After wandering in the wilderness for over a month, the New York Knicks are back. And not only are they back, they seem better—more equipped to contend for the title owner James Dolan has essentially demanded they win outright. The secret to their sudden reemergence, and overall improvement: a noticeable shift in how they’re defending opposing offenses.
During the Knicks’ six-game winning streak, they are more frequently pushing ball-handlers toward the sideline. We have heard both Mikal Bridges and head coach Mike Brown talk about it. NBA analyst extraordinaire Tim Legler has praised it.