3 takeaways from Knicks’ collapse to Donovan Mitchell and Cavaliers
1. The Knicks’ perimeter defense was abysmal and cost them big time
The Knicks’ defense has been rough to watch all season, however, this game was easily the worst we have seen so far.
Outside of Donovan Mitchell being dominant, the Cavaliers were tremendous from three, shooting 23-for-50 as a team. The Cavaliers’ perimeter shooters of Dean Wade and Kevin Love put on a show, hitting six and eight threes, respectively.
Obviously, this Cavaliers team is full of three-point shooters, but the Knicks’ inability to close out and affect their opponents’ three-point shooting has hurt them so far.
As the season goes on, the Knicks will eventually regain one of their best defenders in Quentin Grines, so we can expect to see a boost in the team’s perimeter defense.
However, until the time comes, New York will need to play better on that side of the ball. We have seen the team play well offensively, as prior to the Cavaliers game, the team ranked third in points per game.
It is uncharacteristic to see a team coached by Thibodeau play so well offensively, yet struggle defensively. In all honesty, it is not out of the picture to expect a resurgence from this team on the defensive side of the ball.
