Regular Seasons Matter

All throughout the 2022-23 regular season, the New York Rangers were a model of inconsistency. There were moments when they looked like the best team in the NHL, and then there were moments when they looked like a lottery team. And the most frustrating thing about them was you couldn't tell which Rangers team was going to show up: the world beater or the bottom feeder. Despite having arguably the most talented roster in franchise history - and that includes the '94 Cup team - the Blusher's finished in the third place in the Metropolitan division.

The players, for their part, didn't seem overly concerned. They were convinced that once the playoffs started, they would sort it all out. And who could blame them? After all, they made it to the Eastern Conference finals the year before. Who were we to question their strategy? 

Well we all know what happened. The Devils wound up beating the Rangers in the first round and Gerard Gallant was fired as head coach. The moral of the story was that regular seasons matter. The inconsistencies that plague teams during the regular season don't miraculously vanish once the postseason starts. There's no switch teams can throw that automatically catapults them to another level. You either have it or you don't. That year it was clear the Rangers didn't have it and they paid dearly for it.

Fast forward to 2025-26. The New York Knicks have had more ups and downs than a bipolar patient at Bellevue. A 23-9 start, followed by a 2-9 skid, followed by an eight-game win streak. They've beaten such teams as the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets and the L.A. Lakers, and they've also lost to the likes of the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings. At times they resemble title contenders; at others they resemble the sort of team Adam Silver was referring to when he addressed the issue of tanking in the NBA.

Sound familiar? It should. 

Like that Rangers team three years ago, this Knicks team is one of the most talented in franchise history. Indeed, you have to go all the way back to the Red Holzman era of the early 1970s to find a more talented roster. But as they used to say in Manhattan, that and a subway token will get you a ride on the 7th Avenue Express. If talent was all you needed, the Rangers would have at least four more championship banners hanging in the rafters at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks would have at least two more. 

The truth is what you do in the regular season follows you into the playoffs. If you are inconsistent during the regular season, you are most likely going to be inconsistent in the playoffs. Even if we go back to last year's postseason run, the Knicks had to come from behind seven times: three against the Pistons, three against the Celtics and one against the Pacers. And in two of those comeback wins against the Celtics they were trailing by 20 points. They also had without question the worst fourth-quarter collapse in NBA history against the Pacers in game one of the Eastern Conference finals. As good as the Knicks have been under Leon Rose these last four seasons, they have been equally frustrating to watch.

Case in point: After routing the Sixers in Philly 138-89, the Knicks were manhandled by the Pistons at the Garden 126-111, needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Rockets 108-106, almost blew a game they had no business losing to the Bulls in Chicago 105-99, and scored a paltry 11 points in the third quarter of a 109-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

While they went 2-2, they could easily have gone 0-4. Like I said, frustrating. The sad thing is when the Knicks play with a sense of urgency, they can beat almost anybody; when they don't, they are capable of losing to almost anybody. And that dichotomy is the single biggest concern I have about their prospects in the postseason. Which Knicks team is going to show up in April? If it's the former, they have a shot of getting back to the conference finals, maybe even the finals; if it's the latter, they could be eliminated in the first round.

Now to be fair, you could say the same thing about any playoff team in the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB. The annals of sports history are filled with talented teams that failed in the postseason. But for a franchise that last celebrated a championship during the Nixon administration, it's an ominous warning; one that Mike Brown would do well to heed.

The first-year head coach was hired specifically to fix the shortcomings this Knicks team had under Tom Thibodeau. So far, it's been a mixed bag. There's no doubt that bench scoring has gone up under Brown. Last season, it averaged 21.7 points per game; this season, it's averaging 31.5 points per game. Brown has also increased the  number of players in the rotation. Last season, the running joke was that Thibs wouldn't use nine players in a baseball game; this season, Brown has utilized as many as eleven. 

