Knicks Closing in on Celtics in NBA Standings
The start of the 2024-25 NBA season was rough for the New York Knicks. To start the season, they suffered a 132-109 blowout on the road against the Boston Celtics. 11 games in, New York was struggling at 5-6. After all of the offseason hype surrounding the acquisitions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, plus the contract extensions of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, it looked like the Knicks were not who everyone thought they were.
Until the team woke up. December saw the Knicks go on a 12-2 run, eerily reminiscent of the January 2024 run last season’s team went on. After the 11-game start that saw many doubt New York, the team then went 18-4 to propel toward the top of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are now 23-10 and one game back of the No. 2-seeded Celtics.
This run has been capitalized by an incredible offensive surge. While the defense has been a bit inconsistent, the Knicks are second in the league in offensive rating (120.1). Their offense ranks only behind the No. 1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York is 9-1 in its last 10 games, while Boston is 5-5. The Celtics have been struggling lately, which poses the perfect opportunity for the Knicks to surpass them in the standings. New York is riding an eight-game win streak, second in the NBA only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder with an 11-game win streak.
All of the teams mentioned are in the top tier of the NBA. In the previous power rankings leading up to this week, the Knicks were a tier under the title contenders, but now they are right there with them. This December run is the main reason why.
In the last 14 games, the Knicks have allowed just 105.8 points per game (fourth) while putting up 117.9 points per game (fifth). They’ve been one of the best teams on both sides of the floor in the last 31 days.
If New York passes Boston in the standings, the Cavaliers are next. Sitting 5.5 games back from the No. 1 seed, it’s certainly possible with the halfway point of the regular season not even having been reached yet.
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