Two weeks ago, on the first day of the year 2025, the Knicks signed a ninth victory in a row. Since then, everything has become complicated with five defeats in seven matches. And the last one against the Pistons confirms the defensive concerns of the New York players.
“The attack was not the problem. In defense, we gave confidence to our opponent”estimates Jalen Brunson. “We must do better defensively, clearly”adds Josh Hart.
During this bad patch, the Knicks conceded an average of 117.3 points per 100 possessions. To better understand the difficulties of their defense, just compare with the worst defense in the league this season. It is the Wizards who take, on 100 possessions, 118.6 points on average.
Complaints that plague the defense
“We lose matches that I think we should not lose,” s’agace Josh Hart. “We have to find a solution. We are halfway through the season and we can no longer do anything about this first part. We have to focus on the second. But if we want to be the team we want to be at the end of the season, we’re going to have to correct things. »
Tom Thibodeau has already pointed out a flaw in his troops. They tend to complain to the referees when they don’t get the whistle and, with a snowball effect, this influences attitudes and their concentration on the other side of the pitch. In addition to putting them behind on the withdrawal…
“We can’t complain if the referees miss a foul. If we don’t come back, we can concede a 3-point basket,” summarizes the New York coach. “The season is long and no one is perfect. Refereeing is very hard. There are emotions in a match, frustration. You have to be aware of the pace of the meeting. We can’t afford to complain. You can talk to a referee when there is a stoppage in play but if you do it during the game you are in trouble on defense, playing a five-on-four and with a layup or a winning basket for the team opponent. And if at the end of the match, it’s down to one possession and we’ve had two or three situations like that, then that can make the difference between a victory and a defeat. »
Morocco
