The New York Knicks suffered their fourth loss of the season at the hands of the Boston Celtics on April 8. Joe Mazzulla’s team secured the win during overtime after OG Anunoby opted against fouling Jayson Tatum in the dying moments of the game.
Following that loss, the Knicks are now 0-9 against the top three teams in the NBA. As such, there are growing doubts surrounding Tom Thibodeau’s team and their ability to make a run to the NBA Finals.
According to legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal, the Knicks would be lucky to make it out of the first round. O’Neal’s comments came during TNT’s pregame show. For reference, as things currently stand, New York will face the Detroit Pistons to begin their playoff run.
“I don’t think they’re good enough to advance to the second round,” O’Neal said. “That’s just me personally.”
The Knicks should have more than enough talent to overcome a young and developing Pistons team. However, J.B. Bickerstaff has his team playing a physically imposing brand of basketball. Furthermore, Cade Cunningham has emerged as one of the best guards in the NBA.
Nevertheless, the Knicks are expected to progress into the second round or even the conference finals. If they fall to the Pistons, this season will likely be deemed as a disaster for the franchise.
Knicks Tom Thibodeau Knows There’s More to Do
When speaking to the media during his postgame news conference, head coach Tom Thibodeau discussed his team’s fourth loss of the season to the Celtics and what that means for his roster moving forward.
“They’re the defending champion, so until someone proves they can beat them, they’re defending their championship,” Thibodeau said. “So we know that there’s a lot of work for us to do.”
These Knicks added three key pieces to the rotation over the last 18 months. It takes time for those pieces to fully gel and get accustomed to the messaging from the coaching staff. While it may frustrate the fanbase, the Knicks are likely still one year away from being legitimate contenders. Thibodeau’s biggest hurdle will be figuring out how to get the best out of Mikal Bridges.
Jalen Brunson Holds Knicks Accountable
During his own postgame news conference, All-Star guard Jalen Brunson admitted the Knicks must execute better during tight games.
“We’ve just got to execute better; it’s as simple as that,” Brunson said. “We shouldn’t be in that position anyway, to be in overtime.”
The Knicks must learn how to close out tight games against elite competition. New York will likely face Boston in the second round of the playoffs (assuming they can overcome the Pistons). If Thibodeau’s team can’t secure victories in clutch possession, New York’s participation against the Celtics could be short-lived.
Fortunately for New York, Thibodeau’s team has multiple weeks to continue improving and preparing for the challenge Boston will present. For now, though, O’Neal has provided the Knicks with some additional motivation to handle their business when they suit up to face the Pistons in the opening round.
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