Knicks NBA Championship Odds Tank After Blowout Losses to Cavs, Celtics

Are the New York Knicks pretenders this season?

New York suffered two terrible losses over the weekend to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, dropping it to 0-7 this season against the top three teams in the NBA (Cleveland, Boston, and the Oklahoma City Thunder).

Following New York's double-digit loss to Boston on Sunday, oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook altered the Knicks' odds to win the title in a major way.

New York dropped from +950 to +1600 to win the NBA Finals, falling behind the Denver Nuggets on the odds board. New York has the fifth-best odds to win the title, but it's significantly behind Boston (+210) and Cleveland (+650) in the eyes of oddsmakers.

And honestly, can you blame them?

The Knicks have struggled against elite competition this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. New York is just 11-14 straight up against teams that are over .500 this season, and after losing to Cleveland and Boston, New York has fallen to 20th in the NBA in defensive rating.

Things have gotten worse for the Knicks in February, with Josh Hart and OG Anunoby both missing games. New York has the worst defensive rating in the NBA this month.

Best Defensive Rating in the NBA in February:

1. Nets: 106.3
2. Magic: 107.3
3. Thunder: 108.0
3. Lakers: 108.0

Worst Defensive Rating in the NBA in February:

28. Bulls: 121.8
29. Kings: 122.1
30. Knicks: 122.4
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 24, 2025

Since the 1996-97 season, every team that has won the NBA Finals has finished in the top eight in the NBA in net rating during the regular season. Because the Knicks have such an elite offense, they still are sixth in the league in net rating, but that could change if their defense continues to slip.

Amongst the teams that are in the top eight in the league in net rating, New York has by far the worst defensive rating. Only the Denver Nuggets (16th in defensive rating) sit outside of the top-10 in defensive rating but inside the top-eight in net rating.

The difference between Denver and New York is that the Nuggets have won a title with their current core around Nikola Jokic, while the Knicks have yet to make it past the second round. On top of that, the Knicks have played some of their worst basketball against the best offenses in the league.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps on Monday's episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, the Knicks have a defensive rating of 127 when Karl-Anthony Towns is on the floor against top-10 offenses.

For comparison, the worst defensive rating in the NBA this season is the Utah Jazz at 118.3.

When Karl Anthony-Towns is on the court against any of the top-10 offenses in the league this season, the Knicks’ defensive rating is 127. The worst defensive rating in the league is 118.

If we isolate games playing against the top-10 offenses in the league, the Knicks rank 29th… pic.twitter.com/8x9uHqO9m4
— The Knicks Recap (@TheKnicksRecap) February 24, 2025

That defensive play simply isn't going to cut it in the playoffs, no matter how elite the Knicks' offensive attack is with Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Anunoby, and Hart.

Knicks fans and bettors have been holding out hope that center Mitchell Robinson can help fix some the issues on the defensive end this season. Robinson is nearing his season debut after undergoing ankle surgery this past offseason.

While Robinson is an elite defender and rebounder, he isn't close to the offensive player that Towns is. The Knicks could try to play lineups with both bigs on the floor -- similar to how the Minnesota Timberwolves operated with Towns and Rudy Gobert -- but that would mean taking one of Bridges, Hart or Anunoby off of the floor and potentially out of the starting lineup.

Plus, Robinson's health has been a major issue the last two seasons, so counting on him to play major minutes may not be realistic.

New York's struggles against the best teams in the league have clearly soured the betting market on them. While the Knicks could still make a run -- they are fifth in the odds after all -- it is looking less likely after the recent losses to Boston and Cleveland.

Ultimately, the Knicks need Towns to be better on the defensive end, or Tom Thibodeau needs to change how he's scheming against elite offenses if they truly want to make a title run.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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