The New York Knicks have been the talk of the NBA playoffs this year as they stand one game away from winning their first playoff series since 2013. The Knicks have managed to win five of the seven games they’ve played against Cleveland this year in the regular season and playoffs, and many are starting to believe that the Knicks are just a better team than the Cavaliers.
In the first four games of this series, the Knicks’ defense has been in the spotlight. They have held the Cavaliers under 100 points in each of their three wins, and the 94 points per game the Knicks have allowed is the second-best in the playoffs behind the 76ers who dominated the Nets.
The Knicks have managed to hold their opponents under 80 points when they limited the Cavaliers to 79 in Game 3, making them the only team this year to accomplish this feat. The Knicks are averaging 98 points per game so far in the series while shooting under 43% from the field overall and under 28% from 3pt range.
One surprising fact is that the Knicks have only gotten 14.8 points per game from Julius Randle, who was their best player during the regular season, and yet they still managed to have him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter in their Game 4 win. This is a testament to the depth of the Knicks’ roster and the team’s ability to win games even when their star player is not at his best.
The Knicks have had a remarkable turnaround this year under coach Tom Thibodeau, who has instilled a defensive mindset in his players. The Knicks finished the regular season with a 41-31 record, good for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks are a team that plays hard on both ends of the floor, and their effort has paid off in the playoffs. They have shown that defense wins championships, and their ability to shut down their opponents has been the key to their success.
If the Knicks manage to win Game 5 and advance to the second round of the playoffs, it will be a significant achievement for a team that was not expected to do much this year. The Knicks have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in the NBA, and their future looks bright with a young core of talented players and an excellent coach leading the way.
