The New York Knicks are doing something that they haven’t done in a long time, and that is winning.
New York is currently on a seven-game winning streak, the longest for the franchise since 2014. The Knicks’ win streak is also the longest active streak in the NBA right now. New York is now sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
New York is only half a game behind the fourth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who the Knicks play against on Wednesday night. If New York extends the streak to eight games, they will overcome the Hawks and hop into fourth place.
The matchup with the Hawks will be vital for the team, but head coach Tom Thibodeau argues that the team should not focus on the streak but the game itself. “It’s important for us to not get lost,” Thibodeau said. “Trying hard to temper what is becoming a staggering story in progress. When you start thinking about down the road, about winning streaks, you can forget about Atlanta,” Thibodeau continued. “It’s easy to get knocked off course.”
“We just go day-by-day, step-by-step, and if we’re taking care of all the things we need to take care of, then all of the other stuff will take care of itself,” Thibodeau explained. “Focus and concentration are everything that gives you your intensity. We have to stay focused on what’s in front of us.”
Regardless, New York is currently on pace to make their first playoff appearance since 2013. With 13 games left in the season, New York can’t miss unless they have a monumental collapse. New York’s rise to playoff contention is something that others did not expect. New York was aided by Julius Randle‘s All-Star performance, RJ Barrett‘s excellent play, and Thibodeau’s coaching style. All of this has revamped the Knicks’ play.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the team, something that no Knicks fan has been able to say since the days of Carmelo Anthony.
