This is the kind of team that Knicks fans have been waiting for since the turn of the century.
A scrappy underdog who embodies grit, hard work, and embraces the bright lights on the biggest stage. It is a cast of characters that pick each other up when they are down and do not let injuries, officiating, or anything else deter them from their ultimate goal of winning.
The Knicks and Jalen Brunson proved that again on Sunday when he dropped a career-high 47 points as New York took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers.
“That’s really been the story of our season,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We need everyone, just hustling like crazy… and if we do that good things will come from that.”
The hustle and team effort were paramount in the Knicks’ victory. After being outrebounded in their Game 3 loss on Friday night, New York made it a point to control the glass in game four. The Knicks outrebounded the Sixers by a plus-10 margin, including six more offensive rebounds than Philadelphia.
This may be hard to fathom as an outsider looking in considering the Knicks only had one healthy center available and Joel Embiid on the other side. However, a herculean team effort neutralized the former MVP and was a key reason as to why New York has a commanding lead in the series. The biggest factor on the glass was Josh Hart, who grabbed an astounding 17 rebounds as Thibodeau utilized Hart as a stretch 4.
“Everyone questioned the rebounding with Josh at the power forward,” Thibodeau said. “We’ve been the best rebounding team all year.”
When their backs were against the wall, the Knicks were able to hang their hat on their calling card all season, defense and rebounding. Even when Isaiah Hartenstein picked up five fouls in the third quarter alone, New York never wavered.
As has been the mindset all season long, it was the next man up off the bench. Precious Achiuwa and OG Anunoby answered the bell in the fourth quarter, holding Embiid without a field goal and only three points in the final frame.
“OG was like ‘I want that matchup’ and he did a good job on him,” Hart said. “Then when we switched and Precious got on him he did a great job so that’s something we have to continue to build on but you gotta give those two guys a lot of credit.”
While it would be easy for the Knicks to become complacent now and expect Philadelphia to roll over, New York is keeping their vision set straight ahead.
“We’re not done yet,” Brunson said. “We got to continue to have that humble mentality and we gotta find a way to win another.”
The team mentality is infectious. For a team often plagued by superstars and divas who want to play for their own agendas, that is now an identity of the past. This Knicks team is different, as shown by Anunoby when asked about his personal accomplishments postgame.
“It’s cool I guess… it’s what it took to win today,” Anunoby said. “Just try to go back, look over film, prepare as a team, and try to win the next one.”
There seems to be a consensus mindset within the Knicks locker room, a united team with one common goal. It starts at the top, and with Thibodeau’s postgame message, it is not hard to see where this newfound Knicks mentality is instilled.
“We’ve got a lot to prove, still,” Thibodeau said. “It takes four to win a series and that’s what we got to focus on.”
