From the moment the Knicks appointed Tom Thibodeau as their new head coach in July, their defense was planning to upgrade.
But there was no guarantee of a tangible change – and the subsequent victories – would come quickly.
The Knicks left New York again on December 27 with their first win of the season, a surprise defeat by the Bucks. They returned on Tuesday as winners of four of their last five who entered the clash with the Jazz at the Garden on Wednesday night, with very strong efforts to fuel their boom, but the defending chief among them.
“I think togetherness is a big part of it. I think the willingness to share the ball, to play hard for each other, “said Thibodeau after the 113-108 victory over the Falcons on Monday. ‘[But] it starts with our defense and the bounce. We still have to reduce our turnover, but I just think the overall way they play for each other. I think that’s a big part of winning. They come in and they work every day. ”
Last year, under David Fizdale and then-interim coach Mike Miller, the Knicks achieved the NBA’s 23rd defensive rating (112.4). Through seven games this season under Thibodeau, they had the NBA’s ninth best defensive rating (106.1).
During their last five games, their opponents have scored well below their score – albeit in a small sample size. They kept the Bucks, who otherwise averaged 127 points, at 110. They held the Cavaliers (107.5) to 86, the Raptors (107.2) to 100, the Pacers (117) to 102 and the Falcons (120) to 100. 108.
“The biggest thing is that if you defend and you bounce back and take care of the ball, you will be able to win,” Thibodeau said.
Of course, that’s not the defense that led the Knicks to winning three of four on their road trip. There were important performances from newcomers as well as holdovers, as the Knicks started the best through seven games since the 2012-13 season:
“Quivers”: The background combination of Immanuel Quickley and Austin Rivers is still very new, but it was impressive enough to already get a nickname via social media. They were both on the floor Monday against the Falcons – Rivers for the final 17:06 and Quickley for 15:09 of the last 15:51 – to help turn a 15-point deficit into a five-point victory .
Rivers played a strong defense on Trae Young and conceded an important three-pointer through a sharp pass from Quickley, who bagged 16 points.
“We play offensively, and defensively he’s very good, too,” Quickley said. “So it makes it very easy to play with him on both sides of the floor.”
King Julius: Julius Randle had another monster game on Monday, with 28 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. His fight last season was well documented, but he improved a lot early this year while putting in heavy minutes.
“I think guys believe in Coach and believe in his message and play for each other, play hard, play together,” Randle said.
Resilience: The Knicks spent a lot of time with the lead during their four wins, but dug themselves out of a 15-point deficit in the third quarter on Monday to end the road trip on a high note.
“It starts with Thibs and then it goes down completely,” RJ Barrett said. “Everyone who comes into the game plays hard, plays with a lead.”
Shoot hiccups: The deviation during the five-game? The Knicks shoot 3-for-36 from deep against the Raptors. Over the other four games, they combined to shoot 49-for-100. That includes only one game from Alec Burks, who is expected to be one of their top scorers.