There are a few great times to step back and evaluate an NBA team during the season, and the All-Star break is one of them. With every squad having at least a week off, outside of a few players headed to the festivities in San Francisco, organizations around the league are checking where they stand. The trade deadline has passed with fireworks, and rosters are essentially set, outside of a buyout market addition here and there. It’s time to rest and prepare for the season’s final stretch, whether your team is fighting for a playoff spot, postseason seeding, draft positioning, or just getting ready for a championship run. Where do the Knicks rank?
Knicks NBA Ranking At the All-Star Break
The New York Knicks are perhaps the most interesting team of all the true contenders in the NBA. They’re an undisputed championship contender but are also clearly not on the level of those above them. With that said, however, New York also seems the most likely to reach that elite tier by season’s end. The next two months will go a long way in determining the ceiling for Tom Thibodeau’s group.
Boston, OKC, and Cleveland are the NBA’s Top-3
The NBA has had three obvious title threats since the very start of the year. Before the season started, Boston and Oklahoma City were seen as the championship favorites, with New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas, and several others following. Well, as always, chaos broke out immediately with the 76ers’ injuries, Denver’s slow start, and the crazy Luka Dončić trade saga. The team that no one saw coming was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won their first 15 outings and held the best record in the league for most of the year. The Cavs and Thunder are tied for the league’s best record at 44-10.
Can New York Catch Them?
Head coach Kenny Atkinson’s arrival in Cleveland transformed a team made up of mostly the same players. They’ve added Deandre Hunter at the deadline, but the core five guys are still the same. Atkinson’s influence has sharpened the Cavs’ habits and encouraged more transition play for their hyper-athletic lineup. The coaching change, combined with the development and increased confidence of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, has elevated Cleveland to top contender status.
Oklahoma City built on a successful season that ended in disappointment by posting a 44-10 record through the All-Star break. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP favorite, Jalen Williams has continued to develop, and Isaiah Hartenstein was a home-run signing. Their bench continues to be endlessly deep, with several guys turning into star role players, such as Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace. Chet Holmgren has only suited up for 13 games but is back and healthy now.
As for Boston, they returned their top nine rotation players from their historically dominant championship team. Despite a midseason swoon in which they still were 13-11 in a 24-game span, the Celtics remain the title favorites. They’ve found their groove lately, and Jayson Tatum continues to blossom while flying under the radar. Boston doesn’t appear threatened in the Eastern Conference, although Cleveland could make it interesting.
Knicks Lead the Second Tier of Contenders
While the Knicks haven’t proven they belong in the top three, they are definitely knocking on the door. The teams with the fourth through sixth-best records in the league are also likely the next three contenders. Denver (36-19) and Memphis (36-18) have had fantastic seasons, and both will scare Oklahoma City in the West. For the Nuggets, their title formula is obvious: Ride Nikola Jokić‘s historic campaign to the trophy, overcoming all of OKC’s depth and star power. In Memphis, perhaps the deepest team in the NBA is led by Ja Morant and an ascending Jaren Jackson Jr.
For me, however, the Knicks are the pick for the fourth-best team. Their record (36-18) and net rating (+6) both stack up well with Denver and Memphis, but it’s the overall talent that gives them a better shot at dethroning the NBA’s most dominant teams. NY’s starting five is the best of the three, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges. Their duo of Brunson/Towns is better than Jokić/Jamal Murray and Morant/Jackson, although no one can argue with the former’s playoff track record. Depth is important, and the Knicks will have a solid bench if Mitchell Robinson returns at full strength, but the closing five players are what wins championships, and New York’s rivals, even that of Boston and Oklahoma City.
New York has also beaten both squads soundly in recent weeks and destroyed Denver on their home floor in November. Since a 5-6 start, the Knicks are 31-12, good for third in the league in that span.
New York has Much Work to do to Catch Boston
The Knicks’ problem for winning the East is much less about talent than about matchups. New York is a significant step behind Boston because they don’t have answers to certain problems that Joe Mazzulla’s guys present. The Celtics are made to attack mismatches with their flawless lineup, and the Knicks have two easily attackable stars. Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White will have a field day going at these two come the postseason, and Thibodeau may struggle to find a solution. There’s a reason why NY is 0-5 against the three best teams.
Robinson’s return will help tremendously, but he’s always a health risk and shouldn’t be a complete fix. Fortunately for New York, injuries, shooting variance, and execution can always cause surprising outcomes, and they’ve certainly put themselves in striking distance of the NBA’s elite. After returning from the break healthy, they can only continue to improve. New York has a real title chance, which is all fans can ask for in year one of the Towns era.
Photo credit: © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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