NEW YORK — For years, the biggest bugaboo for the New York Knicks has been their lackluster defense. Is this the year that finally changes?
Since Jeff Van Gundy abruptly left the team in 2001, the Knicks have finished in the league's top 10 in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) only once, while they've ranked in the bottom 10 in 10 of 14 seasons. On average, they've finished with the NBA's 22nd-ranked point-prevention unit over that span of time.
Last year's team, the first of the Phil Jackson/Derek Fisher era, was particularly dreadful defensively. The Knicks finished with the third-worst defense in the league, per NBA.com, continuing a downward trend that saw their defensive efficiency ranking drop from fifth in 2011-12 to 17th in 2012-13 and 24th in 2013-14.
They were simply not good at any aspect of NBA defense.
They finished 27th in opponents' effective field-goal percentage (a weighted shooting percentage that accounts for the extra point that comes with a three-point attempt), 27th in opponents' free-throw rate and 26th in defensive rebounding percentage. According to&nb ...
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Article written by Jared Dubin
NY Knicks Hoping Personnel Upgrades Alleviate Last Year’s Defensive Disaster
October 19th, 2015 by Jared Dubin Leave a reply »
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