{"id":523391,"date":"2022-12-08T16:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T13:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/"},"modified":"2022-12-08T16:20:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T13:20:00","slug":"how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Knicks are benefitting from Eastern Conference mediocrity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25d9a5e6e87\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25d9a5e6e87\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/#%E2%80%9CHow_Knicks_are_benefitting_from_Eastern_Conference_mediocrity%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;How Knicks are benefitting from Eastern Conference mediocrity&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/#Not_Brunson_or_bust\" >Not Brunson or bust<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/#Off_the_Rose\" >Off the Rose<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHow_Knicks_are_benefitting_from_Eastern_Conference_mediocrity%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;How Knicks are benefitting from Eastern Conference mediocrity&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<p>The preseason hype has been a lot of hot air. More talk than actual results. Uneven play has reigned.<\/p>\n<p>No, we\u2019re not talking about the Knicks. This is in regards to the Eastern Conference, which was supposed to be a monster, but through more than one quarter of the season has been the picture of mediocrity after the very top.<\/p>\n<p>Nine teams, from fourth place to 12th, are separated by just two <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s in the loss column. Only three teams \u2014 the Celtics, Bucks and Cavaliers \u2014 have winning percentages above .538. The Heat, 76ers and Nets have been major dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointments. There is talk that the 12th-place Bulls, at 10-14, are willing to move difference-making veterans DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. With a loaded draft some analysts believe could end up being historically good, more teams may end up unloading key players, looking to improve their positioning by sliding down the standings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/barrett-rebound.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks grabs the rebound during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 4, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. \" class=\"wp-image-24935915\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/barrett-rebound.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1800 1800w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/barrett-rebound.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=900 900w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/barrett-rebound.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"\/><figcaption>Though by no means dominant, the Knicks have been competent enough in recent weeks to have a foothold on playoff position in the East.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NBAE via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>That leaves a golden opportunity for the Knicks, who despite their mediocre 12-13 record are just one hot streak from being in strong playoff position. After Wednesday night\u2019s 113-89 win over the Hawks, they are just 1.5 games behind the Nets (14-12) for fourth place in the conference.<\/p>\n<p>At the season\u2019s outset, the belief was that just reaching the play-in round was a realistic goal for the Knicks because of how tough the East was going to be. That didn\u2019t account for injuries and underperformance setting so many teams back. Now, I expect many teams eventually will play to form, for the 76ers, Heat and Nets to win more games than they lose, and the surprising Pacers (13-12) to go in the other direction. Remember, the Celtics were just a .500 team through 50 games last season before taking off and eventually reaching the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/nba-east-Standings.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A graphic shows the NBA Eastern Conference standings through play on December 7, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-24937964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/nba-east-Standings.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1999 1999w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/nba-east-Standings.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1000 999w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/nba-east-Standings.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But, it should be noted, the Knicks\u2019 schedule has been difficult thus far. They have already played five back-to-backs. Their remaining strength of schedule is the ninth-easiest in the NBA, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tankathon.com\/remaining_schedule_strength\">per Tankathon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And over the past few weeks, the Knicks have played much better, dating back to the ugly loss at home to the Thunder in which they allowed a whopping 145 points in a ghastly no-show performance.<\/p>\n<p>True, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/advanced?LastNGames=12&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=NET_RATING\">their 6-6 record (and 1.5 net rating) since then<\/a> is nothing to be excited about. But in this stretch of 12 games, they faced nine teams with current winning records. Three of the losses \u2014 to the Bucks, Grizzlies and Trail Blazers \u2014 were by six points or fewer. They went 4-2 on the road. And they welcomed back a healthy Quentin Grimes, who is their best perimeter defender and has cemented himself in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/grimes.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) goes up for a shot as New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) defends during the second quarter when the New York Knicks played the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY. \" class=\"wp-image-24935931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/grimes.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1800 1800w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/grimes.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=900 900w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/grimes.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"\/><figcaption>The return of Quentin Grimes has given the Knicks someone capable of slowing down some of the league\u2019s most lethal perimeter players.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Robert Sabo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s not overly optimistic to say this team has been better of late, and that a December jump in the win-loss record is possible. The schedule is relatively soft through New Year\u2019s Day. Of their next 12 games, six\u00a0are against teams with losing records. And two of the teams they\u2019ll face who have won more than they have lost \u2014 the Kings and Pacers \u2014 have had unexpectedly strong starts that still feel a little fluky.