New York has the talent to make a deep run, but some troubling losses raise real questions about this team's ceiling.
The New York Knicks are one of the hardest teams to figure out in the NBA right now.
They sit at 37-22 on the season, good for third in the Eastern Conference, and they already have an NBA Cup title under their belt after beating the San Antonio Spurs back in December.
On paper, this is a team that should be right in the mix for a championship. But the way things have played out on the court tells a more complicated story.
At their best, the Knicks look like they can beat anyone.
Jalen Brunson is putting together another All-Star caliber season, averaging 26.8 points and 6.2 assists per game while serving as the engine of everything New York does on offense.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been a strong running mate, putting up 19.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game while adjusting to Mike Brown's system.
When this group is locked in and clicking, they are one of the best offensive teams in the league with a top-three offensive rating.
The Losses That Raise Red Flags
The problem is that the Knicks keep falling short against the teams they would need to beat in the playoffs.
Their most glaring issue this season has been against the Detroit Pistons, who swept them 3-0 in the regular season series.
The final loss came on February 19th, a 126-111 defeat where Cade Cunningham went off for 42 points and the Knicks shot just 23 percent from three.
Before that, Detroit handed them a 118-80 blowout on February 6th that ended New York's eight-game winning streak.
It is not just the Pistons, either.
The Knicks also fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-94 on February 24th, a game where Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 43 points while New York's offense never got going.
The Indiana Pacers, who knocked the Knicks out of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, also grabbed a 137-134 overtime win at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.
These are the types of games that a true contender needs to find a way to win, and right now, New York has not been able to do that on a consistent basis against the league's best.
Why There Is Still Optimism
Despite all of that, there are still plenty of reasons to believe in this Knicks team.
For one, the talent on the roster is hard to argue with.
Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart make up one of the deepest starting fives in the Eastern Conference, and the addition of Jose Alvarado at the trade deadline gives them another option in the backcourt.
Brown has also done a good job of using his full rotation, unlike his predecessor Tom Thibodeau, which should help keep guys fresh for the postseason.
The Knicks have also shown they can go on runs when things are going right.
They rattled off an eight-game winning streak in late January and early February, beating teams like the Denver Nuggets in double overtime behind a 42-point performance from Brunson.
Towns had a monster weekend before the All-Star break too, posting 53 points and 18 rebounds across back-to-back wins over the Rockets and Bulls.
That kind of production from both stars at the same time is what makes this team dangerous.
The Bottom Line
The Knicks have the pieces to compete for a championship, but they need to prove they can beat the best teams on a consistent basis before anyone should feel confident about their chances.
The defense remains a question mark, and the struggles against Detroit and Cleveland are not something you can just brush off heading into April.
Owner James Dolan has said he expects this team to reach the NBA Finals, and anything less than that would be seen as a failure.
With 23 games left in the regular season, the Knicks have time to clean things up and build some momentum heading into the playoffs.
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesWhether they actually do that will tell us a lot about what this team is truly made of.