That isn't the only improvement under Brown. Last season, the Knicks defensive rating was 115.3 (11th best in the NBA); this season, it's 114 (9th best); and over the last 16 games, it's 105.7 (first overall). Obviously, whatever struggles the Knicks are having do not appear to be affecting their defense. In the loss to Cleveland, they held a Cavs team that is averaging just under 120 points per game to 109 points, 74 over the last three quarters.

So what exactly is the problem? Despite the increase in scoring from the bench, the starting five has had a hard time "figuring out" Brown's system. Karl-Anthony Towns in particular has struggled the most. It's no secret that when Rose traded for KAT in the summer of '24 he was not getting the second coming of Bill Russell. The Knicks needed a center who could score and score he did. In his first year on Broadway, Towns averaged 24.4 points per game and 42 percent from three-point range. This season, he's averaging 20 points per game and 36.7 percent from three.

But it isn't just his overall production that's slipped; it's his involvement in the offense. Against the Cavs, he took only five shots the entire game. To put that in perspective, Mitchell Robinson took six. By no means was this the first time KAT went MIA. Against the Celtics earlier this month, he went 3-9 for 11 points; against the Raptors in January, he went 3-11 for 8 points; against the Sixers, he went 2-4 for 10 points before fouling out; and in New York's first game against Detroit, he went 1-4 for 6 points. 

There's no getting around it, the Knicks need their all-star center if they have any hope of going deep in the playoffs. Forget about the Pistons, without a productive Towns, they'd have a hard time beating the Orlando Magic. Brown has to find a way to get him unlocked or this season of high expectations will go up in smoke.

And not just Towns. Mikal Bridges was supposed to be the biggest beneficiary in Brown's system. But that hasn't been the case. He's averaging 15.7 points per game this season, down two from last season. We're way past whether he was worth the five draft picks Rose gave up for him. Bridges, like KAT, must get more involved in the offense.

Look, it's not too late. There are 23 games left in the regular season, more than enough time for the Knicks and their head coach to "figure out" what's wrong and to fix it. But one thing's for certain: talent alone won't save them.

Knicks At the All-Star Break

The New York Knicks entered the All-Star break in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-20, a half game behind the Boston Celtics and six games behind the Detroit Pistons. They are 10-2 over their last 12 games; the two losses coming at the hands of the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers. 

During this recent stretch, the Knicks have beaten the Philadelphia 76ers (twice), the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets and the Celtics - all playoff teams. They've allowed an average of 101 points per game while scoring an average of 118.5 points per game. Their defensive rating of 102.9 and offensive rating of 120.7 are tops in the league. They won the NBA Cup in December, and are widely viewed as the deepest and most talented team in the East.

And yet even with all that, their toughest opponent remains the Pistons. In the two losses against Detroit, New York was outscored 239 to 170. That's a difference of 69 points, making Thursday night's game at the Garden as close to a must win as the Knicks will have this season.

Leon Rose has done a masterful job assembling this roster. His acquisition of Jose Alvarado at the trade deadline and the signing of Jeremy Sochan a few days later has made the Knicks a formidable contender; one that, in my opinion, is capable of beating almost any team in their conference; emphasis on almost. 

Let me be clear: these Pistons are not the Celtics of last season. That team lived, and eventually died, with the three pointer. This Detroit team doesn't beat you from the perimeter; they beat you in the paint. They're about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. To quote from my last piece, "It's no secret that they are the most penalized team in the NBA; when they foul you, you know you've been fouled." They didn't just beat the Knicks; they mauled them.

Which is why it's essential that the Knicks win this game. If nothing else, they need to prove to themselves that this Pistons team is beatable; that they're not the second coming of that infamous Bad Boys team of the late '80s and early '90s. Waiting until the Eastern Conference finals to do it could prove fatal to their championship aspirations.

There's another reason why this game is so essential for the Knicks to win. They need to plant a seed of doubt into the collective conscience of a Pistons team that, ever since they lost to them in the playoffs last season, has been chomping at the bit to get even. They and their fans have been running their mouths all season long. It would be nice to shut those mouths, if only for a couple of days.