<\/p>\n<p>The door is ajar for the Knicks. It certainly is more open than it appeared to be in October. Now they have to forcefully push it open.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Not_Brunson_or_bust\"><\/span>Not Brunson or bust<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In looking over the box score of the Knicks\u2019 blowout of the Hawks, one player stood out. No, it wasn\u2019t Julius Randle (34 and 17) or Quentin Grimes (a season-high 23 points on 11 shots), who were clearly the Knicks\u2019 two best players on this rare stress-free night. It wasn\u2019t Miles McBride\u2019s six assists and plus-19 rating in 27 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>It was Jalen Brunson.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-jalen-brunson.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) gets fouled by Atlanta Hawks guard Aaron Holiday (3)during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-24937923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-jalen-brunson.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-jalen-brunson.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1000 1000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-jalen-brunson.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><figcaption>The Knicks endured Jalen Brunson\u2019s off night in a comfortable win over the Hawks, which is an encouraging sign.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">USA TODAY Sports<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The newcomer had a forgettable night, missing 12 of 14 shots from the floor, committing four turnovers and managing eight points and six assists. Really, it was the first time all season Brunson was off and the Knicks managed to win, which speaks volumes of how dependent they have been on their new point guard.<\/p>\n<p>It also says a lot about the direction the Knicks are heading in, that they can now overcome Brunson not being at his best and still beat a quality team.<\/p>\n<p>In the Knicks\u2019 first 11 wins, Brunson averaged 23.2 points and 7.2 assists. In their 13 losses, those numbers were 19.1 points and 5.3 assists. If anything, the Knicks have asked too much from Brunson this season. As Grimes emerges, maybe that will enable them to ease up on their floor <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>\u2019s responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>For one night at least, the Knicks were able to thrive without a strong game from Brunson.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Off_the_Rose\"><\/span>Off the Rose<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-derrick-rose.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (4) dribbles the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Madison Square in New York. Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-24937921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-derrick-rose.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-derrick-rose.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1000 1000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-derrick-rose.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><figcaption>Derrick Rose is in Knicks limbo after averaging 6.4 points in 13.6 minutes, both career lows, in his first 21 games of the season.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Noah K. Murray<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>It really shouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see Derrick Rose taken out of the rotation, not if you had been paying close attention to his role prior to his not logging a minute in Sunday\u2019s win over the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n<p>Rose was averaging just 13.6 minutes per game and shooting 40 percent from the field. In a shaky month of November, Rose hit just 30 percent of his shots from 3-point range and averaged just 5.7 points per game. He wasn\u2019t making an impact in the time he was getting. Immanuel Quickley has been the reserve guard seeing far more action.<\/p>\n<p>At the age of 34, it\u2019s fair to question how much Rose has left. It\u2019s also understandable to wonder whether he\u2019s still working on getting his legs underneath him after appearing in just 26 games last season due to multiple ankle surgeries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-deuce-mcbride.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) watches his three point shot during the fourth quarter when the New York Knicks played the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, December 7, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-24937922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-deuce-mcbride.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-deuce-mcbride.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1000 1000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/knicks-deuce-mcbride.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><figcaption>Second-year guard Miles McBride has made a positive influence on the Knicks since entering the rotation.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Robert Sabo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The other part of the equation is McBride, the Knicks\u2019 second-round draft pick in 2021 who has been impressive in the past two games. He came in with a reputation for being a tenacious defender, but didn\u2019t get much of an opportunity to prove himself as a rookie.<\/p>\n<p>Thibodeau has high praise for McBride, raving about the former West Virginia star\u2019s readiness and work habits. He talks about McBride the same way he talks about Grimes, and Thibodeau has not let his fondness of Grimes be any sort of secret.<\/p>\n<p>McBride\u2019s strong defense, along with eight assists and two turnovers in the past two games, won\u2019t hurt his quest to keep his rotation spot. Neither will the Knicks outscoring opponents by 27 points in McBride\u2019s combined 43 minutes in those contests.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/12\/08\/how-knicks-are-benefitting-from-eastern-conference-mediocrity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How Knicks are benefitting from Eastern Conference mediocrity&#8221; The preseason hype has been a lot of hot air. More talk than actual results. Uneven play has reigned. No, we\u2019re not talking about the Knicks. This is in regards to the Eastern Conference, which was supposed to be a monster, but through more than one quarter&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/randle-air.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[136931,92524,117168,102289,113552,72932,115930],"class_list":["post-523391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-8-22","tag-derrick-rose","tag-inside-the-knicks","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-miles-mcbride","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-post-sports-newsletters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}