The New York Knicks have had success under head coach Tom Thibodeau. However, they were often the scrappy underdog who was just happy to be there. The front office decided to make some major changes to the roster. Mikal Bridges was brought over from the Brooklyn Nets, and the team then acquired Karl-Anthony Town from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Knicks are now a top-three seed in the East and had a chance to get a statement victory against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, they got blown out and Thibodeau pleaded for more resolve from this team in the postgame press conference.
New York Knicks Tom Thibodeau On The 37-Point Loss
The 142-105 loss was the worst loss in the Tom Thibodeau era. The last time the New York Knicks lost by at least 37 points was back in 2019, one day before coach David Fizdale was fired. Cleveland came out firing, scoring 77 points in the first half and 41 in the first quarter. From there, the Cavaliers were able to coast to victory. Thibodeau lamented the lack of resolve he was seeing in his team.
“Just can’t give in, and that’s the biggest thing. You can’t allow anything to break you. You got to have the mental toughness to get through things. And so, there’s got to be a lot more resolve, particularly on the road against the team that is this good, you know?”
In today’s NBA, no lead is safe. The three-point shot makes no lead insurmountable. However, teams have to have the resolve to believe they are never out of a game. The New York Knicks checked out at halftime. There didn’t seem to be any fight. To be fair, the team was on the second night of a back-to-back, and the game against the Bulls went into overtime. Players may have been tired and gotten caught flat-footed. It happens in the NBA. However, this continues to be a concerning trend for the Knicks.
Concerning Trend
The New York Knicks have the fourth-best record in the NBA. That is really good, but they have struggled against the top teams. Against the three teams ahead of them, the Cavaliers, the Thunder, and the Celtics, they are 0-6. They aren’t just losing. They are getting the doors blown off of them. New York has been outscored by a total of 128 points in those six games. If the Knicks are going to make it to the NBA Finals, they have to figure out how to keep games against the top teams competative.
The defense is the most concerning aspect of the team. This seems odd from a Tom Thibodeau-coached team, as the defense has often been his calling card. However, the Knicks rank 18th in defensive rating. This is the second-worst amongst the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference (Indiana). In the past few years, we have seen very few teams do well in the playoffs with a below-average defense. There is still time to fix the issue but they need to figure it out fast.
Final Thoughts
The New York Knicks are a fun team to watch. Towns is having the best season of his career and put up huge stats again last night. Jalen Brunson has continued his rise to be one of the best guards in the NBA. The team has dealt with injuries, but players are getting healthy. Can the Knicks make a run this season in the Eastern Conference?
