Karl-Anthony Towns opens up about Knicks' expectations after win over Bulls

The New York Knicks suffering a 126-111 loss to the first-place Detroit Pistons (42-13) back on Feb. 19 led some Knicks fans to fear that the club simply doesn't have the talent needed to topple a top-tier opponent in an upcoming playoff series. 

However, the Knicks have since improved to 37-21 on the season via back-to-back victories, including a 105-99 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. Per ESPN stats, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns tallied team highs of 28 points and 11 rebounds at Chicago's United Center. After the game, he spoke about how he and others in the locker room are handling the pressure of knowing fans expect the team to do more than win a playoff series or two this coming spring. 

Knicks players believe having "expectations" is a "blessing"

"I think as a team, it's a blessing to have expectations and have high standards. It means we're doing something right," Towns explained, according to Colin Martin of SNY. "And last year, we did a lot right. The fans are expecting even more from us with an offseason and another season under our belts with experience and unity and understanding each other. So when we get in those spots in the playoffs, we can find ourselves winning the game."

Last spring, the Knicks completed a journey to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to the Indiana Pacers. While the Knicks won this season's edition of the NBA Cup back in December, some continue to suggest New York isn't as deep as advertised contenders such as the Pistons or the 44-14 Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Additionally, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a massive splash when they acquired veteran star guard James Harden ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month. The 36-22 Cavaliers host the Knicks on Tuesday evening. 

Karl-Anthony Towns sends message to Knicks teammates after win over Bulls

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Knicks fourth among the betting favorites at +360 odds to represent the Eastern Conference in this year's NBA Finals. Towns seemed to send a message to his teammates about such projections following Sunday's result. 

"That's why I'm so adamant about our team staying together, having that continuity, having that unity. Nothing deterring us or dividing us on this team," Towns added during his postgame comments. "It's a special team. We have a special group of guys. For us to win, it's going to take all of us to win a championship. I'm so blessed that I've got these guys in this locker room and I've got my support system, my family, my fiancee that are pushing me to another level even from last year to do what's needed for this team to win. Whether that's to sacrifice more like this year or like in these last two games, if I'm touching the basketball, I got to make the shots. I'm glad I've been able to do that for my teammates, and we're able to win these games."

Towns has now tallied at least 20 points across five consecutive regular-season contests. The Knicks may need more of that type of production from the 30-year-old to get to where they hope to be when the conference portion of the postseason tournament wraps up.