Don't shoot the messenger:
SUN,JAN 31-HOME
VS
LA Clippers
Loss
MON,FEB 01-AWAY
@
Chicago Bulls
Win
WED,FEB 03-AWAY
@
Chicago Bulls
Win
SAT,FEB 06-HOME
VS
Portland Trail Blazers
Loss
SUN,FEB 07-HOME
VS
Miami Heat
Loss
TUE, FEB 09-AWAY
@
Miami Heat
FRI,FEB 12-AWAY
@
Washington Wizards
Loss
SAT,FEB 13-HOME
VS
Houston Rockets
Loss
MON,FEB 15-HOME
VS
Atlanta Hawks
Loss
WED,FEB 17-AWAY
@
Orlando Magic
Win
SAT,FEB 20-HOME
VS
San Antonio Spurs
Loss
SUN,FEB 21-HOME
VS
Minnesota Timberwolves
Loss
TUE,FEB 23-HOME
VS
Golden State Warriors
THU,FEB 25-HOME
VS
Sacramento Kings
Loss
SAT,FEB 27-HOME
VS
Indiana Pacers
Loss
SUN,FEB 28-AWAY
@
Detroit Pistons
Loss
TUE,MAR 02-AWAY
@
San Antonio Spurs
Loss
Real Talk Time: I know we like to see the Knicks through rose colored glasses and assume they are going to surprise a lot of the teams in this league this year with a new coach and staff along with the kids who seem to have made some improvements in their games and solid rookie draft picks. The fact of the matter is that the experts have picked the Knicks to win between 20-23 games this year. I would love for the Knicks to shock the world and make the playoffs, or at least get close but until I see them make consistent plays and hard-nosed defense to affect the outcome of games, we have to expect that they are who people think they are.
I have no doubt that this team will grow and improve and with these 17 games going 3-14 bringing the first half record to 9-28 they have nowhere to go but up from here. Thibs will certainly be assessing the talent and monitoring any trades that could happen to add proven talent to this team but as of right now they have an uphill battle playing against a league that all the teams (with the exception of 5 or 6) have a star quality player. Julius Randle is NOT that for us and RJ isn't quite there yet, he needs some seasoning but he could absolutely be a difference maker as he gets more exposure.
I hope I am wrong with my record projection and the Knicks do surprise us and pick up some more quality wins and trend upward but I will absolutely look to do a post mortem around the All Star break to see where we stand and how these projections stacked up to the actual record after the 37 games.
Let me know what you think.