The New York Knicks suffered a heavy 131-104 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Saturday, Feb. 8. It was the Knicks second loss of the season against the reigning champions, who came into the game without Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Holiday.
Shortly after the contest concluded, former NBA champion and Celtics announcer Brian Scalabrine shared a direct message to the Knicks and their fanbase.
“If you’re the Knicks, it all comes crashing down,” Scalabrine said via NBC Sports Boston’s postgame show. “You are now reminded, once again, that you are not on the same level, and you have a long way to go.”
Scalabrine’s comments were regarding whether the Knicks are a contending team this season. The front office made multiple moves during the summer, acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. However, the Knicks currently rank 16th in the NBA in defensive rating. Tom Thibodeau must fix New York’s defensive flaws if they wish to compete for a championship, either this season or in the future.
Nevertheless, New York is third in the Eastern Conference. They are 2.5 games behind the Celtics, who occupy the second seed. As such, they’re already proving they can compete with the best teams in the East and should be viewed as a legitimate threat during the playoffs.
Knicks Rebounding Struggles Hurt Vs. Celtics
During his postgame news conference, head coach Tom Thibodeau pinpointed the Knicks rebounding struggles as a key area of weakness against Boston. The Knicks were out-rebounded 48-30 on the night, with Boston grabbing 11 offensive boards.
“The rebounding was problematic to start, it was problematic throughout,” Thibodeau said. “…I thought sometimes there were some good initial sequences, and then we give up the second shot, and then they hurt us with the second shot. They hurst us with some threes.”
New York must find ways to control the glass during games, regardless of who is on the floor. There’s value in rebounding as a unit, rather than putting all that pressure onto your big man or forward.
Towns Envisions Knicks’ Going Double Big
Sooner or later, Mitchell Robinson is going to return to the rotation. The 7-foot rim-runner is yet to play this season as he continues to recover from injury. According to Karl-Anthony Towns, upon Robinson’s return to the rotation, the Knicks will likely test out a double-big lineup.
“Tall lineup,” Towns said. “It’s gonna be exciting to explore that lineup. I will probably have some familiarity from when I was with Rudy (Gobert), so it will probably be something that I tap into.”
Having both Robinson and Towns on the court together would undoubtedly solve some of the Knicks’ rebounding and defensive issues. However, it would also mean re-working some of their offensive actions to ensure their spacing remains at an elite level. Nevertheless, the Knicks need some additional size and physicality, especially on the interior.
After opting against trading Robinson at the Feb. 6 trade deadline, New York will likely be eager to get him back on the court. Once he’s healthy and in the rotation, we will get a better idea of how close New York is to contending for an NBA championship, both this season and in the years to come.
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