And finally, there are the standings to consider. While New York currently sits in third place, they are only one game ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Like the Knicks, the Cavs have been hot, winning nine of their last ten games. Should the Knicks finish the regular season in fourth place, they would face the Pistons in the second round. But if they finish in second or third place, their likely opponent in the second round would be the Celtics. If I were the Knicks, I'd much rather face Detroit in the conference finals than in the second round. 

Look, can the Knicks still beat the Pistons in the playoffs if they lose to them Thursday night? Yes, but it will be a lot more difficult. 

Nick Saban once said that success can become "addictive." The same is true for failure.

The Pistons Present a Real Problem for the Knicks

I suppose after winning eight in a row, it was inevitable that the Knicks would lay an egg. And last night in Motown they laid a beaut: a 118-80 drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. The only bright spot was that coach Mike Brown was able to rest his starters in the fourth quarter. Actually, he could've pulled them at half time.

There will be those who will be tempted to dismiss this loss, arguing that with Karl-Anthony Towns, O.G. Anunoby and Deuce McBride out with injuries, the Knicks were shorthanded. The problem with that argument is that all three players were on the court a month ago when they got smoked by this very same Pistons team, which I would point out was missing its number one center Jalen Duren last night. 

Then there will be those who will point out, perhaps with some validity, that regular season games don't mean all that much. After all, the Knicks went 0-4 against the Boston Celtics during the regular season last year and look what happened in the playoffs. That is certainly true, but I would counter that the Celtics were a flawed team that had become over reliant on the three, and it finally came back to bite them against the Knicks. 

This Pistons team has no discernible flaws. True, they're not the Chicago Bulls of the '90s, or the L.A. Lakers of the '80s; hell, they're not even as talented as the Knicks. But, pound for pound, they are the toughest team in the NBA to play against. They pushed the Knicks to six games in last year's playoffs and they are more than capable of beating them in this year's playoffs. 

What is it about this Pistons team that makes them such a dangerous opponent for the Knicks? In a word, it's their size. They are big and they play big. If they wore skates, they'd be the Philadelphia Flyers of the '70s. They aren't merely content with beating their opponents; they want to send a message: enter the paint at your own peril. It's no secret that they are the most penalized team in the NBA; when they foul you, you know you've been fouled. No slap on the wrist or tug on the jersey. Your ass is on the court. To quote Eddie Murphy from 48 Hours, "Did that hurt? It looked real painful from here."

Much as I applaud Leon Rose for not gutting the team to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, and for acquiring Jose Alvarado at the trade deadline, the failure to add size in the front court could come back to haunt him in the postseason. What good is having another ball handler on the bench when your starters are getting mauled by a more physically dominant opponent? And don't kid yourself; while Cade Cunningham is one of the most talented guards in the league, the majority of his teammates would make the Broad Street Bullies blush with pride.

Barring an early round upset, the prohibitive favorites to advance to the NBA finals will likely have to go through Detroit to get there. And that's a problem because everything the Knicks do well, the Pistons excel at preventing. Beating the Celtics last year came down to making adjustments, especially in the fourth quarter. But how do you adjust for height and weight? 

In the late 1980s and early '90s, the NBA was forced to endure a reign of terror. A Pistons team led by the likes Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman ran rough shot all over their opponents. The infamous fight between Laimbeer and Larry Bird in game three of the '87 Eastern Conference finals remains to this day a stain on the sport. There are parallels between that Pistons team and this one; parallels that the league - and especially the Knicks - would do well to take notice of.

In the 1990s, New York was one of the best teams in the NBA. But their Kryptonite was the Chicago Bulls. No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't beat them. This Knicks team is also one of the best in the NBA. Will the Pistons end up being their Kryptonite, or will they find a way to beat them and hopefully put an end to a 53 year-old curse?

Don't Do It, Leon

“You're never as good as you think you are when you win; and you're never as bad as you feel when you lose.”

