BOSTON — There was an identical profitable streak two years in the past towards the top of a revelatory season, a stretch when it first felt acceptable to imagine in Julius Randle.
The Knicks had captured 9 straight in April of 2021. It catapulted them to fourth within the East, simply earlier than Tom Thibodeau’s squad was rapidly humbled by Trae Young within the playoff’s opening spherical.
Looking again, there have been warning indicators towards a postseason disappointment. The Knicks had constructed their file whereas avoiding accidents, sicknesses and interruptions. They have been extra ready and obtainable than their opponents throughout a pandemic.
The empty arenas additionally appeared to swimsuit Thibodeau’s type of zero distractions.
But then the playoffs arrived, the crowds returned, the depth boiled, and people benefits have been nullified.
All this raises the query:
Is this Knicks’ iteration, which is driving its personal nine-game profitable streak, higher fitted to the playoffs?
Randle didn’t wish to get too far forward however acknowledged this a lot:
“I think we’re a better team,” Randle mentioned. “More talented team.”
That’s not possible to argue. In 2021, the Knicks began Elfrid Payton at level guard and Nerlens Noel at middle. Now they’ve Jalen Brunson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month, and Mitchell Robinson, who Thibodeau lauded once more Sunday because the league’s best offensive rebounder.
The youthful contributors from the 2021 squad — RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley — are two years older and extra developed.
They’ve additionally added Josh Hart, who was acquired a few month in the past and nonetheless hasn’t misplaced a sport as a member of the Knicks. Depth is a giant power with 9 reliable gamers.
It took a full yr, however the roster recovered from Leon Rose’s horrible free company of 2021.
“This is my most winningest season in my career so far so I’m extremely happy about that,” Hart mentioned. “I can’t sit there and be like I came in and I did everything. You know what I mean? I think this team was trending upwards and luckily I was able to come in and just fit right into Thibs and that system and into the locker room.”
The system can be completely different and feels extra transferable to a better competitors. In 2021, the Knicks rode their effort to a stifling protection. They outhustled the opponent and stored scores low to masks an absence of particular person expertise.
Now they boast the league’s fifth rated offense and developed an identification round environment friendly scoring. Their Seventh-ranked internet score underscores a steadiness on each side of the ball. For perspective, two years in the past that they had the Twenty second-rated offense.
The present profitable streak has positioned them 12 video games over .500 for the primary time in 11 years, all however assuring a playoff spot with a month remaining within the season. A primary-round matchup towards the Cavaliers is more and more seemingly, though there’s nonetheless loads of time for standings jostling.
The Knicks (39-27) face the lowly Hornets (20-46) on Tuesday at MSG earlier than embarking on a four-game Western Conference journey.
“I think we’re a team that can make a run and surprise some people,” Hart mentioned. “We gotta continue building, but that’s something I’m extremely excited about, something that we all talk about a little bit. We try to take it game by game, but that’s definitely in the back of our mind. We want to keep pushing. We don’t want to make the playoffs. We want to make a run in the playoffs. I think that’s the biggest thing and I think we have the capability to do that.”
Still, an apparent concern: these Knicks have little or no playoff expertise. Among the gamers within the rotation, solely Brunson has logged greater than 5 postseason video games. Nobody is older than 28.
These are attributes (being youthful and extra obtainable) that may bolster regular-season success however lose veracity within the playoffs. The Cavaliers are additionally younger and comparatively inexperienced, which can make that matchup extra fascinating.
And the Knicks received’t be blindsided by the playoffs this time, not like in 2021. They a minimum of know what’s coming.
“Looking back and thinking back about that series, there are things we could have done better,” Barrett mentioned. “Experience now will help us as well. Hopefully when we get there. So that was a good series for us to know what to expect.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com