Thursday night’s brutal overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers marked another disappointing performance for the New York Knicks.
This was supposed to be the season they contended with the Celtics—and now the Cavaliers—for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But the Knicks have struggled mightily against the NBA’s top four teams. Thursday’s loss dropped their record against that group to a miserable 0-9.
Knicks’ Defensive Struggles Stand Out
The Knicks’ offseason trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns brought new energy to New York.
After an impressive and, to many, surprising 2023-24 season where they finished second in the East but lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, their offseason moves had fans excited for what was next.
The additions of Bridges and Towns were widely praised. Bridges was expected to provide more 3-point shooting, elite defense, and durability—something the Knicks needed after injuries derailed their playoff run.
Trading Julius Randle for Towns was meant to create better spacing while also giving Jalen Brunson a strong pick-and-roll option.
So far, things haven’t gone exactly as planned.
Bridges has remained consistent—he’s played in over 530 straight games, per StatMuse—but his 3-point shooting has dipped, down 2.3% from last year, according to ESPN.
Towns, on the other hand, has been nothing short of spectacular on offense. He’s improved in every major statistical category, likely due to playing nearly three more minutes per game than he did in Minnesota last season (ESPN).
The Knicks’ struggles haven’t come on offense. They rank fifth in offensive rating, but their defense has been another story. They sit 16th in defensive rating, per NBA.com, landing them in the bottom half of the league.
Their offensive rating puts them in line with teams like the Thunder, Celtics and Nuggets, but defensively, they’re closer to the Kings and Pacers. For a Tom Thibodeau-coached team, that’s never been the formula for success.
One fan, who isn’t a Knicks fan reacted on X, posting, “It keeps getting worse lmao.”
KnicksMuse responded, “Nuggets and Grizzlies have been in 2nd place all season. Knicks are 4-0 vs those two teams. So NOW record vs top-4 teams matter?”
Both sides have a point. The Knicks’ record against the Nuggets and Grizzlies is impressive, but both teams are in the Western Conference. The real concern? Whether the Knicks can beat the Celtics or Cavaliers in a seven-game series. The pressure on Thibodeau is building, and that question looms larger with every loss.
Tibbs is not the COACH that’s getting the Knicks to the next level. Look at the young coaches in the league. He has been out coach by Boston , Cleveland , OKC , and LA coaches. He had a system that was good in early 2000. He plays his top players to the ground (Derrick Rose) causing injuries. Now Jalen Brunson is a one of his victims. Tibbs is not interested in player Development that’s why he is not the coach that will help the Knicks contend for a championship. We had one of the brighter young coaches on the bench (Johnny Byrant) we let him go to Cleveland now you see how he has been an gem for the team. We have to move on from Tibbs. He has changed the culture and players want to come here to play with JB.
New GM and a head coach the Knicks