The answer to the New York Knicks’ defensive woes may lie in a simple concept: trist the players to step up in one-on-one situations.
The New York Knicks’ most impressive and stunning victory of the year came against the San Antonio Spurs one Feb. 12. The Knicks won this game by playing tenacious defense that held the league’s fifth-most efficient offense to 90 points on 36.3 percent shooting.
While this doesn’t happen often at Madison Square Garden, it could be a sign of things to come. The answer to New York’s defensive woes may lie in an absurd concept. The trick is that the Knicks need not focus on help defense.
Instead, they could limit ball movement by sticking to their man at all times and forcing isolation offense.
New York’s roster has competent perimeter defensive players like Courtney Lee, Justin Holiday, and Lance Thomas. But their skills lie in one-on-one situations. They can alter their defense to maximize the opportunities for those players to showcase their individual talents.
Against the Spurs, the Knicks were able do just that. New York let Kawhi Leonard score 36 points, in doing this, New York forced San Antonio out of its offensive flow. They forced one player to score each and every time down the court, causing stagnation in the Spurs’ offense.
It also disrupted the pass-heavy offense San Antonio uses, and only three Spurs reached double-digit scoring.
The Knicks’ offense is regularly bogged down by one-on-one play and it has translated to a lack of offensive innovation. So why not force other teams into the same situation?
Scoring consistently down the stretch of games is a trying task that few in NBA history have achieved.
If it worked against the Spurs, it could work against anyone. Well, except that team in Golden State, maybe not them. Not many teams have players capable of creating shots down the stretch of games; this is an aspect of the lower-tier teams the Knicks need to take advantage of.
In New York’s first 10 games after the All-Star break, they face the Orlando Magic twice, the 76ers twice, the Bucks, the Pistons, and the Nets.
Those seven games are absolute must-wins for New York. The Knicks can win those games if they follow the blueprint created by their victory against the Spurs.
The Bucks are in a bad spot after losing second leading scorer Jabari Parker for the year. The 76ers are 4-7 in their last 11 games without Joel Embiid. Embiid could be back for the Knicks games, but is currently out with a knee injury.
The Magic have only won two games in their last 11 contests, and the Nets are 9-45 and have only won once in their last 13 games.
This is a vital stretch for the Knicks, which are only 3.5 games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Every game should be seen as a must-win for New York. On Feb. 15, the Knicks take on the Thunder in their last game before the All-Star Break. This game is vital for the Knicks’ second half turnaround.
With tenacious defense and consistent pass-heavy offense, the Knicks could make a run after the All-Star break.
This season has been full of drama and on-court issues. Despite the drama, the Knicks are on the edge of the playoff picture. A second half playoff run would be a shining example of resiliency through adversity.
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The 2016-17 New York Knicks have a chance to shock the world and sneak into the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2013.