J. Kyle Mann

I just like, I picked the Knicks to make the finals before the season.

I'm sticking with it because I don't believe in changing picks willy-nilly.

But there has not been, even when they go 9-1 in a 10-game stretch, they're 8-2 in their last 10 games right now after hitting rock bottom against the Mavs in that disaster at MSG.

I just, I haven't, there's something about them that makes me feel unconfident in them at all times.

And it's not that they're not a mentally tough team.

It's not that they can't handle adversity.

It's just that they can't seem to sustain teams

a coherent, they're coherent at the highest level on both ends of the floor for very long.

Even within games, if it's like, it feels like they should be winning by this game by more.

Why is this close in the fourth quarter?

Obviously everyone will want to focus on their defense.

They're 11th in defense.

That's objectively good enough.

Um,

even their defensive rating with Brunson and towns, both on the floor is about the same as their overall defensive rating.

Good enough.

They have since January 1st, I looked this up today.

They are, they have allowed the ninth fewest shots at the rim since January 1st, which was a big, big change for them.

Cause for a while they were like bottom three and shots at the rim, bottom three and threes, which is allowed, which is like, you just can't win that way.

And they've stressed, like, we're going to pack the paint.