The Cavaliers’ dominant 142-105 thrashing of the Knicks continued to shine a light through one of New York’s glaring flaws. This marks their sixth straight loss against either the Celtics, Cavaliers, or Thunder this season. This is a worrying record for a title hopeful, and Kendrick Perkins has seen enough to raise serious doubts about whether the Knicks can challenge this year.
This season has completely rewritten the identity of the Knicks in the past. New York hung their hat on the defensive end. In the 2023-24 season, they were ranked ninth in the league defensively.
That has flipped on its head as the Knicks are now the 18th-ranked defense in the NBA. The difference is they are now the third-best offensive team following the trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. Although Towns has propelled the Knicks to a top offensive team, he is exchanging the points on the defensive end.
Perkins took to ESPN’s NBA Countdown to vocalize his frustrations with the Knicks big man. As a result, he challenged Towns to improve defensively, threatening New York’s demise will be his fault.
“[The Knicks] got to do a better job at defending. You can’t be in a drop coverage against the Celtics and the Cavs, two teams that shoot the three-ball extremely well,” he said. “You’re going to get cooked. At some point, you have to challenge [Karl-Anthony Towns]. Challenge him to slide those puppies.”
"Challenge [Karl-Anthony Towns] to slide those puppies."@KendrickPerkins believes the Knicks need to be better defensively to compete for a championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/c1HPErGMTk
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 23, 2025
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is a defensive-oriented coach, but Perkins claims he isn’t doing his due diligence by challenging KAT on defense. The five-time All-Star is essential to the Knicks’ high-octane offense. However, when he’s on the court, their defense takes a significant toll.
When Towns is in the lineup, the opposing team’s eFG increases by 1.3% which is in the 28th percentile. Perkins isn’t asking Towns to become an elite-level defender overnight. All he is pleading for is a higher level of effort. The 2008 champion with the Celtics isn’t the only person who has questioned the Knicks’ championship pedigree.
Brian Windhorsts’ brutal assessment of the Knicks
NBA insider Brian Windhorst didn’t hold back in his honest assessment of the Knicks earlier in February. Although he thinks New York is a great team, he would be naive to consider them a title contender.
“I’m not staying up nights worrying about the Knicks,” Windhorst said. “I don’t think that they’re equipped right now to win 12 playoff games to win the East. Thibodeau plays the guys crazy minutes, which will catch up with them –– no doubt about it. He knows that. They just don’t have a very deep team. They don’t defend.”
The genesis of Windhorst’s doubts stems from the same reason as Perkins, which is the Knicks’ defense. In the postseason, once the games slow down, getting a defensive stop is imperative. Windhorst doesn’t believe the Knicks have the overall tools to win 12 playoff games to come out of the Eastern Conference.
In the eyes of the two analysts, it would take a miraculous switch in the team’s playstyle to overcome these hardships.
