The New York Knicks are one of the top teams in the East (and the NBA): 37-19 with a +5.1 net rating that is sixth best in the league. They have the third-best offense in the NBA and had two All-Star Game starters and likely All-NBA players in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, the gap between New York and the two teams above them in the East — Cleveland and Boston — looked Grand Canyon-sized on Friday night when the Cavaliers routed the Knicks 142-105. New York is now 0-4 against the two teams above them in the East, with the average loss by 23.25 points. The Knicks didn’t have an answer for it, as these postgame quotes via Stephon Bondy of the New York Post show.
“You can’t explain it,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m at a loss for words really.”
“Yeah, from the start, I mean, we didn’t set the tone,” backup guard Miles McBride said. “Dunks, in the paint points, kick-out 3s, pick-and-pop 3s. You name it, they did it to us.
“I think every guy on their team, whether they’re coming off the bench or starting, every guy is a threat. And they play that way. So it’s hard to go against them when anybody can break off and go score or they find a mismatch they like and they attack and they’re playing the right way and kicking out.”
It leads to a simple question: Do they stand a chance when the Knicks run into the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs (as things are setting up)?
There’s another test of that Sunday when New York travels to Boston to take on a hot Celtics team.
New York’s problem is defense, and that was evident on Friday. The Knicks are 18th in the league in defense (114.1 defensive rating), which is not the sign of a contender, but in the last 10 games that defense has gotten worse with a 119.3 net rating. Knicks fans are holding out hope that the return of wing OG Anunoby and soon after center Mitchel Robinson can turn the defense into something respectable, but that’s a big ask. The Knicks’ big stars, who have to play heavy minutes, are not great defenders. Brunson is gritty, but he is generously listed as 6’2″, and his size limits his effectiveness in some matchups. Towns has never been a great rim protector in the paint.
The simple truth is that these Knicks may have a ceiling. Cleveland exposed it again on Friday night.
The biggest news from this game could be that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen had to leave the game with a hand injury that could keep him out for a while. Coach Kenny Atkinson said postgame that the X-rays were negative, but an MRI on Saturday will show more. Being without half of their dominant frontline for a stretch of time would be rough, but the 46-10 Cavaliers have built a cushion. They have a six-game lead over the second-seed Celtics.
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