The Knicks are riding high after taking down the previously undefeated Bulls in Chicago to move to 4-1 on the season, but if there was one area of concern, it's the team's ability to finish games down the stretch.
On Wednesday night, a 12-0 Bulls run in a span of two minutes turned a double-digit lead into a one-point nail-biter, which came down to the final shot from DeMar DeRozan, which fell short and gave New York a sigh of relief and a 104-103 victory.
For the Knicks, the final score was their focus after the game, not the fact that it was a much more stressful win than it needed to be.
"We just gotta find a way to win," head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They were putting their head down and going to the rim, and we had some plays that probably weren't the best, but we did a lot of good things. To win here, the way this team has been playing, and just finding a way to win in the end. It's tough to win on the road."
The fourth-quarter troubles were a recurring issue last season, and have returned in the early going this year. The Knicks coughed up a comfortable fourth quarter league in their season opener against the Celtics, which took two overtimes to finally finish off a win. On Sunday, New York collapsed in the fourth to lose to the lowly Magic at home, and Thursday night was another scare, but only a short-term one for Thibodeau, who isn't worried about the late-game hiccups just five games into the season.
"I didn't like some of our plays defensively in the last two minutes, but overall, I was very pleased with our defense," Thibodeau said. "You have to fly around. They were small, we had to cover a lot of ground, and I thought the rebounding was good.
"You can nitpick this, nitpick that…we know we don't have it all figured out and there's a lot of work to be done, and we're gonna focus on that work that needs to be done."
Thibodeau admitted that his group needs to tighten things up down the stretch and avoid close finishes when the Knicks are in position to put a team away, but there were still plenty of positives in a road win against a previously unbeaten team.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Knicks team gear
"The big thing is understanding that the intensity of the fourth quarter is different," Thibodeau said. "The game is called differently, it's played differently, and we have to understand what we're trying to get to. For the most part, I felt we did."
New York will have plenty of lessons to take away from Thursday's win, but those lessons are always easier to internalize when they come attached to a win. Some might focus on the final two minutes when dissecting the Knicks' performance, but Thibodeau will keep his sights on the complete product.
"We're still struggling to be a 48-minute team," Thibodeau said. "We're not there yet. We know we've got a lot to work on. But I thought the way we started the game…I thought it spoke to the readiness of the team to play."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
