Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy had high praise for the Knicks both before and after Wednesday night’s matchup in New Orleans, perhaps the highest level of praise in the eyes of fans in New York.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Van Gundy said the surging Knicks remind him of the last golden era at Madison Square Garden, back when the team was must-see TV and battling Michael Jordan’s Bulls in hard-fought playoff series.
“It’s a throwback to the 90s Knicks,” Van Gundy said. “Low-scoring games, a lot of them…physical, tough, very good defense, and I think improving offensively particularly over the past few weeks.”
The Knicks have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this season, and have ranked second in the conference in defensive rating over the last month. For Van Gundy, Thibodeau’s stingy defense brings back memories of Anthony Mason, Charles Oakley and company patrolling the paint for the core that gave the Knicks their best shot at an NBA title since the 1970s.
“They’re a great defensive team,” Van Gundy said. “Tom’s a great defensive coach, a great coach, period. They have tough veteran guys around a young guy like RJ Barrett…they’ve got people who know what’s going on, and it’s a tough competitive group.”
The Knicks were heavily outscored in the paint in their 116-106 win over Van Gundy’s Pelicans on Wednesday with the absence of Nerlens Noel, but the defense still did its part to lock up the team’s fourth straight win, a streak that began right after the Knicks appeared to be plummeting out of a playoff spot. Instead, they’ve surged back to sixth in the east with Wednesday’s victory, and are two games above .500.
“Not an easy team to stop and great at the defensive end, so it’s a very good team right now,” Van Gundy said. “I’d say playing just about as good about as any team in the east at this point.”
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