Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 15. Credit: Jim McIsaac
As the Knicks prepared to take the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night it presented a test, just not the kind of test they might have anticipated when they first saw the schedule arise.
There was no LeBron James or Anthony Davis to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden against a team believed to be a title favorite. Instead, with a patchwork lineup, the Lakers presented a challenge for the Knicks to prove that in a season where anything seems possible, are they prepared to take advantage of it?