Knicks 118, Jazz 103: Giving the Jazz the blues
2024 = WWWWLWLWWWWWWWW
The New York Knicks played the second end of a back-to-back last night, taking on a Utah Jazz team doing the same. The Knicks were again without Julius Randle, whose timetable remains unknown, as well as OG Anunoby, who missed his second straight game. None of that mattered, as the Knicks were dominant once again, which has become a norm for this year’s ‘Bockers. They finished January 14-2, their most wins in a month since 1994, winning those 14 games by an average of just under 20 points. Even if you want to give some credit to a softer schedule, this level of dominance puts them in rarified air.
Defense wins championships
While the Knick offense got off to a slow start, the defense was once again locked in. For the 15th time in 16 games, New York held its opponent under 110 points. In an age when over half the league is rewriting the offensive record books, the Knicks’ defense remains stout. This stretch of defense is like when Pedro Martinez had an ERA below 2.00 pitching in the steroid era at Fenway Park. (Ed. note: #45 = greatest pitcher ever)
But you have to put the ball in the basket, too. Per usual, that started with Jalen Brunson, who was magical once again. The Jazz, coached by brilliant young head coach Will Hardy, seemed more determined to get the ball out of Brunson’s hands than the previous opponent. Brunson took what the defense gave him and regularly set his teammates up with open looks.
One of those teammates was Donte DiVincenzo, who is helping Knicks fans forget about what they gave up in the trade that turned the season around. One aspect of trades that is often underrated is what changes for already rostered players after the trade. Sure, the Knicks got back Anunoby, who’s been a revelation, but they also got back a more impactful DiVincenzo, now that his role is more consistent and secure.
Coach of the Year?
This was very much a Tom Thibodeau victory. Defense and consistent effort from every rotation player. Brunson and DiVincenzo were the stars, but everybody else had moments. Isaiah Hartenstein dominated the interior while Precious Achiuwa (another addition from the Anunoby trade) continues to justify rotation minutes. Josh Hart had one of the most Josh Hart triple doubles you’ll ever see. Quentin Grimes continues to be more aggressive, and while Deuce McBride cooled off shooting, the defense remained as strong as ever.
This begs the question: how many more of these wins before Thibodeau is a serious contender for Coach of the Year? Nobody expected this type of dominance from the Knicks – even after the trade occurred. They now own sole possession of the third seed in the East and are hot on the Bucks’ hooves for second. Thibodeau’s presence seems to raise the floor for anyone he puts in his rotations. He expects a certain level of effort and I’d imagine his principles are deeply rooted into the mindset of the players. It’s wild watching other teams play because the more you do, the more you realize we probably take this discipline for granted; so often you’ll see missed rotations or stunts and intuitively know that wouldn’t fly in a Thibodeau defense.
Thibodeau still has questions to answer. The jury is still out if his style translates across the grind of a full postseason. Despite the game being well in hand for most of the second half, four different Knicks played 38 or more minutes. Will that have long-term ramifications? Only time will tell.
But none of that matters for the Coach of the Year. What does matter is that Thibodeau has another Knicks team battling night in and night out. This is as good as it’s been for New York basketball fans in decades. Thibodeau is a large part of that. And it’s well past time he received some flowers for it.
