The New York Knicks have lost four-straight games twice this season, with their most recent string of losses comprising the second of those streaks. They can end it with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, but that wouldn't solve what could easily be their biggest issue. Deuce McBride revealed what that issue is after their Monday loss to the Mavericks, telling reporters that the team's early-season NBA Cup success might have left them too comfortable for their own good.
McBride says Knicks got "comfortable" after NBA Cup victory
On Monday, the Mavericks came to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks' annual game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They announced before the game that Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington, Dante Exum, D’Angelo Russell, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford would sit out.
Their #1 overall pick, rookie Cooper Flagg, was a gametime decision and ended up playing. But this was not a Mavericks team missing "just" their stars in Davis and Irving. McBride was asked in the team's locker room about the underperformance against a depleted group. He revealed that the contrast between their early-season success and current slump can be explained by the success itself.
"They just came out more hungry. I think that's been the main thing over the last, I guess, 11 [games]. Just, teams are coming out more hungry than us. And, when you get comfortable, when you've won, I think, you know, that's human nature," McBride told media members. "And we have to fight against it, you know?"
Knicks can correct course by falling in love with the little things
On the more positive side of things, it's good that McBride feels he can pinpoint something that has led to this stretch of poor play. The Knicks have recognized across the board that they have a problem.
The next step is working together to solve it. Josh Hart, Mike Brown, and now McBride have all spoken to the importance of facing adversity and having your mettle tested.
"All Glory to God for us going through this, because you need these tough times to make it through to the other side. And it'll make us stronger," McBride said after Monday night's loss.
The team has talked about the need for urgency, soul-searching, and an improved mentality. They'll need to embrace the fundamentals of the game and get back to being the margin-dominating, nonstop effort-giving, heartbreaking rebound-getting team they've been in recent years.
That team beat Donovan Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. They did it in just five games. They beat Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers in six. It took them the same amount of games to beat both Cade Cunningham's Detroit Pistons and Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics last season.
The group of players that got the job done twice last season is largely still in orange-and-blue uniforms today. If they want to get back to winning, they will.