As the NBA Playoffs quickly approaches, there's one big problem that will end up standing in the way of the New York Knicks winning a championship this season.
If their showing in the regular season against the elite teams in the NBA is any indication, the New York Knicks are not a championship contender. The Knicks are 0-7 against the three teams with the best record in the NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Boston Celtics). That's quite unfortunate considering New York is 37-13 against every other team in the league.
But it's not just that the Knicks have lost seven games against the best teams in the league this season, it's the fact that they haven't even been competitive in those contests. In each of those games, the Knicks have lost by at least double digits in each of them except one. Stacking against the rest of the elites in the NBA, there's one big difference between them and the Knicks.
It's not this huge gap or gulf in talent or depth. It's the fact that the Cavs, Thunder, and Celtics each have an elite defense and the Knicks don't. Is it that simple? Probably not. But there's no question that it's certainly played a factor in their matchups this season. Heading into the playoffs, it's one big problem or issue that could end up derailing what has been an otherwise great season for the Knicks.
Are the New York Knicks doomed as a contender?
Offensively, the Knicks, like the Cavs, Thunder, and Celtics, have an elite unit. They're ranked fourth in the league on that end of the floor. Defensively, it's a different story and that's where we see the biggest difference between the four teams. When it comes to measuring defense, even using the simple defensive rating metric does tell us a lot. The Cavs, Thunder, and Celtics each have a top-7 defensive rating. New York is ranked 20th in defensive rating.
If the playoffs started today, the Knicks would have the worst defensive rating among the 16 teams ranked in the top 8 of both conferences. That's a recipe for disaster for New York. With the playoffs right around the corner, it's hard to envision how the Knicks are going to be able to flip the script on their defensive struggles.
I'm sure the expected return of defensive-minded big man Mitchell Robinson will help the Knicks on that end of the floor but it would be slightly foolish to expect a player who is likely going to come off the bench and play just a few minutes per game completely change the team's culture.
Unless something drastically changes on the defensive end of the floor, history suggests they're unlikely to make a championship run in the playoffs. Since the year 2000, only three teams have won the NBA Finals with a defensive rating outside the top 10. Only one outside the top 20.
New York has a big problem on their hands and there are no clear answers for how this team is going to solve it in-season. It's probably going to keep them from making a deep playoff run this year. No matter how this season ends for the Knicks, it's clearly one thing they'll have to rethink heading into next year.