Theââââââââââââââââ New York Knicks have undoubtedly been a very strong team in this postseason. They haven’t just won two series by a clean sweep, but also they’ve been on an eleven-game winning streak and their average margin of victory is almost making it look like nothing.
Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are still facing off in the Western Conference Finals with a Game 6 and possibly a Game 7.
However, for the Knicks that means more playing the role of spectator, watching and also one growing worry that has already been raised in the locker ââââââââââââââââroom.
How Long Have the Knicks Been Waiting?
One Overlooked Factor Could Cost Knicks Game 1 After Extended Layoff
The Knicks closed out the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25, finishing a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Since then, they have not played a game. That is 9 days between their last game and the start of the Finals, and that window only grows if the Thunder-Spurs series goes to a Game 7.
For context, the winning team from the West will have had either 5 days of rest at best, or just 3 if it goes seven games. The Knicks will have sat nearly twice as long. That gap is what makes this uncomfortable, not the rest itself, but how much of it there is.
Why Rust Is a Real Risk Against Either Western Finalist
GettySmall Warning Sign Hints Knicks May Fall Short in Game 1 Post-Rest
Rememberââââââââââââââââ Game 1 versus the Cavaliers. After dominating the 76ers in four games, the Knicks had rested for nine days but still found themselves 22 points behind in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers.
We have also seen this in the regular season. Whenever the Knicks get a good time to rest, they start to lose their chemistry. Their game plan starts to fumble, and pressure just mounts on them.
As we all know, the first game is going to be away. The crowd will not favor the Knicks, and all these factors could build pressure, leading them to lose the early lead.
The best the Knicks could do is to grab the early lead and keep the momentum alive rather than always going for a quarter-three comeback.
Both the Thunder and the Spurs are physical, aggressive teams built for playoff basketball. Oklahoma City pressures the ball relentlessly, and San Antonio has size and veteran poise. Neither team will give the Knicks a quiet first half to find their footing.
A slow start in the Finals, against either of these opponents, carries real risk of becoming a loss. The Knicks have answered every challenge this postseason, but rust is the one variable they cannot fully control, and after what they showed in Game 1 against the Cavs, it would be foolish to assume it won’t show up again.
The Finals begin June 3, and whoever comes out of the West will be battle-tested and ready. New York’s biggest challenge right now might simply be staying sharp until tip-off.
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