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Yes I know it may be early with 20+ games left to go in the regular season, but for right now these are the two best teams in the East. With the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers closely chasing the Knick’s with their recent developments. The Boston Celtics who have been playing fantastic with the leap that Jaylen Brown has made without Jayson Tatum, who may be set for a return in March. Whereas the Cleveland Cavaliers made a move at the trade deadline to move off Darius Garland for the veteran James Harden. Where they have been playing phenomenal going 5-1 in this 6 game stretch since acquiring him.

Enough of that lets dive into this fierce matchup that the Knicks have not figured out during this season. In the regular season they are 0-3 against Detroit where they have been outscored by 84 points with an average of 28 points per game. Obviously this has not been the Detroit Pistons that we have known for the last 15 years. This resurgence has been quite frankly spectacular, where they have brought back this “Bad Boy” Pistons type vibe to how they play. JB Bickerstaff, who is my COTY, has done a phenomenal job with this group. They have improved immensely as a group and have a togetherness about them that not many teams have in this league. The Knick’s have experienced this transition from the playoff series in 2025 to now.

What stands out most about this team is their defense. They are second in defensive efficiency right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder at 108.3.They have long wing type players like Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II who are great on ball defenders. Jalen Duren, who just made his first All-Star game appearance is one of the keys to this teams success. A guy who is averaging 18.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG and defensively has been awesome for the Pistons. Then of course Cade Cunningham who also just made his first All-Star game appearance. Averaging 25.3 PPG, 9.8 APG, and 5.8 RPG, he has been doing it all for Detroit, on both sides of the ball. Without him the Pistons do not have a top 10 offensive rating in the league. Pair that with veteran role players like Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris, Paul reed, Kevin Huerter, etc. They have made a feisty and very competitive team, where it is hard to match their physical toughness.

I want to dive into this latest matchup with Detroit last Thursday night and compare it to the other matchups earlier in the season. Obviously it still was not good, but it was improvement from the last two games.

First off, Cade Cunningham torched the Knicks with 42 points off 17-34 from the field with 13 assists, and 8 rebounds. All around game for him and what he has been doing all season for this Detroit team. Defensively the Knick’s did not do a good enough job of being aggressive on his hip, a lot of clean looks for him. In the game against San Antonio on Monday, Cade struggled big time. This was because of Stephon Castle and the defense of the Spurs playing together. They made every shot of his extremely tough, which the Knicks did not do well of on Thursday night. I am not terribly worried in this department because we know what OG Anunoby is defensively, especially in the playoffs. This does not take away from the Knicks having a lackluster season defensively. Defending the three has been a big point of emphasis these first 3 games, not just this game.

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Brunson finished with 33 points on 12-20 shooting with 8 assists and 6 rebounds. He also had 6 turnovers, the ball hawking defense of the Pistons did a fantastic job of fighting through every action for Brunson which made it extremely difficult for him to get to his spots.

This was a game where the Pistons were playing without Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, the Knicks needed to use Karl Anthony Towns to their advantage. In the first half this was not the case where he only had 3 points and did not get a lot of touches on the block. The Knicks made the adjustment coming out of halftime where he scored 10 points straight. KAT ended up finishing with 21 points on 7-14 shooting with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Obviously he finished strong, but in a game like that he needs to get the ball earlier. To expand on the Knicks offense, they did get great looks from beyond the arc, but they only shot 8-35 from 3 which is not a winning recipe. The shot quality of this game was a lot better than the previous two games. They had a shot quality of 0.58 which is better than their season average of 0.55. The previous two games where they had a shot quality of 0.49, which was the first game of the season and 0.52 in the second game of the season. Obviously offensively they had good looks through the same Mike Brown offensive schemes.

In the end, the Knicks got outplayed once again by this tough Detroit team that has been growing together as a team. If they end up facing each other in the ECF or any part of the playoffs, the Knicks are going to need OG Anunoby on both sides of the ball and the same for Mikal Bridges. They both shot the ball poorly combining for 1-11 from 3. As well as KAT being a force offensively like he has been throughout his career and on the boards. It’ll be interesting to see if last years playoff experience for this Detroit team will help them this year.

The Houston Heist

This was a much needed win for the Knicks after the Thursday night loss to the Pistons. Overall it was a much better game offensively from Karl Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, who both came out the gates firing. 16 points on 7-9 shooting for OG Anunoby in the first half. Who also on the defensive side of the ball was more aggressive, getting into passing lanes(4 steals total), and making it tougher for Kevin Durant(he still ended the half with 13 points, but was 5-13 from the field). KAT had 11 points in the first half shooting 4-7 from the field, being much more aggressive on the low block against smaller defenders. This was a huge pick me up for Jalen Brunson who only had 2 points shooting 0-4 from the field in the first half. He ended up not scoring his first field goal until the 4:23 mark in the 3rd quarter.

