One of the more unexpected narratives of the Knicks’ season so far had been the lackluster defensive play, which had led to multiple fourth-quarter breakdowns against seemingly inferior teams, particularly on New York’s home court.
The Knicks’ starting five had the worst collective defensive rating in NBA history heading into Monday’s game against the Pacers, but finally, the defense dug in and looked like a Tom Thibodeau-coached group in a much-needed victory to snap a two-game losing skid.
“Even from the start, I liked the energy of the team on both sides of the ball,” Thibodeau said. “I thought we played really hard defensively…it was a good win for us.”
Last time out against Indiana, Myles Turner torched the Knicks for a career-high seven 3-pointers. He was held to just three points on Monday, and the Pacers as a whole shot just 2-for-20 in a decisive fourth quarter dominated by the Knicks, who finally closed a game out strong on their home floor.
“I felt like we were able to get to Myles Turner early in the game and kind of slow him down,” Taj Gibson said. “Late in the game and were just doing what we needed to do on the defensive side, try to get three stops in a row…and good things happened for us.”
New York trailed by five heading into the final period before the defense came alive, masking another mediocre offensive showing by allowing just two baskets in the entire fourth quarter, outscoring Indiana 23-10 along the way.
The Pacers didn’t record a field goal the entire final seven minutes of play.
“This is how we win games,” Randle said. “Digging down defensively, getting stops. Offensively, good or bad, you can’t really control misses or makes, but like you said, 10 points in the fourth, that’s impressive. That’s Knicks basketball. That’s who we are.”
Until the starting lineup can find a way to mesh and click offensively, the Knicks will need to get back to their defensive identity on a consistent basis to get through what will be a daunting stretch following this three-game homestand. But Monday night was a good start, and a reminder that New York can still thrive under its desired identity.
“We just have to learn from our mistakes and enjoy the physicality of the game,” Gibson said. “It’s kind of like 90s style basketball, you go out there and fight. It was kind of a playoff game the way we were playing tonight.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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