An Incomprehensible Collapse
Everyone associated with the franchise deserves plenty of blame...
Final Score: Knicks 97 - Mavs 114
Record: 25-18
I wish there were an obvious answer.
For the sake of the readers who have emailed and the buddies who have texted me some version of, “WTF is going on with the Knicks?!?!?!?” I’d love to point to one obvious, undisputed problem as the root cause of the Knicks’ incomprehensible collapse over the last month.
If a star player(s) had quit on the team, ship them out of town ASAP. If the coach was solely responsible for the putrid performance, fire ‘em and move on. If the issue was just a bizarre, unremitting shooting slump, give the team some time and let the 3PT percentages progress to the mean. If these losses could be blamed on tired legs courtesy of a cramped schedule, just stay patient until the All-Star break. If the rampant trade rumors are impacting players’ psyches, the deadline will be in the rearview mirror in a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s that simple or straightforward. My sense is that there are a number of problems festering simultaneously inside the rotting corpse of these 2026 Knicks.
Yes, part of the problem is the Knicks’ inability to make baskets. After all, this is a make-or-miss league. Karl-Anthony Towns, widely considered one of the best big man marksmen of all time, had shot above 52% from the floor over the first ten years of his career. This season, he’s in uncharted territory, shooting below 47%. Not only is he missing shots from behind the arc (his 3PT% has plummeted from 42% last season to south of 36% this season), but he’s also missing an impossible number of bunnies. According to NBA.com tracking data, KAT has converted just 53.5% of his lay-up attempts (!) and 57.3% all shots from within five feet of the rim. Somehow, he has made less than 40% of his driving lay-ups (38-for-96).
And KAT obviously isn’t the only Knick struggling to find the range consistently. OG has seen his eFG% drop from 56% to 53%. During this disastrous 17-game stretch, Anunoby is shooting just 26.1% from three-point range. Jordan Clarkson has somehow been even less efficient than expected (and we didn’t have high hopes).
Over the last few weeks, it seems like every important shot that has the potential to shift momentum, even when they generate good looks, has rimmed out for New York. Per tracking data, New York has made less than 43% of their “wide open” (no defender within six feet) shots over the last month.
Yet, when jumpers aren’t dropping, teams that consider themselves legit contenders make up for it by locking in on the defensive end. That has certainly not been the case with these Knicks.
As we’ve noted often over the last few newsletters, New York ranks 29th in the NBA in DefRtg since their Cup win in mid-December, allowing a whopping 119.6 points per 100 possessions.
That’s not simply schemes or X’s and O’s. To give up that many points is a direct reflection on the team’s collective effort and intensity. That’s a lack of heart.
Yes, the Knicks have had plenty of injuries to deal with, which have robbed them of much-needed depth and consistency, but these are issues every team faces. No club avoids the injury bug altogether.
Which brings us to Monday’s massacre inside MSG.
Riding a three-game losing skid and in desperate need of a win, Knicks fans assumed their heroes would explode out of the blocks with their hair on fire and play with as much energy as humanly possible. Instead, we saw the opposite.
New York came out flat as a pancake. Shockingly, it looked like they were sleepwalking early on.
And it’s important to note that both Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart suited up for the contest, making their return from ankle injuries. This meant that, for the first time this season, the Knicks had their full roster active and available.
The visiting Mavericks, on the other hand, were missing Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, D’Angelo Russell and P.J. Washington.
Yet, somehow, Dallas embarrassed New York, building a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter. The fans inside MSG booed the Knicks vociferously as the half came to an end. New York was down 75-47, their largest halftime deficit in more than a decade.
The Knicks played with more purpose after the break, limiting the Mavs to just 19 points in the third quarter and 20 in the final frame.
However, in some respects, the tale of two halves highlighted that Dallas’ domination in the first 24 minutes stemmed primarily from New York’s lack of toughness and fight.
And for that, everyone associated with the franchise deserves plenty of blame.
