It's the same issue that Mike Brown has talked about all season.
It's clear that Mike Brown expects physicality out of the New York Knicks, but he doesn't always get it.
Whenever the Knicks end of the wrong side of the score sheet, which happened in a 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the last game of the regular season, Brown is quick to point out that one of the things they lacked and something that, in his eyes, was a clear path to the loss, was the Knicks failing to get physically involved.
Where a lack of physicality showed up the most against the Hornets to Brown was on offensive rebounding. He felt that the Knicks didn't do enough to box out the Hornets and let them grab their own rebounds too easily.
Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) is guarded by New York Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet (4) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesLacking Consistency
"We were doing it in spurts. So, we have to do a better job of doing it over 48 minutes," Brown said (via SNY). "Part of where we lacked physicality was on the offensive glass. We didn't do a good job putting bodies on bodies. Whether it was [Moussa] Diabate rebounding or guys rebounding their own missed shots."
The Hornets finished the game with 12 offensive boards, which Brown himself admitted wasn't all that many, but it translated into 26 second-chance points for Charlotte, which makes it hard for any team to bridge the gap.
New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) dribbles in front of Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images"Doing it in spurts," as Brown put it, is a great way to describe the way that the Knicks have approached physicality all season. They have the tools and the players to be a physically imposing team, but the execution or the effort hasn't always been there.
When they are able to show up physically and do it from the start, there are few teams better. It affects their defense and it affects how well they're able to score the ball.
New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) dribbles against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) and guard Sion James (4) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesMaking Changes for the Playoffs
It's been what the church of Brown has been founded on and it's clearly something that he's tried to instill in the team often.
The fact that the Knicks haven't been able to apply that consistently all the way through the end of the season is a worrying sign, especially if they can't do it against the Hornets, a team that while fast and exciting, hasn't been known to be the most physically imposing.
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) dribbles as New York Knicks center Ariel Hukporti (55) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesThe Atlanta Hawks, though, whom the Knicks will be facing in the first round of the playoffs, are a consistently strong team on the physical side of things.
To be able to contend and avoid an upset, the Knicks will have to be able to box out, rebound and dominate the game consistently.