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New York Knicks: 3 stats from the first half of the season

By Orestis Rantis

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 28: Derrick Rose #4 of the New York Knicks celebrates with RJ Barrett #9 during the second half while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on February 28, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 28: Derrick Rose #4 of the New York Knicks celebrates with RJ Barrett #9 during the second half while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on February 28, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
New York Knicks Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images /

Wild New York Knicks statistic No. 2: 43.5 and 33.0

…are the percentages that the opponents of the New York Knicks are shooting from the field and from the 3-point line respectively.

If Tom Thibodeau ever decides to leave the Knicks, this feat should headline his resume. This defensive mastermind of a coach has taken a mediocre team and shaped it into the league’s most feared defense.

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How do these numbers fare when compared to last season? During 2019-20, New York’s opponents shot a comfortable 46.3 percent from the field, as well as a near league-best 38.1 percent from outside the arc.

What Thibodeau did, was take a bunch of young and hungry-for-success players and lay on them the same defensive tactics that worked perfectly when he was with the Chicago Bulls. They might not work of tired bodies that have endured the fatigue of many seasons of basketball, but these Knicks are no ordinary team.

Who can forget that January night, when the New York Knicks held the Boston Celtics to just 75 points on 29.8 percent shooting from the field? Certainly not the Celtics, who were on a 5-game win streak and received their biggest loss of the season.

In a 72-game season, the timing is perfect for Thibodeau’s blueprint to work its magic once again. Being an average offensive team and all, the saying “defense wins championships” might not apply directly to the Knicks, but it does give us a bit of something to parade about.

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