In four games, the Knicks have managed to put together 8 quality basketball quarters, and there has been improvement on both ends of the court as the season progresses. As much as I believe this is a player’s championship and the coach doesn’t play as big a role when you have stars on the pitch like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard, New York’s collective performance so far proves that when a team is built correctly by top to bottom, including the front office and the technical staff, good things tend to start happening.
There’s a theme that’s starting to ferment here, and that’s team basketball. Countless times over the past few seasons I have found myself dangling my head in disappointment due to poor overall team engagement and sloppy play on both sides of the ball. This year, so far, has gone completely against past experience, as the Knicks have managed to gel much better than they’ve seen them do in some time.
When the Knicks are playing well, I am constantly surprised to say that they are playing inspired basketball, and even when they have bad play traits, it is rarely very long. Even after a 25 turnovers performance, not only did they manage to win, but they never allowed mistakes on offense or defense to dictate subsequent possession.