The NBA is sometimes called the National Blowout Association because many teams do not play close-contested games.
Watching the New York Knicks is not a great basketball experience. The Knicks are second to last in “clutch” games played. Only the Wizards and Thunder have more blowout games than the Knicks. New York has played 18 clutch games, meaning they have played about 30 games where it is not close.
In these few games, the Knicks have only a plus/minus of +8 and are 11-7 in their 18 games. The lack of experience playing with a brand-new starting five is evident.
The Knicks also have struggled with three-point shooting in these games, shooting around 30% in clutch situations. With the additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, New York needs more close contests to form chemistry and work on late-game execution in heart-racing environments.
Going back to the close games the Knicks had and won, they were not impressive victories. They struggled to beat tanking Nets, Raptors, Bulls teams, and injury-depleted Sixers and Magic teams. Of the impressive close victories, they beat the Spurs, Hawks, and Heat. Their best wins overall are against the Nuggets at home and on the road earlier in the season. The Knicks also blew out a red-hot Grizzlies team who previously won six straight.
New York has enjoyed great big-margin wins. They went on a blowout streak of three straight games against quality Western Conference opponents. The scoring was so outstanding that it was the most ever in a three-game stretch in franchise history.
The team averages 117.9 PPG this season, ranking fourth in the NBA. They also have the fifth-highest plus/minus with a +334.
This Knicks team can score, but it is inconsistent defensively. With an opponent 3PT% of 37.7%, the Knicks are the worst team in the NBA at guarding against the three. The three-pointer is the biggest weapon in the game, and more teams are shooting behind the line than ever before. This is one of the main reasons why New York ends up with more blowout losses than close games.
To start the season, the Knicks had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA. This perfectly explains why there is a disproportionate blowout versus close games. New York plays the two top teams in the East three times in the second half, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, with the fifth-toughest second-half schedule, the Knicks will hopefully get more learning opportunities.
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