In what was a highly competitive game on Friday, the New York Knicks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by one point. The thrilling end to the game featured a Jalen Brunson three-pointer, followed by a Ja Morant and-one drive, followed by an OG Anunoby three-pointer, and ended with another Morant drive that came up short. The Knicks prevailed by the score of 114-113.
The game also featured the return of Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks struggles against the best of the best this season have been well-documented. Is the fact that they have performed well against teams many consider on the next tier a sign that maybe they will figure it out against the elite?
Knicks Continue To Prove They Can Beat Good Teams, Not Great
Knicks Have Performed Well Against Teams Just Below The Top Tier
Friday night’s victory improved the Knicks record to 39-20. That is the fourth-best record in the NBA, now better than a Grizzlies team that had a matching 38-20 record entering the contest. That should give Knicks fans belief in their team, but instead, many point out the 0-7 record against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
None of their three games against Boston have been even close. They have had one game apiece against Cleveland and Oklahoma City where they led entering the fourth quarter, only to falter in those final 12 minutes. Those three teams are the only ones that the Knicks are looking up at when it comes to best records in the league. Nobody would question that those three have also been the best three squads all year.
After the Knicks, the four next best records (fifth through eighth) all belong in the Western Conference. In order, they are the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets. The Knicks just swept the season series with Memphis, winning the first meeting by a whopping 37 points. They also won both meetings with the Nuggets by a combined 37 points. They split the two-game series with the Rockets, and lost their only matchup thus far with the Lakers. The Knicks play LA again next Thursday. A 5-2 record against those teams is far from shabby.
The two teams directly behind the Knicks in the Eastern Conference in fourth and fifth are the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. They both share 33-25 records. New York has gone 2-1 against Indiana and 2-0 against Milwaukee (one game remaining against the Bucks on March 28). Due in part to the Knicks success against those two, they have a comfortable 5.5-game lead over them.
Narrative Surrounding Knicks Isn’t Completely Factual
The narrative around this season for the Knicks is they have padded their record against bad teams. That is certainly true, but it’s true of every team. New York has also played well against some good-to-very good teams as well.
The Knicks currently have a record of 12-14 against teams over .500 (27-6 against teams under .500). So, taking away that 0-7 record versus the top three teams in the NBA, they are otherwise 12-7 playing against teams with a winning record. Therefore, New York has proven they can beat good teams this season, just not great ones. They would love to notch at least one in the win column either on April 2 at Cleveland or on April 8 at home against Boston. It would certainly give their fans a little more hope in their team once the postseason begins.
Photo credit: © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
