Picture: David L. Nemec/NBAE/Getty Photographs
The interval for the reason that COVID-bubble season has been among the many most profitable in Knicks historical past: The 5 post-COVID years have encompassed 226 regular-season wins, essentially the most over a five-year stretch since 1992 to 1997. It has additionally been essentially the most joyous interval for the reason that ’90s: The Knicks have been a feel-good story for practically your entire Tom Thibodeau teaching period, from “Bing Bong” to the Nova Knicks. They lastly received a first-round playoff sequence this century, then did so once more. However past that, it has felt good to be a Knicks fan as a result of the Knicks have felt like one thing they’ve by no means, ever felt like — they’ve felt rebel. These weren’t the lumbering assortment of Jim Dolan past-their-prime costly veteran misfit toys of the previous 20 years. The Knicks have been enjoyable. The Knicks! Had been enjoyable!
The enjoyable ended this yr. These Knicks have felt vaguely disappointing from the season’s very starting. They’ve battled accidents up and down the roster, together with a full month with out Jalen Brunson. They’ve performed middling, uninspired protection. Confronted with loud criticism that he’s giving his veterans too many minutes (a attainable motive for all of the accidents), Thibodeau has stubbornly refused to make changes. The crew is 0-8 in opposition to the highest two within the Jap Convention, Cleveland and Boston. The Knicks start their playoff run in opposition to the Pistons at Madison Sq. Backyard on Saturday, however in case you run right into a fan this week, you’re more likely to discover them grouchy, morose, and pessimistic. “The common season — maybe mercifully — is over,” wrote Jonathan Macri, a dependable fan-base bellwether, in his glorious Knicks e-newsletter this week.
Chances are you’ll be stunned, then, to study that these Knicks are literally one of the best post-COVID crew but. They received essentially the most video games (51) of the lot, they may doubtless land two gamers on the All-NBA crew (Brunson and Karl-Anthony Cities), and they’re extraordinarily nicely positioned in opposition to the Pistons, a feisty and spirited crew that’s nonetheless solely a yr faraway from the longest dropping streak in NBA historical past. This yr’s Knicks, because of the addition of Cities and Mikal Bridges, would completely destroy final yr’s inspirational Nova Knicks; there hasn’t been a Knicks crew higher constructed to win a title since Patrick Ewing was right here. But everybody’s so mad!
The issue, because it does so usually, comes right down to expectations. When the Knicks traded Julius Randle and (Nova Knick) Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves for Cities, then traded a bushel of draft picks to the Nets for Bridges (utilizing the stash they’d been accumulating for years to amass a famous person), the understanding was the Knicks had reached their accomplished type — they have been able to win a championship proper then and there, and this was the crew we had all been ready for. They’d been so affected person, so cautious to not make the rash, silly transfer Dolan at all times pushed for up to now, that the Cities and Bridges trades took on an unsustainable weight. It wasn’t charming simply to make the playoffs anymore and even to win a spherical or two: The Knicks needed to be champions, now, or all this time was wasted and they might simply be the identical outdated Knicks once more. And nearly as good because the Knicks have been this yr (and I preserve saying this to each downtrodden Knicks fan I discover — they’ve been good!), they haven’t appeared like championship contenders, particularly in opposition to the likes of Boston, who loom within the second spherical of the playoffs.
A number of affordable elements clarify why the Knicks haven’t appeared to make a monumental leap. One is that it’s the primary season that includes the Knicks’ dramatically rejiggered roster, one that’s enjoying a distinct model from final yr’s and hasn’t fairly gotten all of it found out but. (It ought to be famous that the Celtics had a number of face-plants earlier than successful their title final yr.) One other is that Bridges has been slightly disappointing as the ultimate piece of that puzzle. One other is accidents. After which there’s the straightforward undeniable fact that successful a championship is basically onerous.
However the reply everybody appears to be selecting? The coach. The Knicks’ turnaround of late has been in some ways immediately attributable to Thibodeau, whose high-intensity, every-game-matters method offered a route for a franchise that sorely wanted one. However as has occurred at Thibodeau’s different stops (Chicago and Minnesota), ultimately his method tends to grind groups down and put on slightly skinny. The person has a behavior of staying a yr or two previous his welcome. You’ve clearly seen that with Knicks followers this yr, who’ve blamed Thibodeau for the accidents, the defensive points, the shortage of offensive creativity, the exhaustion with Ben Stiller’s tweets. And it does make sense. The Knicks might doubtless profit from some recent eyes on this crew, one that’s constructed to win in a method (basically, to repeat the Celtics) that isn’t essentially Thibodeau’s inherent forte. If the Knicks don’t make it previous Boston — or, God forbid, lose to the Pistons within the first spherical — it’s not tough to see Thibodeau taking the autumn and never totally with out motive.
But that’s nonetheless not the reason for this excellent season having felt so unsatisfying. The reason being the Knicks have reached the purpose the place they’ve compiled sufficient expertise — and it ought to be famous simply how improbable Cities, lengthy derided by the fan base as a possible commerce goal, has really been — that there’s nowhere left to go however to win a championship. Ten NBA groups might theoretically win a title this yr, and the Knicks are one in all them. They’re not the favorites, removed from it, and the almost definitely state of affairs is a second-round exit to the Celtics, Thibodeau being fired, and all kinds of worry and loathing within the Knicks’ entrance workplace. However the motive all this stress and scowling is occurring is as a result of the Knicks are so good! Have we forgotten what the previous 30 years of being a Knicks fan has been like? That we will discover ourselves dissatisfied by a 51-win season is a measure of simply how far we’ve come. Normally round this time of yr, Knicks followers are questioning which crew will choose a future famous person within the NBA Draft with a choose the Knicks traded away for some costly outdated man with dangerous knees. As an alternative, we’re discussing how the vibes on this traditionally glorious Knicks crew simply don’t really feel proper. That’s progress. That’s truly fairly superb.
The Knicks really feel barely disappointing relative to expectations. However that’s solely as a result of they’ve been superior sufficient to get our expectations so excessive within the first place. That makes proper now — even with out Bing Bong, even with all people’s shoulders slouched — nearly as good a time to be a Knicks fan because it has been in a protracted, lengthy whereas. The Knicks are within the playoffs! They’ve bought an opportunity to win a title! Or not less than a sequence! C’mon! Knicks followers have been by means of nothing however distress for therefore lengthy. These are the nice occasions. Attempt to take pleasure in them.
