Knicks taking rest of season one game at a time
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau gestures in the first half of an NBA game against the Heat at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 2. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks reconvened at the Madison Square Garden practice facility Wednesday, back from the All-Star break. They were complete with Mitchell Robinson back for the entire workout and Josh Hart now fully acclimated to the Knicks schemes and strategies.
So with an overachieving 33-27 record before the break and a 22-game stretch in front of them to the finish line of the season, just what is possible now? Sitting in sixth place, which would currently line them up for a first-round playoff series against Philadelphia., they have raised expectations. But can the Knicks live up to them?
The answer from the team on this first day back is a simple one.
"We’ve always known who we are,” RJ Barrett said. “For us, it’s just about doing the work every day, doing the little things to be prepared to go out and ultimately win these games. Everybody’s expectations . . . I mean, who really cares? We know who we are. We’re going to try to be that every night.”
The line that the Knicks are sticking to is that they aren’t focused on the future, instead doing what they did to reach this point — putting their attention to the task at hand. That meant practice Wednesday, another workout Thursday and then back in action at the Capital One Arena Friday against Washington.
“We're just focused on one game at a time,” Jalen Brunson said. “I think the only expectation putting on ourselves is really focusing on one game. We can’t look forward to anything. That’s the quickest way to not be where we want to go, and so we're going to continue to focus on one day at a time. I know it sounds cliché, but if we can just focus, it'll make life a lot easier for us going forward. And just can't take every day for granted.”
“Yeah, that’s the beauty of the league,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You’re constantly challenged. So before the break it’s not to go on the break before the break. Same thing coming back is be ready when you come back. If you stay on the break, just look at what we have in front of us. Washington’s playing as well as anyone in the league. We’ve got to be ready for that.”
If Thibodeau could keep the team focused when players were longing for a trip to the tropics it might not be hard to keep that focus in place now with a return that found snow falling outside the facility. And the added possibility of having Robinson, the anchor of the defense, back would certainly provide a boost.
“He went through practice so we’ll see how he feels [Thursday],” Thibodeau said. “He was cleared for contact. It’s his first day back so we’ll see how he feels. He’s got to go step by step. This is the next step, go through practice, take contact, do everything and see how he feels tomorrow.”
While the Knicks are certainly a better team defensively with Robinson — and their overall rating is far better with him on the court than off it — they won their last three games before the break. Thibodeau was convinced that they would not lose the momentum.
“It is what it is. It’s what’s in front of us,” he said. “There’s positives to it when you’ve played 60 games, getting a break to get re-energized. That’s the positive. We’re looking forward to what’s in front of us. Just be ready.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
