Knicks 5-5 after convincing win over depleted 76ers

The New York Knicks continued their up-down start to the 24-25 season with, what was eventually, a commanding 111-99 win over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers. It marked the Knick's 10th game of the season and first in the NBA Cup. The Knicks, who have been criticised for their lackadaisical defence to begin the season heard the noise of the critics and responded by holding their opposition to just 99 points and 37% from the field. Maybe even more impressively, Joel Embiid, fresh from his return to NBA action, was restricted to just 13 points on 2-11 shooting.

Karl Anthony Towns guarding Joel Embiid

Having completed two blockbuster worthy trades this off-season, the New York Knicks garnered extra media attention from the harsh critics of the NBA. Failure is not an option for this team, especially in a market where fans have historically made their feelings heard not just at the games but more increasingly online. Even over the past week, Brunson's 25 PPG start to the season has had some fans declaring a trade is needed for someone who is more of a facilitator for big-man Karl-Anthony Towns who has had a red-hot start to this season. However, the impatience of Knicks fans should not overshadow the fact this is a newly assembled team put together just one day before training camp commenced. Another trade would only further weaken the teams chemistry.

Going into the game Knicks' critics and fans had three major questions they needed answers to.

Number 1 - Defensive continuity: The team has 3 all-defensive caliber starters in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart and one electric young defender off the bench in Miles 'Deuce' McBride. Individually, this team is overflowing with one-on-one defensive ability, especially on the wings but early on the shot clock, teamwork and communication is key to defense, so that shots are contested and rebounds are boxed out. Bridges, who has been culpable for loosing his man going over screens this season, improved his defensive tenacity allowing him to get out to his man and reduce the 3-point percentages (33%) of the 76ers. Bar Paul George, who was hot all night long from downtown (shooting 7-11), the sixers connected on only 7 other threes - a vast improvement from the Pacers game where 21 shots from beyond the arc fell at a 46% clip (10% above the league average). Whilst this is a one game sample size, tonight the Knicks appeared more comfortable on switches and even implemented the occasional double-team on Embiid which was highly successful.

Jalen Brunson being guarded by Paul George

Number 2 - Jalen Brunson: this was maybe the only question that wasn't answered tonight. This week, the NBA media, in Kendrick Perkins, stated that Jalen Brunson 'was not even a top 15 player in the league' this season despite being top-5 in MVP voting last year. On the surface, this had some Knicks fans frustrated and disappointed in the newly appointed Knicks captain. However, despite tonight's 18 points on 33% shooting and 0-5 from downtown, the stats are still there. Prior to the game Brunson was averaging 25 points shooting 47% from the field and 42% from three - hardly the stats of a regressing player. Maybe the criticism is due to the high precedent set during the back end of last season where he went put up 'Michael Jordan numbers' in his 13 game playoff run. Either way, Brunson is now playing with all-star caliber finishers and shooters. Unlike last season he doesn't need to put up 30+ points a night, he has assets such as Karl-Anthony Towns who has scored 30+ in the four games prior to take the load off of him. Knicks fans and media must remember that the season is young and Brunson's best and most important work is yet to come.

Number 3 - Damn Thibs and his rotation: Tom Thibodeau is a coach well renowned around the league for his grueling training schedules, high intensity and 40+minute nights for his starters. This approach, whilst successful in the regular season often comes back to haunt him come play-offs in the form of injuries and fatigue. Historical teams he coached to regular season success include the 2010-11 Chicago Bulls, whose 62-20 record was good for the conference finals as well as last seasons 2023-24 Knicks whose second seed finish only resulted in a conference semi-final appearance. Come game 7 of the 2023-34 conference semi finals, the knicks had injuries to 4 key starters and many more bench players. Thibs's history with load management has rightfully so been criticised as unsustainable and careless. Therefore coming off the back of a loss to the Pacers where Thibs practically ran a 7-man rotation, the fan-base as well as the media were rightfully demanding a change in approach. Finally that is what we got! Whether Thibs listened to the outside noise, which was in my opinion correct in this occasion, or came to the conclusion himself, he ran an efficient 9-man rotation where 20 points attempts came off the bench on 21 shots, compared to just 9 points on 10 shots the previous game. Whilst the efficiency is similar, the rest given to the starters as a result meant they were not burned out come the 4th quarter and instead took the game away from the 76ers winning the quarter, wining it 33-24. This was a huge difference in comparison to Sunday night where the Knicks were visibly exhausted and gave up 40 points in the final quarter.

In conclusion to tonight's matchup, the Knicks need to find a way to string a run of results together, having won back to back just once to start the season is simply not good enough even with the newly assembled roster. The Knicks looked unstoppable against the Pacers in game two, the Pistons in game three and again tonight on both ends of the floor and especially in the fourth quarter. The teams ability to share scoring duties is vital to their success so that double teams and individual defensive focus of the opposition are nullified. These hints of progress will only continue to drive the Knicks forward and turn them into a championship contender by the end of the year.

The Knick's biggest concern moving forwards

• Defence
• Injuries/Thib's rotation
• Brunson
• Other