From the minute the Knicks hired Tom Thibodeau as their new head coach in July, their defense figured to be in for an upgrade.
But there was no guarantee a tangible change — and the wins that followed — would come this quickly.
The Knicks left New York on Dec. 27 fresh off their first win of the season, a surprising defeat of the Bucks. They returned on Tuesday as winners of four of their last five entering Wednesday night’s showdown against the Jazz at the Garden, with plenty of strong efforts fueling their surge but the defense chief among them.