The New York Knicks have the talent to reach the NBA Finals and possibly win their first world championship since 1973 this season. But in order to do that, they will have to adopt a tough mentality that mirrors the gritty attitude of the city and area they represent.
New head coach Mike Brown wants them to play a modern up-tempo offense that will leave former coach Tom Thibodeau’s slowdown offense in the dustbin of the 1990s, where it belongs. But he also wants his men to be resilient and to fight like hell from the opening tip to the final horn of each game, as they should.
In order to build that mentality, Brown said he showed his team a clip of former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf chasing down Arizona Cardinals star safety Budda Baker.
In the clip in question, Russell Wilson, who was then the Seahawks’ quarterback, threw a pass that was intercepted by Baker. Baker took the football the other way and appeared to be sailing in for a pick-six until Metcalf ruined that plan.
Two seasons ago, the Knicks were a strong defensive team, but last season, they had quite a bit of slippage on that end of the floor. They fell to 13th in defensive rating, and although they made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years, they lost there to the Indiana Pacers.
Brown appears poised to employ a big starting lineup with Mitchell Robinson at center and fellow seven-footer Karl-Anthony Towns at the 4. This way, New York will have a true rim protector in the middle while Towns can roam around the perimeter and annoy opponents with his size and length.
Offensively, New York has the personnel to get out and run with almost any other team in the NBA. Jalen Brunson has established himself as a big-time star, and Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby make up one of the better wing tandems in basketball.
The Eastern Conference is wide open to a certain extent this season due to the Achilles injuries Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered this past postseason. It is time for the Knicks to take advantage and earn a ticker-tape parade down the streets of Midtown.
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