The New York Knicks have won 50 games this season and clinched a playoff spot, but not all wins are created equal. In an all-out effort Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks lost in overtime to their arch-nemesis 119-117.
The Knicks have lost all four meetings with Boston this season, with a combined point margin of minus-65. It’s safe to say they’ve been non-competitive against their division rivals, but was Tuesday night’s performance a sign of good things to come?
Tom Thibodeau’s group has dealt with numerous injuries all season, even to some of their biggest stars. In terms of their core and regular eight to 10 players, they’ve only shared the court once all season against the Celtics, and that was on Tuesday.
During both matchups in February, they were without both OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. In the first game of the season, they were without Robinson. They’re finally getting healthy and starting to build some sort of momentum with their roster, but do they have the coach to piece it all together?
Against the top three seeds in both the Western and Eastern Conferences, the Knicks have a combined 1-12 record, with their lone win coming against the Houston Rockets at home on Feb. 3.
Yes, they’ve had a plethora of injuries, but finding ways to consistently lose and not even be competitive against the best teams in the league goes back to coaching.
New York had a chance to beat Boston and head into the playoffs feeling a little differently, but instead, they’re forced to reflect and look at the positives in a competitive loss.
“We’ve just got to execute better, it’s simple as that,” said Knicks’ guard Jalen Brunson. “We shouldn’t be in that position anyway, to be in overtime.
“It’s a little disappointing, just knowing that we fought back and had a chance.”
The Knicks are back in action on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.
