Knicks now know their defense can steal the show
It was easy to get caught up in it. The high-flying dunks and the fast breaks not only excited the crowd that wasn’t already heading into the streets as the score grew lopsided Monday night, but even the Knicks themselves, who were staging wild celebrations along the bench and baseline.
When it was over the Knicks had poured in 143 points for the second straight game and done it in a style that was unlike anything seen at Madison Square Garden from the home team in decades, maybe ever. And those kind of offensive showcases are enough to make you believe that is what the Knicks can be and how they reach a level that the franchise hasn’t seen in 50 years.
But even as the offense was fueling these dreams, the Knicks seemed to know that it was on the other end of the floor where it all became possible. It was the defense that came up with 20 steals Monday in the annihilation of the Memphis Grizzlies. The 26 turnovers it forced led to the procession of fast breaks and dunks.
“I just think when you look at us, you can see the understanding of how important that side of the basketball is,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We’ve proven on the offensive end, we’re really really good, one of the best in the league. I think that we want to be the best we can be on the other side, the defensive side. I think we’re just making a big commitment of not just having one game where we play great defense and the next game trying to win by offense.”
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve shown that we can do it,” Jalen Brunson said. “ . . . we know how to hold each other accountable. And so it’s not going to be like this every night. We’re not going to turn people over 20 times every night. But we have the ability to do it and as long as we’re holding each other accountable that’s all we can ask for.”
It is what Tom Thibodeau has been preaching and waiting for. The Knicks' offseason moves piled up offensive talent and netted them an All-Star starter in Towns joining Brunson. But in Thibodeau’s world those fast-break celebrations only begin on the other end, when the defense digs in and creates those things. Shots will fall or they won’t, but it is there that the Knicks can live every night.
“It’s just time together, practices, knowing that we need defense,” Mikal Bridges said. “Offense can win us some games but not where we want to get to.”
“I think we’re just playing at a really really high level, playing together,” Precious Achiuwa said. “I think we’re really finding our rhythm, a different gear at this point in the season. And defensively I think we’ve been really, really locked in on the defensive end and that’s allowed us to take games over. I think our last two games we’ve really won the game from the defensive end.”
So enjoy the show, the celebrations and the scoreboard spinning like a video game. But just know, that getting to that point means the Knicks accomplishing the other part of the rebuild from the summer when they put OG Anunoby and Bridges together to try and create a defensive pairing that would be a counter to the best offensive weapons in the league.
Monday, it was Ja Morant that Bridges locked in on, limiting the dangerous speedster to just 10 points on 5-for-13 shooting. The Kings' De’Aaron Fox was 6-for-20 with 14 points Saturday against the Knicks. Maybe the defensive stop doesn’t get the attention, even when it’s Anunoby swarming someone for one of the six steals he had Monday. And Bridges locking down Morant isn’t going to make any Top 10 highlight reels.
The players and fans can celebrate. Thibodeau wants to remind them to turn the page.
“It’s one game and you want to keep building,” he said. “We had the test with Sacramento and then these guys, the same thing . . . They’re top five in offense and top five in defense and so we knew we would be tested and we got to be ready. So that’s good.
“But there’s a long way to go. We know we can’t be too good about it. And we got to be ready for Denver. The games keep coming. So enjoy this tonight and tomorrow start getting ready for Denver with the understanding that the focus never changes. It’s always daily improvement. How do we get better tomorrow? And that’s where we have to keep our focus.”
That’s all fine for Thibodeau and the team. If this was a hint of the defensive team the Knicks can become and the offense that can feed off that, the celebrations will come on a much bigger stage than a Monday night in January.