On Friday they played the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, and two days later had a date in Boston with the Celtics. The Knicks went into the matchups a combined 0-3 this season versus the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. Adding their 0-2 record versus the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder, which were 46-11 before meeting up with the Nets in Brooklyn last night, the Knicks were 0-5 against the squads with the league’s three best records.
By late Sunday afternoon, they were 0-7. The Cavaliers trounced the Knicks 142-105 and the Celtics handled them relatively easily, winning by a comfortable score of 118-105. While the Knicks were a sturdy 37-20, No. 3 in the East, and tied for the fourth fewest losses in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies when the league’s schedule tipped off last night, the gap between them and the teams at the top of the basketball food chain seems vast. The Cavaliers were 48-10 and the Celtics 42-16.
The Knicks still have 24 more regular season games over the next six and a half weeks to level up and close the measurable gaps that reveal the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder as championship contenders and themselves not on the same rung in this season’s hierarchy. They are brainstorming for answers as to how to elevate to that echelon but have yet to come up with a successful formula.
“You can’t explain it,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson following the loss to the Cavaliers. “I’m at a loss for words.”
After falling behind by 27 points to the Celtics on Sunday but fighting back to cut the score to 89-85 Boston early in the fourth quarter, the Knicks affirmed the need for consistent effort and intensity. The primary issue when facing the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder has been defensive flaws. In the seven losses, they have given up an average of 125 points per game.
“Where I said from the beginning of the season: We’re a work in progress,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns on Sunday in Boston. “We’re going to be a work in progress all year until the day we step into the postseason.”
The Knicks are hoping the impending return of center Mitchell Robinson, which could be tomorrow versus the Memphis Grizzlies on the road, will strengthen them on the defensive end and provide much needed size in the paint. Robinson has been out since undergoing left ankle surgery last May.
The Knicks will play the Heat in Miami on Sunday and be back at Madison Square Garden to host the Golden State Warriors next Tuesday before going on a five-game, 10-day West Coast road trip.