For many decades, ear-throbbing chants of “DE-FENSE” have reverberated through Madison Square Garden from rabid fans, urging the Knicks to lock in for crucial possessions during critically important moments of a game.
The crowd’s exhortation of the team reflects the defining characteristics of the Knicks’ two championship teams (1970 and 1973) and their last two NBA Finals squads (1994 and 1999): physicality, sturdy defense and mental toughness.
(As a franchise, the Knickerbockers have appeared in eight finals, playing in the NBA throughout the league’s entire 79-year history)
Defense indeed does still win championships, evidenced by last season’s titlist, the Oklahoma City Thunder, having the highest defensive rating of all 30 teams in the 2024-25 campaign. Accordingly, the prior season, the Boston Celtics became the league champs, standing on the foundation of the NBA’s second best defensive rating.
If the Knicks are going to reach championship status this season, then their proficiency and outcomes on the defensive side of the court have to level up. Before defeating the Brooklyn Nets by 113-100 on Monday at the Barclays Center to raise their record to 10-6 heading into last night’s game versus the Hornets in Charlotte, the Knicks put up little resistance against the Magic in Orlando on Saturday night, losing 133-121.
It was one of too many outings this season when the Knicks’ defense was insufficient. Three Magic players scored their season high in points led by forward Franz Wagner’s 37 points, and guards Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs with 27 and 26 points respectively.
“There’s going to be stuff that happens, miscommunications, but we weren’t connected,” said Knicks guard-forward Mikal Bridges after the loss. His most concerning comment may have been with respect to the team’s lack of effort and hustle.
Even without defensive stalwart OG Anunoby, who has not played since leaving the Nov. 14 contest against the Heat — a 140–132 win — with a left hamstring strain, and center Mitchell Robinson, one of the league’s top defensive forces who is being limited under left ankle load management, the Knicks’ collective defensive consistency should and could be better.
Moreover, guard Landry Shamet, who was having an impactful start to this season offensively as well as defensively, left Saturday’s game with what was noted as a sprained left shoulder on the Knicks’ injury report prior to playing the Nets. His return date had not been publicly stated by the Knicks as of Tuesday afternoon.
Without delving deeply into statistics or analytics — the eye test alone reveals the Knicks’ defensive flaws — they ranked 15th in defensive rating (115.1 points per 100 possessions allowed) before facing the Hornets, 14th in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.9%), and 26th in opponents’ three-point percentage (38.4%).
Coming off of five consecutive road games, the Knicks will be back at MSG tomorrow to meet the Milwaukee Bucks and host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
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