New York Knicks: Believe it or not, the culture is changing

The New York Knicks may have blown a big lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but this isn’t the team you’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

The New York Knicks of 2017-18 aren’t the New York Knicks of 2016-17. No matter how many games this team wins, the Knicks are in a better position today than they were as recently as two months ago.

Blowing a 23-point lead is never easy to process, but there’s an undeniable truth that Knicks fans must acknowledge: The culture is finally changing.

Win or lose, the Knicks are playing a competitive brand of basketball that hasn’t been present in quite some time. They aren’t engaging in three-point wars or isolation battles, but instead playing as a team and devoting their minds and bodies to excellence on both ends of the floor.

That isn’t a verbal commitment that comes without substance, either; the Knicks have wholeheartedly committed Jeff Hornacek’s system in 2017-18.

That alone is a complete 180° from where New York was at this time last season.

For those who forget, Kristaps Porzingis criticized the 2016-17 Knicks of getting by on their talent—and he did so during their recent string of success. Weeks before it occurred, Porzingis predicted the implosion that caused New York to miss the playoffs with a postseason-caliber roster.

Regardless of whom one blames for this reality, the Knicks never truly committed to a system on either end of the floor in 2016-17, and they paid dearly because of it.

In 2017-18, coach Hornacek has the Knicks playing as a team on both offense and defense. There have been signs of inconsistency, but that’s to be expected of a team that’s only played 13 regular season games together.

While it may currently be difficult to put a full four quarters together, New York is showing flashes of long-term potential—something it hasn’t possessed in at least four years.

Rather than evaluating established talent, fans can now watch younger contributors grow into the stars and impact players that they’re capable of becoming. That’s a product of New York’s front office and coaching staff developing a long-term line of thinking.

Instead of using wins and losses as the lone barometer for success, the Knicks are staying true to a formula. Whether or not said approach secures a victory, Hornacek is trusting that his rotations and schemes will eventually pay off if the players remain focused.

Thus far, it’s been a wise decision. New York is 7-6. More importantly, it’s flashing the potential of a consistently successful team.

Polarizing an approach as it may be in the short-term, this pursuit of sustainable success has the Knicks in a better place.

Beyond the system is the undeniable fact that New York is beginning to create a culture. For a team like the Knicks, that goes beyond knowing how and when to execute within the construct of the scheme.

That means playing with toughness, persistence, and a genuine commitment to the player lined up next to you.

Against the Cavaliers, both Enes Kanter and Courtney Lee stood up for rookie Frank Ntilikina against LeBron James. Yet, before either player could arrive, Ntilikina had already established that he wasn’t going to be bullied by James.

Forgive me if this sounds hyperbolic, but one could argue that it was the first time since 2013 that Madison Square Garden had hosted a Knicks team with a pulse.

That in no way guarantees future success, but the New York Knicks are already closer to creating a culture in 2017-18 than they were at any point of the 2016-17 season. The players are buying in, and the front office has open lines of communication with the coaching staff.

Perhaps most importantly: After years of feuding between Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson, the Knicks are finally taking their frustrations out on the opposition.

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The Garden may not be Eden just yet, but the New York Knicks are as close as they’ve been in years to resurrecting the long dormant culture.