Welcome to part VIII of the Knicks Pulse Check! Where we update the fans with the continuing trends of the New York Knicks.
After 82 games, our New York Knicks are the two-seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. And what a ride it’s been. Of course, the cardiac Knicks season came down to a gutsy overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Orlando Magic also helped the cause by beating the Milwaukee Bucks, who are seemingly limping into this postseason.
All that said, the focus now shifts to the Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA’s play-in tournament featured a great matchup featuring the Miami Heat and the 76ers. The Knicks will host the 76ers this Saturday at Madison Square Garden for game one of the first round of the playoffs. More on that matchup a bit later.
Through all the ups and downs, the trades, the injuries, the Knicks managed to make the postseason for the second straight season, and for the third time in four seasons under head coach Tom Thibodeau. Our last check-in with the advanced metrics shows that the Knicks are ranked fifth in net-rating (up one spot from last check-in), seventh in offensive rating (up six spots from last check-in), and ninth in defensive rating (down two spots from last check-in). During the final 12 games of the season, the Knicks jumped six spots in offensive rating to finish ranked seventh in the NBA.
This final stretch included victories against the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, and the top-ranked Boston Celtics.
March 25th – April 14th: 8-4, Overall Record: 50-32, 2nd place in the Eastern Conference
A Look Back
The 2023-2024 Knicks started off 2-4. There was a significant stretch of the season where they played without at least three-to-four starters that were injured. OG Anunoby missed time, Isaiah Hartenstein missed time, Mitchell Robinson missed time, Julius Randle missed time, and eventually opted for season-ending surgery. And through it all, Jalen Marquis Brunson put this team on his back and carried them to a top-seed and home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
It’s hard to quantify just how much Brunson means to this franchise. Over the final 20 games of the season, JB scored 30 or more points 12 times, including an unforgettable 61-point performance in a loss against the San Antonio Spurs. Via Statmuse, in 33 games without Randle, Brunson averaged 31.5 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, and 3.3 rebounds per game. When you factor in the fact that Brunson has seen every type of defensive coverage—blitzing pick-and-rolls, having bigger wings guard him without the safety net of Randle as the secondary scorer—his production becomes even more impressive.
Brunson’s performances finally elevated himself into MVP conversations. Per NBA.com, Brunson finished the season 8th in the NBA MVP Ladder behind names like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum. Regardless of your fandom, even a neutral supporter has to agree that the former Villanova star has to be a lock for an All-NBA second team selection, and first-team is possible, too. I could (and will) make an argument that Brunson should be given strong consideration over fellow Eastern Conference player Jayson Tatum, especially with all the injuries the Knicks dealt with this past season.
With all that said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight OG Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo, and Isaiah Hartenstein for their contributions. By now, everyone and their mother has heard the impressive stat that the Knicks are 20-3 since trading for Anunoby. Divo set both single-game and single-season franchise records for three-point shooting after canning 11 threes against Detroit and 283 threes overall this year. Hartenstein held down the fort when Robinson got injured, and somehow morphed into one of the best centers in the league on both ends of the court. Brunson may have been the engine of the ship, but OG, Divo, and IHart all took turns keeping this vessel above water when things didn’t always look so good.
No Fear and a Look Ahead
If the majority of your teenage years overlapped with the early 2000s, chances are you came across the incredibly corny and generic slogans printed across clothing from the brand “No Fear.” I’ll admit, I had one: probably a shirt with something along the lines of “Face your fears, live your dreams – No Fear” printed on the back. Thought-provoking stuff, really. But in a weird way, this is exactly how I feel the Knicks’ philosophy needs to be for this particular playoff run.
NBA Twitter didn’t hold back when some felt that the Cleveland Cavaliers intentionally tanked in the last game of the season to avoid playing either the Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers in their first found matchup. To be fair, there were some Knicks fans who wanted to avoid those same teams, but it’s a mindset that cannot be endorsed or shared by any fan this time around. That type of thinking belonged to the fan stricken with PTSD from previous Knicks teams and regimes that expected Murphy’s Law to follow their beloved orange and blue in any situation.
But this version of the Knicks makes their own luck. Leon Rose, Tom Thibodeau, and Brunson have cemented themselves as the holy trinity, poised to face any challenge in their way. And that’s the way it should be. Personally, I wanted the Miami Heat. I wanted revenge from last season and I think they’re a dragon that needed to be slayed, but there’s no reason to fear a 76ers’ squad with a Joel Embiid that doesn’t look fully healthy.
The Knicks are ready. Madison Square Garden will be ready. Fans need to embrace high expectations and enjoy the ride. There’s no room for doubt on this ship.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below! Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. Subscribe to the newsletter for KFTV content and events, shop discounts, and more at bit.ly/kftvmail. And in case you missed it, check out our Knicks vs. Sixers Game 1 preview.
