NBA Coach Doubts Knicks Potential

If anything, there's no shortage of bulletin board material for the New York Knicks' upcoming title run.

With All-Star starters Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way, the Knicks (36-18) are winning at a historic pace and some believe that they have their most legitimate championship case in quite some time.

Brunson and Towns' efforts were recognized in an MVP poll conducted of Tim Bontemps of ESPN: among 100 "league insiders," Brunson placed sixth, immediately ahead of Towns and Bontemps noted that such support for a pair of teammates hasn't been seen in this exercise since Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant's shared tenure with the Golden State Warriors.

One of the respondents, however, doesn't believe that the duo's defensive abilities are adequate enough to stage a realistic championship chase.

"With Mikal [Bridges], Josh [Hart], and OG [Anunoby], you have strong defenders, but you are just going to keep putting [Brunson and Towns] in actions, and you're going to go at them," an anonymous assistant coach told Bontemps. "Jalen has been better, but he's still someone to attack and it's easier to hide him than Karl."

"They can't guard the Celtics. That's who they have to go through. They're a problem for everyone, but specifically them."

The Knicks' record against elite competition has been a common argument for those doubting their championship case: New York is winless in five tries against the top three teams by winning percentage at the break (Cleveland, Boston, Oklahoma City).

If the playoff bracket stays frozen where it is at the All-Star break, the Knicks and defending champion Boston Celtics are destined for a second-round matchup. For all their success this season, the Knicks have yet to best Boston, who took a one-sided 131-104 decision at Madison Square Garden last weekend. Two more meetings are scheduled for this regular season, the first landing next Sunday, Feb. 23.

Nov 4, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) controls the ball as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends during the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The state of the modern Knicks was perhaps best personified by their final pre-All-Star showing: behind a 44-point, 10 rebound double-double for Towns (his second consecutive 40-point game) and a game-winning double from Brunson, the Knicks earned a 149-148 overtime victory over the pesky Atlanta Hawks at MSG. It was the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season and one where the Knicks had a six-point lead in the last 10 seconds of regulation before Atlanta came storming back.

Following their starting lineup showings in this weekend's All-Star Game, Brunson and Towns will have an immediate chance to prove their mettle: a Thursday home date with the Chicago Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) and the aforementioned visit to Boston sandwich a Friday road game against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

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