Schmeelk: What's Gotten Into The Knicks?

By John Schmeelk
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The Knicks have won three of their last four games, and almost defeated Charlotte on Saturday despite not having Carmelo Anthony or Jose Calderon on the court.

As Knicks Nation went into a panic about potentially losing the worst record in the league and the most ping-pong balls in May, the team was quietly playing a little bit more like a cohesive unit with some level of consistency on defense.

So why, all of a sudden, is the team winning?

The common refrain is that the presence of three players on 10-day contracts (Langston Galloway, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas) has injected some urgency and life into the team. Playing for their NBA lives, they are going at it a lot harder and have dedicated themselves to the triangle far more than the J.R. Smiths and Iman Shumperts of the world. Is it true?

The first thing that needs to be examined is the competition. The Knicks beat the Pelicans without Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. They then beat the 76ers, who have put more effort into setting themselves up to lose games than trying to win them. The best 'W' of the three came against Orlando, who have won a whopping 15 games this year. They then played the Hornets very closely, but ultimately lost without Melo in the lineup to score enough points to beat a good defensive team.

Neither of those four teams are offensive powerhouses by any means, so the Knicks' 99.0 defensive rating (which would make them second in the league if that ranking was maintained throughout the entire season) needs to be taken with a grain of salt. In fairness, the team wasn't able to beat bad clubs the first two-plus months of the season either (and had a 108 defensive rating), but drawing too many conclusions over a four-game stretch would be foolhardy.

The three players on 10-day contracts have a had a positive effect. Lou Amundson has been +7.5 over the past four months. Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway are both on the plus side of the ledger. Calderon and Jason Smith, both of which have been two of the worst players on the Knicks in terms of +/- over the course of the year, have been two of the best the last four games. Tim Hardaway Jr. has even slid into the positive side of +/- after being one of the worst on the team for the first two months of the season.

Those three teams have something in common: all struggle on the defensive side of the floor.

One must wonder if the three newcomers, all of which are capable defenders, have relieved some of the pressure off of players like Hardaway, Calderon, Smith and even Anthony. When there are two or three players on the floor that are good help defenders and are always in the right place, it makes everyone play better on that end of the floor.

Offensively, the Knicks have been four points better per 100 possessions over the last four games. The three newcomers seem to be more willing to play within the confines of the triangle, moving off the ball with energy and purpose. Galloway has gone through some hot shooting, which won't continue forever, but the signs that the triangle can work are encouraging.

None of this will matter much if Amar'e Stoudemire and his inept defense make a return to the rotation, or if Anthony shuts the season down with his knee injury, but it is encouraging to see some level of competence from a Derek Fisher-coached team.

Of course, nobody around the Knicks want to win too much with Jahlil Okafor at stake either.

Let the ping-pong balls flow.

You can follow me on Twitter @Schmeelk for everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports.