Knicks pick the wrong time to win four in a row

Obi Toppin is 7-for-16 from downtown (43.8%) over New York's last four games... #LetObiEat

Let's try a little something different today…

Good News:

The Knicks beat the Bulls 109-104 on Monday night at MSG. It was New York's fourth straight victory, which marks their longest winning streak of the season. 

Bad News:

The Atlanta Hawks also won on Monday, notching a victory over the tanking Pacers. Consequently, the Knicks still trail the Hawks by 4.5 games for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. With just six games remaining on the schedule, the Knicks will likely finish the season with the 11th best record in the Eastern Conference. 

That is, undoubtedly, the worst possible position in the NBA. It means you aren't good enough to qualify for the postseason (or even the Play-In games) but also aren't bad enough to ensure a top pick in the draft. Like the Masters and March Madness, the Knicks stringing together a winning streak late in the season to hurt their lottery chances is an annual Springtime tradition. 

Good News:

New York has received some impressive and valuable contributions from its young core during this recent run. 

The most important late-season development may be the improved play of Immanuel Quickley. IQ struggled with his shot for much of the season before relocating his touch after the All-Star break. Heading into Monday night, Quickley was averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists (vs. just 1.3 turnovers) and 2.1 made three-pointers (while shooting over 43% from downtown and 90% from the free-throw line) over the Knicks' previous 15 games. He is one of only nine players to have knocked down more than 30 three-pointers and more than 70 free throws since the ASB. The other eight are LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, RJ Barrett, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Zach Lavine and James Harden.

Yet, what made IQ's performance in Monday's win so impressive was that even though his jumper wasn't falling (he shot 1-of-5 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the FT line), he still found ways to contribute. Quickley showed great vision, dishing out three assists in the fourth quarter, and didn't commit a single turnover the entire game. 

Bad News:

Deuce McBride logged just seven minutes Monday night. There are just six games left in McBride's rookie campaign, and it remains inexplicable that he isn't being given valuable reps as the season is circling the drain. Alec Burks played well (more on that in a second), but should the veteran be playing 42 (!!) minutes on the second night of a back-to-back in late March for a team ten games under .500? 

Good News: 

Mitchell Robinson played his best game in a while, knocking down 8-of-9 FG attempts en route to tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks. When healthy and engaged, Mitch Rob can dominate the paint on both ends. And New York has done a better job of looking for him more frequently on the offensive end via lobs. 

Bad News:

Robinson missed (badly) on both of his free-throw attempts. Mitch is now shooting a career-low 48.5% from the charity stripe this season. The Knicks have a tough decision to make this summer. 

Good News: 

Alec Burks poured in 27 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, a steal and zero turnovers vs. Chicago. I saw a few folks on Twitter last night declare: "See!! This proves Burks should be playing even more minutes than he has been." However, that's incorrect. 

I have stated frequently that Burks should never have been benched or banished from the rotation. Instead, he should have been used properly all year long - just as he was in 2020-21, when he was an invaluable combo-guard off the bench. 

Utilizing Burks correctly would have benefited both the team (by having a player more capable of playing PG on the floor with the starting unit) and the player (helping to keep Burks fresh for the fourth quarter). 

Consider this:
When Burks and Quickley share the floor together, the Knicks average 116.6 points per 100 possessions and allow just 103.4 points per 100 possessions. That's a Net Rating of plus +8.1.

When Burks and Evan Fournier share the floor together, the Knicks average 110.0 points per 100 possessions and allow 110.1 points per 100 possessions. That's a Net Rating of minus -0.1.

Bad News:

Julius Randle played poorly last night. Worse yet, his effort was embarrassingly nonexistent.