The New York Knicks have been formidable in 2023-24, especially at Madison Square Garden. But there’s always room for improvement. And winning a bigger share of home games is usually the lowest-hanging fruit, even for a team playing in an arena that brings out the best in its opponents. So if New York hopes to improve next season, the question becomes: Can the Knicks pick up a few more wins at home?
Objectively, the Knicks were pretty good last season at Madison Square Garden. They were 27-14 at home with a +242 overall plus/minus on their home court.
But good enough isn’t good enough. The NBA champion Boston Celtics were 37-4 at home last season and were a +623 overall at TD Garden. So New York needs to be even better.
Technically, the Knicks were tied with the Houston Rockets for the seventh-best home winning percentage last season. And three teams that finished with worse records than New York have won more at home: the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers. So, there’s clearly room for improvement.
Why does New York have to be better at home? It all starts with their preference for winning a championship and a look at recent NBA champions. You’d have to go all the way back to the 1994-95 season to find the most recent NBA champion to lose 14 or more at home (Houston Rockets). It’s been 30 years since that happened. 30.
Additionally, only two NBA champions in the last 20 seasons have lost more than 10 at home: the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors (12) and the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks (12). In contrast, seven champions have lost five or fewer home games: the 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs (38-3), the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers (36-5), the 2011-12 Miami Heat (28-5), the 2012-13 Miami Heat (37-4), the 2013-14 Golden State Warriors (39-2), the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (36-5), and the 2023-24 Boston Celtics (37-4).
So the goal should be 10 or fewer home losses.