Make New York Post a Preferred Source This is the defense that fueled the championship.
The one that got less attention but was just as important as the offensive transformation by the Knicks in the postseason last year. The one that remained strong despite 0-3 and 2-4 starts to this season.
The Knicks entered Wednesday’s game against the Cavs at Madison Square Garden with a defensive rating of 107.3 — fifth best in the NBA. During a stretch in which they won six of seven games, they held opponents under 100 points five times.
Julius Randle shoots over Mikal Bridges during the Knicks’ win over the Nets on Nov. 2, 2026 at the Garden. Jason Szenes for NY Post “Just our level of physicality,” coach Mike Brown said about what they’re doing well on that side of the ball. “Our level of physicality without fouling. Because you can be over the top, grabbing and pushing and holding, but our guys, they’re doing their work early. They’re doing their work early and they’re being real physical about it without putting their hands on guys. When you do that and you do that for close to 48 minutes, you usually get good results. And our guys are doing it.”
Point-of-attack defense was a talking point all year last season, as the Knicks struggled in that department before a dramatic improvement in the postseason.
Mikal Bridges, despite his struggles on the offensive end to start the year, has been a big reason it has remained strong this season. Miles McBride and Landry Shamet, too, have been earning playing time by how they defend opposing ball handlers.
“I think our physicality on the defensive end of the floor is at a pretty high level,” Brown said. “And they [are doing] it the right way. They’re doing it without fouling, which is a lot of fun to watch. The point of attack with Landry and Deuce, especially, on the ball, is unbelievable.”
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And the Knicks on Wednesday got one of their best perimeter defenders back in Josh Hart, who had missed the previous three games due to ankle soreness and an illness.
“He’s tremendous on the ball,” Brown said. “In pick-and-roll situations, we always want our point of confrontation, especially against guys that shoot the ball at the 3-point line, Josh is really good at that. He’s really good at leading with his chest. And he’s strong. He’s a strong guy that knows the league, he knows the players very well.
“His impact when it comes to guarding the ball, on the perimeter especially, is something that you always miss.”
Karl-Anthony Towns pulls down a rebound against forward Chaney Johnson during the Knicks’ win over the Nets earlier this month. Jason Szenes for NY Post Karl-Anthony Towns is defending at a high level in the paint as well. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks entered Wednesday allowing 5.2 less points per 100 possessions when Towns was on the floor.
Strong perimeter and interior defense has resulted in an elite overall unit.
“Their level of communication is high,” Brown said. “Their ability to box out is high. Their ability to get back in transition is high. We were hurting in the pick-and-roll game defensively, but we’ve done a better job because the point of attack has been good and our guy guarding the screener has been great, too.”
