How Knicks stack up against the best teams in the NBA

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The Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won seven consecutive games and 17 of their last 21. Some skeptics would quickly point to the difficulty (or lack thereof) of their schedule over that span to say they haven’t yet earned contender status, despite the wins racking up.

That critique holds some truth, as only five of those wins came against teams in the top eight seeds of their conference: three against Orlando, one against Minnesota, and one over Denver. On top of that, the Timberwolves and Nuggets are in Play-In Tournament territory and the Magic have been without their key stars for those matchups.

There’s a real question as to how this team stacks up against the very best, which is a crucial tell as to how they might perform come the playoffs.

Let’s dive in and see how the Knicks compare to the league’s elite…

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks are 5-4 against teams with Top 10 net ratings – the five wins listed above and losses to Boston, Cleveland, Dallas and Houston. The good news is their offense ranks second behind 121.4 points per 100 possessions, and their defense falls just outside the Top 10. So from a high level, the numbers look solid.

It’s tough to glean too much from some of these losses given when they took place. The Celtics game was the season-opening romp the Knicks took, and the Cavaliers and Rockets games were both within the first six of the year.

It’s safe to say New York has grown into itself since then. Houston destroyed the Knicks on the glass and held their offense to below 100 points for only the second time all season behind their switching scheme — areas of concern the team has addressed to some degree.

The Knicks are 10th in defensive rebounding rate against the top teams in the league, though they have struggled against some of the best offensive rebounding teams, regardless of their overall talent. They’re doing well enough in the possession game, boasting the eighth-lowest turnover rate against the league’s best.

Dec 15, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles the ball against the Orlando Magic in the first…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-stack-against-best-teams-143015662.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-12-30 14:30:00

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