For basically 3 quarters the Houston Rockets did a fantastic job on Brunson, they were basically blitzing him at the top of the key. This was able to slow him down and the entire Knicks offense specifically in the 3rd quarter. Forcing turnovers from him and Josh Hart who seemed scared to make any play in this game, either by not shooting open threes or making a pass to a cutter. We already talked about one Thompson brother in this piece, we might as well talk about Amen. I mean the guy can flat out defend anyone and he impressed me this game with his ability to facilitate(ended with 7 assists). The Rockets in the 3rd quarter we’re able to gain a huge lead outscoring the Knicks 37-22 shooting 52% in the quarter.

I want to expand on this second half more than the first. Obviously two quarters that are the opposite of each other on how the Knicks played. Mike decided to start the half with the main guys of Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns. In the 3rd quarter alone this group had a -6 P/M, which I give a ton of credit to the Rockets defense for disrupting the Knicks offense. It was not just this group that played bad, in total they were -15 P/M in the quarter. When watching I was worried because obviously the Knicks not having 5 shooters on the floor was starting to show. They are going to need guys like Hart, Robinson, Sochan(Brown needs to find a fit for him), etc later down the line. Those guys give effort and make winnings plays, but they do not help a offense that is struggling against better defenses.

In the 4th quarter, Knicks were down 93-75 and Mike Brown made the adjustment. Coming out the gate with Alvarado, Shamet, Bridges, Anunoby, and KAT in the first 5 minutes of the 4th. They go on a 16-4 scoring run with a P/M of 10, Alvarado being the catalyst to this run. An awesome performance from him, finished with 8 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals, including a massive swipe that lead to a game tying layup. I want to get into him a little later on because he is exactly what the Knicks needed coming off the bench. The defense this quarter was stuff that we have seen in the past, defending as one team, rotating to the shooters, and OG did a fantastic job on Kevin Durant down the stretch.

The Knicks ended up finishing on a 33-13 run to close the ball game. First group being the spark that led to that run, but when we got down to the final 5 minutes we finally got a Brunson barrage. Going 4-4 in the clutch to push the Knicks over the finish line. He ended up finishing with 20 points on 6-12 shooting and 6 assists. Listen he obviously was not that aggressive for basically 2 and half quarters, but he did the little things when they mattered. He took three charges(NBA leader in charges drawn), including two massive ones in the 4th quarter. The Knicks got the “pick me up” from KAT who finished with 25 points on a very efficient 10-15 shooting and 7 rebounds. He was much more aggressive throughout the entire game, unlike what we saw against Detroit. OG Anunoby also had a huge bounce back game finishing with 20 points on 8-16 shooting. A massive win for the team moral and Knick fanbase headed into a back to back with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.

A Gritty WIn on a Back to Back

Coming off the high of the Rockets 18 point comeback, the Knicks in just 24 hours were in the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls. This is a classic “trap” game for the Knicks and definitely looked like it for all of the first half. They were flat and had no energy which is obviously understandable. The Bulls coming into this game were on a 8 game losing streak and seeking to find there first since the All-Star break.

I won’t be going too deep into this one, obviously it was not great on both sides of the ball. Karl Anthony Towns continued his aggressiveness from the Rockets game, he finished with 28 points on 10-17 shooting with 11 rebounds to top that. He was definitely the MVP of this game, hit some big shots down the stretch, scoring 11 points in the 4th. Jalen Brunson once again not a great night offensively where he finished with 19 points, shooting 7-19 from the field, as well as having 9 assists. What I liked down the stretch was Brunson realizing he did not really have it tonight and focused on the hot hand of KAT to bring it home down the stretch. It was good to see from the Knicks star player and shows the maturity he has when things aren’t going his way.

Another player for the Knicks who has stepped up big time for them this season and on Sunday night was Landry Shamet. We all know him to be a solid role player, who can come off the bench and knock down a couple threes. The thing that I have become super impressed with is his defensive ability and the ability to get to the rim. He finished with 16 points off the bench and I think Mike Brown has done a good job of incorporating him into lineups.

Chicago Bulls fans I am sorry, I thought they played a solid game and gave the Knicks fits. But in the end they are just the inferior team and I am starting to feel bad for Billy Donovan, who is an all time coach. I really do not see the vision of this team in the next few years, besides the bright spot of Matas Buzelis. Recently he has been the primary focus for defenses, with the recent injuries of Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, and Zach Collins. I think he will continue to get better each year and the Bulls need to find players to fit around him.

