New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau gives his team instructions during a time out in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The secret is out on the New York Knicks.
They are the hottest team in the NBA, only losing two games since the calendar flipped to 2024. The acquisition of OG Anunoby has transformed the team in ways the Knicks’ faithful could have only imagined. Despite dealing with injuries to Julius Randle and having Mitchell Robinson out for the season, Tom Thibodeau’s squad has persevered and cemented itself as a top-three team in the Eastern Conference.
While it is all seemingly sunshine and rainbows at MSG, the Knicks should not lose sight of the bigger picture at hand: Getting the job done in the postseason. There are a couple of glaring trends that need to be addressed before the question can be answered, are the Knicks contenders or pretenders?
New York has done a spectacular job of feasting on inferior opponents this year. The Knicks are in the bottom third in the league in terms of strength of schedule, and with that hold a 22-1 record with teams who are below .500. The one loss against a sub .500 team is the best mark in the association. This is certainly a sign of the Knicks’ maturity and taking a step in the right direction as a whole. However, there will only be teams with a record over .500 in the playoffs, who the Knicks are 9-16 against.
The Knicks have the 12th most difficult remaining schedule, meaning they will have more big tests to meet before the postseason rolls around. This includes two more matchups with the Boston Celtics, whom they have already lost to twice this year, and three games against the Philadelphia 76ers, who they beat-handedly after first acquiring Anunoby. Additionally, New York has games against the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Cleveland…
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