― Joe Paterno

This has certainly been one of the strangest Knicks seasons we've seen in a very long time. A 23-9 start that had fans thinking championship; followed by a 2-9 skid that had them jumping off a bridge; and now a 6-0 streak that has them giddy all over again. There are roller coasters that have less excitement. 

While it remains to be seen whether these last six games are indicative of who they are as a team, there are some very encouraging signs that this latest win streak just might be the real deal. 

For instance, their average margin of victory has been an impressive 23.6 points. True, one of those wins came against the lowly Nets. But even if you subtract that game, the margin is still 17.6 points. To put that in perspective, last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had an NBA best 12.9 point differential while going 68-14.

Secondly, their defensive effort during this stretch has been simply off the charts. They've allowed an NBA low 91.8 points per game. Conversely, during their 2-9 skid, they allowed 119.8 points per game. A dramatic turnaround. 

And lastly, Karl Anthony Towns has become a new man. The 7-0 center had been struggling this season to find an identity in Mike Brown's system. Over the last three games, he appears to have found it. Check out his slash line below:

@ Tor: 8 points / 22 rebounds / 0 PF / +19 

vs Por: 14 points / 20 rebounds / 1 PF/ +17 

vs LAL: 11 points / 13 rebounds / 3 PF/ +23

That averages out to 11 points / 18.3 rebounds / 1.3 PF / +19.7 per game. It's those last two stats that jump off the page. During his tenure with the Knicks, KAT has been known for getting into early foul trouble and being a sieve on defense. Before these last three games, he was averaging 3.7 personal fouls and a plus 3.58 per game this season. If Towns can keep up this pace, the Knicks will be very difficult to beat in the playoffs.

Which brings me to the number one topic on everyone's mind: Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

I have been adamant that unless Leon Rose can convince the Milwaukee Bucks to accept KAT straight up for Giannis, he should just walk away. Now I'm convinced that even if the Bucks agree to a swap, Rose should still walk away. And for two reasons: One, the Knicks need a shutdown center who can score. Much as I love Mitchell Robinson, there's no guarantee he will be available every game, and even when he is, he's a liability offensively. Secondly, and I cannot stress this enough, Giannis is injury prone. He's had four calf injuries over the last 19 months; two of them non-contact. Imagine trading one or more of your best players at the deadline for a player who gets injured right before the playoffs begin.

And even if Giannis is healthy, I still don't get all the hoopla over him. True, he's a dominant player in the paint, but from the perimeter, he's anything but. Compare and contrast his career stats with Nikola Jokic. 

Antetokounmpo:

Jokic:

There's no comparison. Now if the Denver Nuggets ever call up the Knicks offering to trade Jokic to them, the first words out of Rose's mouth should be, "pick any three players not named Jalen Brunson and I'll send a private jet to pick him up."

But I seriously doubt the Nuggets will be calling anytime soon. Would you? Me neither.

So why would the Bucks be willing to trade Giannis? Teams only trade their stars when they conclude that they can no longer win with them. And if the Bucks no longer believe they can win with Giannis, why would the Knicks believe they can? Why on Earth would they want an injury-prone power forward that, since he last won a championship in 2021, has exactly one playoff series win in the last four seasons?

And then there are the players to consider. Think about the effect Giannis will have on a Knicks locker room that was two wins away from its first finals appearance since 1999. This isn't Mark Messier in '94; not even close.

I’ve been watching the NBA since the ‘70s. I’ve seen the greats like Julius, Walton, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Barkley, Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Steph, KD and Joker. With all due respect to Giannis, he doesn't belong in that group. Great players make other players around them better, like LeBron did with the Cleveland Cavaliers and KD almost did with the Nets.

I've seen this movie before: New York team - fill in the blank - trades for an established star to put it over the top. It never ends well.

Here's the bottom line: Rose either believes in this team or he doesn't. If he does, he needs to let it cook. If they fail to make it to the finals, he can always revisit Giannis over the summer, assuming he's still available. 

Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make.