In the aftermath of a season-ending loss, any season-ending loss, certain questions are expected. Do you believe in this team moving forward? Reporters invariably are interested in how star players see the outlook of the team. Do you believe in the coach? This one can take different forms—What did you think of the job [insert coach name] did this season? is an oft-used entry point—but the questions come, especially if the coach is an embattled one.
On Saturday, hours after the New York Knicks’ season ended with a 125–108 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Jalen Brunson fielded both.
How confident are you that this group has enough to take that next step? Brunson was asked.
“The most confident,” Brunson said. “Overconfident. Seriously. There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group.”
Later, Brunson fielded a meandering question about Tom Thibodeau.
“Is that a real question right now?” Brunson asked. “You just asked me if I believe that if he’s the right guy. Yes.”
In New York, the pain of the Knicks loss will linger. They will remember the double-digit lead they blew in the closing minutes of Game 1, the 36-point Brunson game they wasted in Game 2 and the endless string of turnovers that cost them Game 6. Indiana beat New York. But the Knicks did plenty to beat themselves.
“You make the moves to win so it hurts,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It hurts not to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship. We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope the plan now is to just put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”
Is it? There’s a good argument to be made for the Knicks to simply run it back. New York won 51 games last season—the most since 2013. They advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2000. A healthy Mitchell Robinson will improve a middle-of-the-pack defense. Delon Wright and Landry Shamet emerged as valuable defenders in the conference finals. Bring them back, maybe find a 3-and-D wing to flesh out the rotation and the Knicks could be right back in this position next season.
“There’s disappointment because you fall short of what your goal is,” Thibodeau said. “In the end there is only going to be one team that achieves the goal. The challenge for us is to look at it for what it is. We finished in the top [four] but we [fell] short of the ultimate goal. For us it’s to use that for motivation and determination to work all summer to prepare ourselves to make the final step.”
Thibodeau took some heat this season. For overextending his starters, for a less than innovative offensive philosophy, for failing to mold the Knicks into a top-10 defensive team. Only after Thibs went deeper into his bench in Game 3, tapping Wright and Shamet for extended first-half minutes, did New York claw its way back into the series.
Still—is there a better alternative? Michael Malone? Denver canned Malone in part for his unwillingness to lean on younger talent. James Borrego? Frank Vogel? Besides, a coaching change can just as easily backfire. Ask folks in Phoenix. Or with the Lakers.
There’s a similar argument to be made for the roster. New York is constantly star hunting, and there could be several stars on the market this summer. Giannis Antetokounmpo will meet with the Bucks in the coming weeks. It’s widely expected that Phoenix will deal Kevin Durant. If Boston elects to slash payroll in the aftermath of Jayson Tatum’s injury, Jaylen Brown could become available.
The Knicks, tapped out of tradeable draft capital after recent deals for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, will have a difficult time outbidding teams for any of them. And why should they try? Brunson is an imperfect alpha (quick—name the last small guard not named Stephen Curry to lead a team to a championship) but Brunson cooked Ausar Thompson in the first round, bested Boston’s parade of elite perimeter defenders in the second and averaged 31 points per game on 50% shooting in the conference finals. Towns is an equally imperfect co-star but put an elite defender like Robinson alongside him for a full season and let’s see what happens.
“It’s definitely tough to look ahead, but even when you win, it’s always about what’s next,” Brunson said. “Regardless, we’re going to go into the summer and going to work. We’re going to get better and figure out a way how we can change this outcome. It’s going to start with us and our mentality, making sure we’ve got to take it one game at a time. We can’t jump right back to the conference finals.”
No question, these playoffs were a missed opportunity for the Knicks. But progress was made and if there’s a through line between modern title winners, it’s consistency. Milwaukee and Denver knocked on the door for years before they won championships. Boston’s core lost four conference finals before it finally broke through. Continuity is a key to success in today’s NBA. The Knicks have it. They should think twice before giving it up.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Knicks Should Run It Back and Keep Their NBA Title Window Open.