensive rating (107.7). They also entered Sunday’s game against the Lakers ranked fifth in points allowed (110.6) and seventh in field-goal percentage (45.7). Yet in the past two games, the Knicks didn’t have any answers for the Luka Dončić (35 points), Kawhi Leonard (29), Austin Reaves (25) and Garland (23).

“We’ve been playing a really high level of basketball the last 20 or so games, especially after the [All-Star] break,” Hart said. “So we have to make sure that we continue to focus on that and continue not to lose sight on what allowed us to play that game.”

Can Towns and Brunson Stay Consistent?

The Knicks’ star players haven’t always played like the best version of themselves.

In the past six games, Brunson has shot only 37.5% from the field while averaging 3.0 turnovers. In the loss to the Lakers, Brunson posted as many turnovers as assists (seven).

“I’m at fault, obviously,” Brunson said. “It’s going to happen. It’s part of the game. You got to continue to trust your work ethic and trust everything that you put into it. Those things are going to come around.”

Nevertheless, Brown lauded Towns and Brunson for how they offset poor scoring nights with either rebounding (Towns) or assists (Brunson). Against the Clippers, Towns posted 35 points on 13-for-17 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists. But he remains on pace to finish with his lowest scoring output since his rookie season (20.0) on his worst shooting clip (48.5%) since the 2020-21 season.

“It’s been great,” Towns said of his chemistry with Brunson. “Being involved with him with pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops have given us a new avenue to do something to impact the game offensively.  So it’s been great from last year to this year. We were really good at it last year. We’re utilizing it a little bit more this time.”

After losing three of their past four games, however, the Knicks have shown that they need more. They seem to have enough to make a deep playoff push. They don’t seem to have enough to seriously compete for an NBA title, though.