Star Knicks forward Mikal Bridges believes the team’s defense is slightly ahead of its offense as the preseason nears its conclusion, with only two games left before the Oct. 22 opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.
New York struggled to knock down shots but held the Minnesota Timberwolves to under 38% shooting in a 100-95 overtime win Thursday at The Garden.
While the shots didn’t fall, the Knicks leaned on their defense to stay in control.
“Defensively, I think we’re a bit more advanced compared to the offense right now. It’s a matter of pride, trusting your teammates, and not wanting to concede points,” Bridges commented after scoring 15 points with 50% shooting over 25 minutes. “We’re still ironing out our positioning and understanding each other’s strengths on offense, but defense is all about heart and effort.
“I definitely feel the defense is in a better place, but we’re making strides on both fronts. We’re committed to continual progress.” he added.
TRANSITION CHECK
Head coach Mike Brown is instilling a new standard for transition defense—one that goes beyond what shows up in the box score.
The NBA credited the Timberwolves with 13 fast break points to the Knicks’ 18. Brown’s internal count told a different story.
“By our count,” he said, “they had 27.”
An aspect under scrutiny is the fast break. “In the NBA, there might be different metrics like the shot clock, whether we score within the first few seconds. It’s the fast-break points we focus on,” Brown explained. “They managed about 25 against us tonight because our transition discipline needs work.”
Next-play speed, as Brown defines it, is the mental and physical switch from offense to defense the second the ball changes possession.
“When we take poor shots or commit turnovers, we need instantaneous transition from offense to defense,” he stated. “A delay of even a couple of seconds can give the opponent a transition edge, setting them up for easy scores. These situations require immediate response, avoiding easy setups for the opposition by maintaining dynamic play and pace.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Bridges is impressed with Brown’s approach since he took over as head coach following Tom Thibodeau’s departure after last season’s conference finals.
“Just being on guys, holding guys accountable, preaching everything every single day. Him and his coaches – they all run a tight ship,” Bridges said. “You could tell that whatever we’re doing out there, they’re all on the same page, no matter what the situation is. And that’s a lot of credit to him because I think he’s the main leader, the vocal leader of his crew, and for everybody to be on the same page, it makes it easier for us players when they talk to us because any coach I talk to, you’re going to hear the same thing.
“So it’s been great, man. I love how he pushes us. Accountability. A couple plays, if he feels like you’re not doing the right thing, he’s going to let you know and why wouldn’t you want that? In the moment, some guys might be a little upset about it. But we’re going to get to where we’re going to get to. He’s ain’t going to be Mr. Nice Guy. He got to hold people accountable. He doesn’t do it in a disrespectful way. He wants greatness out of everybody. And just being accountable is great.”
RUNNER-UP
The Knicks were pegged as the second-most likely team to win the Eastern Conference in NBA.com’s annual GM poll, trailing only the defending conference champion Cavaliers, who finished last season 64–18.
“I know they do it. I didn’t know they did it already,” said Brown. “A lot of respect for you GMs.”
New York received at least one vote to win the NBA title but did not appear in the top-three most favored teams overall. In the East, 53% of general managers picked the Knicks to finish second.
“Everybody is going to have an opinion. Just take care of yourself because if you start worrying about what the GMs thought or what the owner’s thought, or what the referee’s thought, man, we would be in trouble,” Brown said. “It would drive us crazy. I know it would drive me crazy. So we just focus in on us and try to do the best we can for who we are.”