Obviously the highlight of this game was KAT, he continued his hot hand from the Rockets game on Saturday night. He obviously has not been great this year, all his numbers are down from the previous year. Before the season, we thought that Mike Brown was going to incorporate an offense where Brunson and him can play off each other a bit better than Tom Thibodeau did. I do not think all of that is on Mike Brown, he needs to be aggressive on his own and get him self involved organically. As well as the Knicks need to find ways to get him involved early in games, especially against smaller defenders. He is a solid post player and it will be able to open up the offense if a team decides to help. They need him to continue this run and get his confidence going before the playoffs begin.

“Grand Theft” Alvarado

The Brooklyn native has made an immediate impact since joining the Knicks from the trade deadline. This was a great a deal for the Knicks in an area they needed. They gave up Dalen Terry(acquired from the Guerschon Yabusele trade with the Chicago Bulls), two second round picks, and cash to New Orleans. Since the injury of Miles McBride, the Knicks have been missing that point guard off the bench who can get paint touches, spread the floor with his shooting, and play great on-ball defense. Alvarado has met every single one of those since joining the Knicks.

The Knicks defensively have lost their identity from the teams in the past few seasons. Alvarado bringing his defensive toughness to this team is exactly what the Knicks have needed. In his first 6 games, he has two 5 steal games. We already talked about him being the catalyst in the Houston game, but before the All-Star break he had 5 steals against the 76ers including 8 three pointers. In his first 6 games with the Knicks he has been a total of +40!

He plays his role better than anyone else in this league, especially as a secondary ball handler. He has shown his ability to play make and to get teammates involved, averaging 3.3 assist since joining. That has been the most eye opening part since joining, the ability to get into the paint, which opens up the offense has been extremely impressive. As well as the ability to play with Jalen Brunson so far, which is a testament to Brown trying new lineups since acquiring him and even Jeremy Sochan.

With Miles McBride out with an abdominal injury till the playoffs, Alvarado will be a key for the rest of the regular season. It will be interesting to see what Brown does with McBride coming back for the playoffs and if he try’s to incorporate him back into the lineup. But for now Knicks fandom please enjoy the Alvarado experience, it has been an electric to start.

Mike Brown’s Chess Match

Across this fanbase there has been controversy with Mike Brown, really since the beginning of the season. I will try not to feed into this controversy here, but instead what I would like to see from him in these next 20+ games.

First and foremost is something that I have mentioned earlier in this piece. Running more 5-out lineups, we saw how well it did against a lengthy defense in the Houston Rockets in the 4th quarter. It spreads teams out defensively and creates more lanes for Brunson to create from. It takes the center out of the picture that is usually on KAT, which opens up the driving lanes. Obviously they are going to need Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart for rebounding and defensive purposes, but at the end of the day Brown was brought in to make this offense light it up. Which he has done with a with a top 5 offensive rating at 118.2 compared to 117.3 last year. There is still improvement to go and I think we will get a taste of what he wants in the later days of March and April.

With the recent inquires of Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan, he has been trying to work them into lineups. Alvarado obviously has done a great job fitting in because he fits all the needs for the Knicks. Sochan on the other hand, has not. Defensively he is a great presence, but offensively it hurts the Knicks spacing. I am sure as we move forward Brown will figure out how to incorporate him, but the way I see it, right now he is not playable.

When we get down to 10-15 games left, Brown has to figure out a set rotation. It is all over the place currently and is 100% hurting them, but I get it. In the end he has to figure out a rotation before the playoffs. He has already taken Jordan Clarkson out of the rotation since the acquisition of Jose Alvarado. As well as keeping Mohamed Diawara in the lineup, who is a 20 year old lengthy wing, shooting 40% beyond the arc. Personally I would like to see him play more minutes because he provides more shooting and defensively he is great. I’m intrigued of who else Brown will take out and especially if he will get Deuce McBride minutes in the playoffs or not.

The way I see the rotation currently:

• Jalen Brunson
• Josh Hart(Id rather him come off the bench)
• Mikal Bridges
• OG Anunoby
• Karl Anthony Towns
• Landry Shamet
• Mitchell Robinson
• Jose Alvarado
• Mohamed Diawara
• Miles McBride(We will know closer to his return)

The Knicks still have a lot of work to do and need to prove themselves in the dog days of March. Hopefully KAT can continue this offensive presence that he has showed coming off the All-Star break. As well as OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges showing more of a presence on both sides of the ball. This team is always a thrill no matter what and will be interesting to see how the regular season finishes(hopefully on a positive note). Well that is going to do it for the first post of The Off-Ball Forum, hope you enjoyed!