New York Knicks: Five reasons to keep current starting lineup together

3. Competitive play

This starting lineup is just 1-2 in three games for the New York Knicks, which may not stand out. Losses happened to the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, both of whom pulled away on fourth quarter runs.

However, in these matchups, and against the Brooklyn Nets, this lineup has kept New York competitive.

Whether it was only due to this starting five, the Knicks actually led the Warriors after three quarters. They don’t have someone to dominate a game like Kevin Durant, and that became the difference, but they matched up with the NBA’s elite and gave them a run at Madison Square Garden.

Something similar happened against the Pacers, a likely playoff team. There may have been talent mismatches, but there was quality defensive play to quiet Victor Oladipo for most of the game and almost make Myles Turner a non-factor.

The Knicks stood a chance at a win, until Oladipo closed the game, but they had every opportunity to walk out of MSG at 3-5.

The Nets game was the only unquestioned outcome, and it saw four of the five players in David Fizdale’s lineup score double-digit points, with 8 assists from Tim Hardaway Jr., 10 rebounds from Noah Vonleh and 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Frank Ntilikina.

The Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards are still left for these players to battle before potential changes. Will they remain competitive?