It’s not so much the losses, which have lately come to a much more regular clip than at any other time this season. It’s the kind of loss. It is the way in which these losses have occurred. If the Knicks had turned down the gates, been kicked out of the gym night after night, it would be almost easier to explain.
Almost everyone had them tied in 22 wins; they already have 25.
Almost everyone believed they would already be playing the string, counting the days before the draft, the free agency, a recalibration of the list; instead, they entered TD Garden on Tuesday night tied with the Celtics, who only played the Eastern Conference finals a year ago. This speaks to both Boston’s struggles and the Knicks ’surprises, but the ranking is the last to tell the truth.
And so are the final scores.
This time, the scoreboard at the top told the story of Celtics 101, Knicks 99, another narrow loss, added to a growing pile of them. In the last 23 days alone, the Knicks have lost to the 76ers by 3 points and 1 point; to the Nets by 5 and by 2, to the Timberwolves by 1. Now the Celtics by 2. They are 2-8 in games decided by three points or less.
This is wonderful, and this is terrible.
This is a sure sign of progress; it is a safer sign of how far they have yet to go.
“Every day we work on forming winning habits,” said Tom Thibodeau, perhaps half an hour after the Celtics pushed a game ahead of their Knicks in the east, leaving them two games below .500 ( 25-27) for the first time since February 23rd.
“We try to do the right things and understand what happens with winning, analyzing and learning, and you want to learn from every game.”
The coach could never admit it, not even with a really big serum, but making the playoffs was always a secondary concern this year. The most important thing was to formulate a positive impulse after almost two solid decades of the train in the opposite direction.
This has happened. The Knicks play defense every night. They refuse to be intimidated on nights when they are outdated from a talent standpoint, which, despite the background and the absence of Boston’s Kemba Walker, was certainly the case Wednesday.
The hope was that Julius Randle’s talent could be maximized under Thibodeau; there is no debate about it. There was hope that RJ Barrett, in his 20-year season, would improve, and that has become an even bigger reality and an even brighter surprise. Barrett is actually playing in the conversation as the best player in the entire league, and that progress is starting to show every night.
“He got into this with the right attitude,” Thibodeau said, “and it’s starting to bear fruit.”
All this is true. Nor does it alleviate the growing frustration when win-win games against good teams go the other way. You can console yourself, if you wish, knowing that the Knicks are light years ahead of where even fervent optimists believed they would be in the second week of April. It doesn’t alter the aggravation of seeing a four-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate. I shouldn’t do that either.
And it doesn’t change the fact that closing the deal during games like this is part of the progression, and late, after establishing credibility and demanding competitiveness. These elements are there. The last part is finding a way to close. This trick is still ahead.
“We have to realize where we are every night,” Thibodeau said. “Someone plays for something, fights for something, the intensity is broken. We need to understand that we need to respond to it. I’m sure we will. “
Said Barrett (29 points, 6 against 6 of 3): “Everyone plays for something. We are too. We have to keep bringing that intensity. “
Thibodeau’s methods have left their mark: “It’s the NBA,” said Barrett, his star student, “and we have another Friday, we have to concentrate and go get it” – and now there’s an obstacle. more for this edition of the Knicks to negotiate. At some point, approaching is no longer the goal. Close is.