The New York Knicks are in a great position entering the All-Star break with a 36-18 record. However, Wednesday night’s overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks exposed major defensive problems.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was displeased with the Knicks’ defensive performance against the Hawks
Although the Knicks were playing without OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, their two best defenders, New York had virtually no way to stop Atlanta’s high-powered offense led by Trae Young, and it took Georges Niang missing a wide-open corner three at the buzzer in overtime for the Knicks to avoid a massive collapse.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith – who proclaims himself as a Knicks fan – was upset with the way that team performed defensively. He expressed his displeasure with head coach Tom Thibodeau for the lack of defensive intensity during Thursday’s episode of First Take.
“Where is their identity?” Smith asked. “The story of the game is that they gave up 148 points. A Tom Thibodeau team has given up 148 points. Where’s Tom Thibodeau at? This ain’t the Tom Thibodeau I know and love.”
To support Smith’s take, the Knicks have struggled defensively this season, which is very uncharacteristic for a Thibodeau-led team. Karl-Anthony Towns has been the team’s primary center, and while he has dominated offensively, he hasn’t provided the elite interior rim protection that the Knicks have had the luxury of having at their disposal in recent years.
The Knicks deserve more credit for finding ways to win
Giving up 148 points to any team is never acceptable, but what should be looked at more is that despite them without their top defensive players and allowing that many points, they were still able to come away with the win because of their relentless offense led by Towns and Jalen Brunson. The offense is what has them in a great position to contend in the Eastern Conference.
It’s important to note that while the Knicks do have a ton of talent on paper, they are still a brand new team who are progressively building chemistry as the season goes on. There have been glimpses where it looks like everyone is in sync and other times where they appear to be lost on both sides of the ball.
Newly constructed teams go through growing pains as such, and the Knicks are currently in a position where many would consider this season successful. Some problems stand out with this team and that need to be corrected come playoff time, but the reality is that New York is trending in the right direction and finding ways to win despite their flaws, which is an encouraging sign for when those areas improve.