The New York Knicks front office transformed the team's offense in a way fans didn't think would ever be possible under Tom Thibodeau with the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. The spacing he gives the shooters around him helped propel the Knicks to having one of the best offenses in the league.
New York is third in the East with a 37-20 record, four games ahead of No. 4 Indiana. That's quite the feat when you think about where the Knicks were five years ago. However, it doesn't feel that way, especially after the weekend's two losses.
Back-to-back games on the road against the top two teams in the East was New York's chance to change the narrative. The Knicks entered Friday's game in Cleveland with a 0-3 record against the Celtics (two losses) and Cavaliers (one loss). They walked away from Sunday's game in Boston with a 0-5 record.
The high expectations entering the season (especially after the KAT trade) made the last two losses even more painful. New York's high-scoring offense was nonexistent in both games, and the defense was even worse. This Knicks team is unlike any other — and it's because the defense is average, an abnormal trait for a squad coached by Thibodeau.
Karl-Anthony Towns' biggest weakness is a problem for Knicks
Towns went from playing the four in Minnesota alongside Rudy Gobert to being the starting center in New York with Mitchell Robinson sidelined. KAT is great at the five offensively, but you can't say the same on the opposite end. It's a weakness that top teams in the league have attacked each time they've played the Knicks, which is why New York is 0-7 against Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City.
The Celtics have excelled in making life harder for Towns in their three wins over the Knicks this season. They have the versatility to guard KAT with a player like Jrue Holiday (or Jayson Tatum). Towns hasn't been able to handle being guarded by Holiday down low, which is a testament to the kind of team Boston is (and shows New York how big the gap is between its division rival).
ESPN's Tim Legler criticized Towns's lack of defensive effort in Sunday's loss. As if it wasn't bad enough that the Celtics targeted KAT in pick-and-rolls, he didn't try to contest a shot on more than one occasion and willingly gave up a few rebounds. It was discouraging, to say the least.
The return of Mitchell Robinson will help New York's defense (but could hurt the offense when he and Towns play together), but there are questions about whether he'll look like the player he once was after being sidelined for 10 months. He won't be able to completely hide Towns' shortcomings on the defensive end, either.
New York could clash with Boston in the second round of the playoffs, which wouldn't be pretty based on the regular-season matchups. The Celtics know how to make Towns uncomfortable.
The Knicks have a lot to clean up before the postseason — maybe too much to make the run fans have been waiting to see. Will New York fizzle out in the second round, or worse, the first? That's the direction the team is currently headed in.