The Knicks have only played six games, but the early grumbling started fast after a 2-4 opening. That kind of reaction misses the bigger picture, especially for a team that just went through a deep run and now has to reset and climb again.
Coach Mike Brown put it plainly over the weekend in a conversation with Jared Schwartz of the NY Post: "It’s like climbing a mountain. We’re climbing a mountain as a team and we conquer the mountain, then you got to come back down, take some time off, then you got to climb another mountain.
It’s the same thing,” Brown said. "And when you climb that mountain the second time, you’re starting from base camp again.
And if you skip steps doing that, you’re going to die. It’s not that tragic for us.
When you’re sitting at 2-4, people equate it to that sometimes, but it’s the same thing, taking each step the right way and embracing it and trying to get a little better."
The next chance to take a step comes against the Brooklyn Nets, who just picked up their first win of the season by beating a banged-up Pacers team 98-90 last night. The game comes on the second night of a back-to-back, but that hardly changes the temperature of a borough matchup. Julius Randle and the rest of the Knicks are expected to treat it like a big one.
Brooklyn has been exactly the kind of opponent New York has wanted to see. Since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving left town, the Knicks have beaten the Nets 13 straight times, winning those games by an average of 16 points. For a while now, the matchup has been the Knicks’ easiest fix.
The bigger issue for New York has been how it has started games. The Knicks have been slow out of the gate, then leaned on the late-game push they’ve used so often before. That approach has come with sloppier play than usual, especially in the turnover department, and the ball movement hasn’t looked as crisp.
James Edwards of The Athletic reported that the Knicks are averaging 9.2 shots per game with seven-to-four seconds left on the shot clock, which ranked fifth in the league as of Saturday morning. They are hitting just 28.3 percent of those shots, which ranks 29th.
Brown was blunt after the 98-93 loss in Philadelphia: “We have too many guys trying to iso, and the other four guys are sitting there staring at the ball for a whole possession, and we're burping up bad shots”
The schedule ahead gives the Knicks a chance to clean things up quickly. Their next stretch includes 11 games between now and Thanksgiving Eve, and the slate is lighter than it looks: New York has the 28th-hardest schedule in the league, only two back-to-backs, and all four games in those back-to-backs are at Madison Square Garden.
That run includes home games against Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Portland and Indiana, with the Pacers set to be without Tyrese Haliburton. The road portion sends the Knicks to Cleveland, Indiana and Minnesota, where Anthony Edwards will be out, before back-to-back games in Toronto against a Raptors team without Kawhi Leonard.
If the Knicks handle that stretch, the rough start won’t amount to much. For now, though, the cleanest way to get back on track is right in front of them, against the Nets.
In Other News...
Knicks Keep Getting The Same Jordan Clarkson Question
Jordan Clarkson has already become one of the more curious rotation stories around the Knicks this season. In limited minutes, he has flashed the kind of impact that shows up in the numbers, including a strong plus-minus and net rating, and he gave the team a real lift in a win over the Bulls with 18 points in 17 minutes. Even so, his overall workload has stayed light, with his role still far smaller than the production he has shown in spurts.
For a Knicks team still trying to find consistency, that has kept the same question hanging over the bench: how much more should Clarkson be playing? The coaching staff has been careful with his usage, and the answer has not changed much even as his minutes have been productive. Until that shifts, every strong outing is likely to renew the debate about whether the Knicks are leaving something on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Kolek Is Running Out Of Time To Claim Knicks Role
Tyler Kolek has gotten a real chance to make his case with the Knicks while Jose Alvarado has been sidelined by an ankle injury, and the early returns have been encouraging in the areas New York needed most. His ball control has looked better, and he has handled more playmaking responsibilities with a steadier hand, giving the coaching staff a glimpse of what he can offer beyond simply filling minutes.
The problem is that the margin for error is still thin. Koleks shooting numbers remain a concern, and Mike Brown has made it clear he leans toward veterans and three-and-D pieces once the roster is whole again. For Kolek, the path to sticking in the rotation now comes down to whether the scoring side of his game can catch up before the Knicks have to make a more permanent decision. [Read more 🡒]
New York Playoff Game Ended With A Finish Fans Still Can't Believe
A New York playoff game ended with the kind of finish that gets replayed for years, as Whitesboro stunned Carthage on the final play with a sequence that unfolded in a blur. The winning drive featured a tipped pass, a catch by Landon Pearsall and then a lateral to Connor McDonald, who took it the rest of the way for the touchdown that flipped the game at the horn.
The score sent Whitesboro into the next round of the playoffs, where Auburn awaits, but the ending is what has kept the game in the spotlight. The play spread quickly on social media, and for anyone who saw it live, it was the sort of chaotic, improbable finish that is hard to process even after the highlight has been slowed down and replayed. [Read more 🡒]