The Knicks barely got past the lowly and shorthanded Nets on Tuesday night, sneaking by with a 99-95 win going into a much-needed three days off.
It has been an up-and-down season so far for New York, but the team has managed to hold onto the third seed in the East despite a lack of bench scoring and a continued struggle to defend the 3-point line.
As Keith McPherson watched the rivalry game on Tuesday, he didn’t see a team that is ready to contend for a title.
“This team has aspirations of being a champion...Knicks fans weren’t comfortable in that building tonight,” Keith said.
“I know Knicks fans have this uncomfortable feeling of, ‘Here comes another second-round exit.’”
The Knicks roster has undergone a complete makeover since breaking their playoff drought four years ago, as the injured Mitchell Robinson is the only player left from that season. Keith says bringing in that amount of external talent is not the recipe for becoming a champion, and Knicks fans are going to find that out the hard way.
“You’re not winning with a team comprised of all guys that you did not draft,” Keith said. “You’re not winning with a team that you just put together this summer. You add Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, you’re still figuring it out. They’re gonna have an injury. They’re gonna play a lot of minutes.
“They’re one starter away from losing their identity and not knowing what to do...whether it’s Towns, Brunson, or Bridges. You’re not gonna be able to get to the Eastern Conference Final or NBA Finals because you’re gonna be facing team in those rounds that have homegrown talent that they developed...and you need to have a bench.”