New York Knicks approaching a 2017-18 turning point
The New York Knicks are 17-15 through 32 games, but a turning point is looming. The Knicks will begin the most trying stretch of the season on Christmas.
The New York Knicks were tied for 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Despite a complicated triangle offense, the ball was always flowing pretty smoothly. The defense wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too shabby in specific situations.
The team was seemingly starting to mesh together, especially the Rose-Anthony-Porzingis trio. But in essence, the shots were there, and they were falling. The Knicks were driving into the most wonderful time of the year with high spirits, but left it by crashing and burning.
Christmas 2016 In Detail
The Christmas Day game in 2016 was the point of no return for the rest of that season. More specifically, it was the minute where former Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder sank three consecutive three-point field goals in the second quarter.
The Knicks were up by four points, but within that minute, found themselves down by five. There were three lead changes and six tied scores in the first quarter alone.
The Knicks were up by six heading into the 2nd. Yet, after the fourth and final lead change of the game, the Celtics didn’t look back—and Boston took the victory straight from the Knicks’ Christmas stockings.
Kristaps Porzingis was even asked about that second quarter during his postgame locker room interview:
"“They were just getting to the basket, kicking out, and knocking down threes. We just got to have better communication.”"
When asked about any takeaways from this game, Derrick Rose merely and bluntly responded with “We lost,” and when he was asked about an issue regarding ball movement and passing, Rose said:
"“I really can’t put a finger on it right now. It’s too soon. Maybe when we go over the film, we’ll look at those details”."
Carmelo Anthony brought us some more insight about that second quarter, but not much: “Turnovers led to threes.”
The Aftermath
Anthony was straightforward, but he was right. Boston had five turnovers all game, while the Knicks had 17. While turnovers weren’t a major problem for the Knicks throughout the season as a whole, a lot of other things were.
The team stood in the league’s bottom 10 in field goal and three-point percentage, as well as steals and free throw attempts. Throw in all the drama that overrode the team dynamics, and you have yourself a lackluster season.
The loss to Boston was the start of a six-game losing streak, and the Knicks didn’t build a winning streak for the remainder of the season, leading to a disappointing 31-51 season.
This Season
After last year’s Christmas game, the Knicks stood 16-14—identical to their record through 30 games in 2017-18. Each No. 30 game was against Boston, last year with a loss on Christmas and this year with a win four days before Christmas.
Obviously, if the Dec. 21, 2017 win was a turning point for the worst, it isn’t evident as of yet. This year’s Christmas game is at home, which is something Knicks fans should be thankful for.
The team has gone 2-10 on the road through the season’s first 30 games. One of these away games was in Brooklyn, however, where there will always be a large amount of Knicks fans present.
Positives
There are factors that are much improved upon from last year. For starters, head coach Jeff Hornacek is running his own offense in his own way. Phil Jackson is no longer looming over the heads of players and enforcing an ancient, intricate offense.
Hornacek is allowing his players to move freely, and as a result, the ball flows more smoothly. This offense simply gives players better looks.
The Knicks are currently the seventh-best shooting team in the league in terms of field goal percentage.
The departure of Carmelo Anthony is giving Porzingis room to grow and excel. He’s been a top-10 MVP candidate, and is expected to be an All-Star.
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s contract might’ve cost a lot, but he played exceptional basketball before his injury, and the Knicks look forward to his return in early January. In return for Anthony, Doug McDermott is shooting well from beyond the arc, and Enes Kanter is a rebounding machine with a fan-favorite attitude.
Rookie Frank Ntilikina looks extremely promising on defense, and has certainly used his length to his advantage. Courtney Lee, Kyle O’Quinn, Ron Baker, Jarrett Jack, and Lance Thomas have all played pretty decent all-around basketball.
Last, but not least: Michael Beasley has looked like an absolute stud lately. The team has playoff potential and talent.
Negatives
The Knicks still need to get to the line more, shoot more threes, and be more aggressive on defense. In other words: The team has to be more aggressive driving and stopping the ball, while also making it rain from behind the three-point line.
Porzingis is known for emphatic shot-locking and getting to the line often, and Frank Ntilikina and Courtney Lee know how to get after it on loose balls. However, those three are the only ones who do a really good job in the Knicks’ general weaknesses.
Sure, Kanter is aggressive, but he doesn’t draw fouls, as he’s only averaging 2.2 free throw attempt per game. The team just doesn’t have guys who love to physically attack the basket and get calls, nor does it have guys who match the length of Ntilikina or Porzingis.
Their defense has been better than last year, but the Knicks still have room for improvement.
The most pressing issue is battling on the road. They absolutely must improve when traveling. Like I said above, the road record is paltry at this point in the season, and playoff hopes could slowly disappear if this play continues.
Looking Forward
Wins against Boston, Miami, and Oklahoma City have shown what this team is capable of, especially when in The Garden. However, losses against Charlotte and Toronto exploit weaknesses on the road.
In short, it’s been a fun first 32 games, but we’ve seen this type of start before.
Must Read: Who stepped up against the Boston Celtics?
The New York Knicks are approaching a turning point. The season will be defined after Christmas Day.