With the NBA regular season concluding in the next few weeks, the New York Knicks find themselves in a peculiar position. Especially considering they’ve just come off three consecutive losses. Their most recent loss came against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They coughed up a monumental, franchise-derailing 23-point lead at Madison Square Garden, completing the self-inflicted implosion with a 108-102 defeat. This loss was a third straight Knicks’ loss. For them, it was much worse than just being a bad loss, as it tied their longest losing streak of the season at the worst possible time.
The Knicks have struggled against top-tier teams, holding an unfavorable record of 0-10 this season against the league’s three 60-win clubs: Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Boston. They’ve dropped all three of their contests against these rivals. This loss is just another blow to the team’s effectiveness as they gear up toward the playoffs. The defeat to the Cavaliers hurt the most. They were without the services of star Donovan Mitchell, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ty Jerome, and reserve wing De’Andre Hunter.
Even without the Knicks’ star center, Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the game, the Knicks looked like they had an early dominant game on their hands. They were up 48-25 just three minutes into the second quarter. Throughout the game, Cleveland clawed its way back until they came within striking distance. In the fourth quarter they outscored New York 30-16, fueled by a brilliant showing from All-Star Darius Garland.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t shy away from the fact that they needed to turn things around and fast before the playoffs begin.
“We need to get into a rhythm for the playoffs, and we need to have that urgency,” – Tom Thibodeau
Additionally, the Knicks have been battling well even in their recent losses. This is a huge improvement from the previous beatdowns they took to Cleveland and Boston. This reality casts a ray of optimism. It propels their optimism as they gear up for the first-seeded Cavalier’s first-round playoff dance with the six-seeded Detroit Pistons.
“We’ve got to get it fixed, and we’ve got to get it fixed fast.”
Players expressed confidence that their week off prior to the playoffs would allow them to regroup and address their recent struggles. As Josh Hart said of their promise potential even in the wake of the past two losses.
After Friday’s loss, the Knicks spent about a half-hour in the proverbial locker room preparing for Saturday night’s opponent, Detroit. Jalen Brunson was adamant about the business that had to be taken care of before they started looking ahead to the Pistons.
“Even not being at full strength, we were capable of winning each of those games,” – Josh Hart
The results meant New York clinched the East’s No. 3 seed. This opening round matchup would pit them against a Detroit Pistons team that has made some huge strides this season. The Knicks will have to figure out their recent trend if they want to go deep into the playoffs.
“We can talk about [Detroit] once we get through all 82 games,” – Jalen Brunson
New York secured the East’s No. 3 seed, which affords them a matchup with a Pistons team that has shown notable improvement this season. The Knicks will need to rectify their recent performance if they hope to advance deep into the playoffs.
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