The New York Knicks‘ aspirations of being a legitimate contender have taken a serious hit as they continue to falter against the NBA’s elite. With their latest loss to the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are now 0-7 against the top three teams in the league—Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
Even more concerning is the way they have been losing, as their average margin of defeat in these games stands at a staggering 20.1 points per game, indicating that they are being thoroughly outclassed every time.
The pattern of losses tells a bleak story. Against the Thunder, the Knicks fell 117-107 on January 3rd before being completely blown out 126-101 in their rematch on January 10th.
Cleveland handed them a 110-104 loss back on October 28th, but the real disaster came on February 21st, when the Cavaliers demolished them by 37 points in a 142-105 rout.
Against the Celtics, the trend has been no different. They lost their season opener 132-109 on October 22nd, suffered another crushing defeat 131-104 on February 8th, and then once again came up short with a 118-105 loss on February 23rd.
Despite their strong 37-20 record, which places them third in the Eastern Conference, their inability to compete with the best teams raises serious concerns. Every other team that hopes to make a deep playoff run has at least one victory against the top three.
The Lakers, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Bucks, Mavericks, and Rockets—all teams that are a tier below the elite contenders—have managed to steal a win. Yet, the Knicks have failed to do so, which raises the question: are they truly a contender, or just a good regular-season team that falls apart against the best?
The issue is not their offense, which ranks fourth in the league in offensive rating. The Knicks have plenty of firepower, with Jalen Brunson leading the charge and new additions Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges providing scoring depth. Their problem lies entirely on the defensive end, where they rank a dismal 20th in defensive rating.
This is particularly shocking given that they are coached by Tom Thibodeau, who has built a reputation for instilling elite defensive discipline in every team he has led. In past seasons, the Knicks have consistently been a top-10 defensive team, sometimes even cracking the top five. However, this year, they seem to have lost their identity on that end of the floor.
The defensive struggles could be attributed to the team’s new roster construction. While Towns provides an offensive boost, he has never been known as a strong defender.
Similarly, while Bridges is an excellent perimeter defender, the Knicks still lack the interior toughness and defensive cohesion that has defined Thibodeau’s best teams. If they cannot fix these issues soon, their playoff hopes could be in serious jeopardy.
For a team that was expected to be a legitimate contender after making major offseason moves, their complete inability to compete with the league’s best teams is alarming. With the playoffs approaching, the Knicks will need to figure out how to raise their defensive level, or else they risk being exposed once again when it matters most.
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