New York Knicks: Energy continues to be a deciding factor
The New York Knicks lost again on Wednesday, Mar. 21. While tanking may be the objective, it’s a lack of energy that continues to define New York basketball.
You can call this nostalgia, if you’d like, but there was a time when no one wanted to play the New York Knicks. It wasn’t because New York built a super team like the Golden State Warriors or even because Patrick Ewing was a force of nature on both ends of the floor—which he was.
The reason the Knicks were every team’s least favorite draw in the 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, and 1950s was one simple word: Energy.
New York was known as the team that would fight for every inch on every possession on the defensive end of the floor. That alone made it possible to win games on the road, and that alone helped establish Madison Square Garden as a venue that teams both loved and loathed entering.
Over the course of the past five years, however, energy has been optional for the Knicks—and the results have inevitably been underwhelming.
New York hasn’t ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency since 2011-12, when it posted its best win percentage since 2000-01. Although that ranking declined in 2012-13, the Knicks laid the foundation for success by emphasizing defense the previous season.
The end result was New York winning 54 games during that 2012-13 campaign, as well as its first division title since 1994 and its first postseason series since 2000.
Unfortunately, that success was short-lived.
Since 2012-13, the Knicks have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. Those woes continued on Wednesday, Mar. 21, 2018, when the recently eliminated Knicks were dominated 119-98 by the rival Miami Heat.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, point guard Trey Burke explained why the Heat defeated the Knicks so handily: A lack of the trait that once defined New York basketball.
"“The other team played with more energy,’’ said Burke, who finished with 16 points, hitting 4-of-7 3-pointers. “We played hard in stretches. They’re in the playoff race. We’re not. It seemed like that was the mentality they had. They played extremely harder than us for 48 minutes.’’"
Having covered the Knicks for each of the past five seasons, I can confidently say that no word has been utilized more as a reason for the team’s shortcomings than, “Energy.”
The harsh reality here is that the Knicks will never return to sustained prominence until defense becomes their identity. That doesn’t mean ignoring offense, but instead embracing the fact that playing at Madison Square Garden may be the toughest home game in sports.
Every team and player wants to shine under the bright lights of The Mecca, meaning every team and player will give you their best effort at Madison Square Garden.
And there that word is again.
The only way to truly prepare one’s self for that truth is to make defense second nature. Players who defend without question are those who help a team contend, and full teams that embrace that mentality are those that are constantly relevant in the discussion.
Considering the Knicks already have a franchise player in Kristaps Porzingis, there’s no excuse for the players around him to be anything less than quality defenders.
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