It’s been a roller-coaster journey for the Knicks point-of-attack and perimeter defense this season.
And it’s an area that will be pivotal to reaching the finals.
Both the Cavaliers and Pistons — who square off in Game 7 Sunday night in Detroit — present dangerous threats at guard.
If it’s the Pistons, Cade Cunningham is a matchup headache and foundational to everything they do offensively.
If it’s the Cavaliers, they have a two-headed attack with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
As those guards go, their teams go.
Offensively, everything runs through them.
“It’s huge,” Miles McBride said. “Obviously, every round gets tougher. Different opponents, different challenges, so having a great point-of-attack [defense] on the perimeter is super important. And then trusting our guys at the rim to make plays or rotations. But it’s about energy and effort and just the whole team locking in.”
The Knicks struggled in that department for the first half of the year, in a unique scheme that emphasized forcing ball handlers into the middle of the court.
Their defense was getting broken down too frequently, resulting in open shots for opponents.
Midway through the year, they switched that scheme to a much more traditional one — forcing ball handlers to the sideline and baseline and placing an emphasis on keeping them out of the middle of the court and the paint.
The results were much better.
Mikal Bridges defends during the Knicks’ May 10 playoff game against the 76ers. Imagn Images
In the first round against the Hawks, they did a strong job on Jalen Johnson (who is not a guard but is a perimeter scorer), though CJ McCollum torched them the first three games of the series.
Then, after switching Josh Hart onto him, the Knicks made McCollum a nonfactor and cruised into the second round.
Mikal Bridges — along with McBride at times — did a terrific job stifling Tyrese Maxey in the second round against the 76ers.
Hart neutralized VJ Edgecombe.
The offensive transformation by the Knicks gets most of the attention.
But their defensive dominance — especially on the perimeter — has been key to this seven-game winning streak and the unprecedented blowouts.
Miles McBride defends during the Knicks’ May 8 playoff game against the 76ers. Getty Images
“We have to make sure that at the point of attack, there’s ball pressure with a little bit of physicality, but without fouling, without sending a guy to the free-throw line,” coach Mike Brown said. “And then knowing it’s not just the guy that’s at the point of attack, but it’s all five guys guarding the basketball. And whenever the ball moves, all five guys have to move with it. And then lastly, mixing up your coverages but being able to understand the different coverages and being able to go back and forth between them pretty seamlessly.”
If it’s the Cavaliers, it’s more straightforward.
Bridges and Hart — and McBride off the bench — would likely match up with Mitchell and Harden, though OG Anunoby could be an option as well.
Cunningham and the Pistons would be a bit trickier.
His size and strength are uncommon for most guards, a big reason he has risen to superstar status.
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Bridges does not always handle stronger opponents as well as he does the smaller, quicker ones.
Last year, the Knicks primarily had Anunoby guard Cunningham.
“It starts with defense,” Bridges said. “I think that’s the biggest key. Just do what my coaches ask and play hard, knowing the scout [report]. Just me personally, just trying to do the right things and then always knowing I got four guys behind me. Such a team defense that we’re [playing] and everybody just knowing what we’re supposed to be doing and playing on a string.”
The effort on the perimeter has a domino effect on the Knicks bigs as well.
Karl-Anthony Towns, in particular, improved defensively in the second half of the regular season.
It’s no coincidence it aligned with their schematic change and improved perimeter defense.
“Point of attack is important, it’s the most important thing,” Towns said. “To have our wings and our guards playing defense at the perimeter at a high level, it makes my job easier but also makes our team better. Shout-out to them.”
Right now, the Knicks perimeter defense certainly deserves a shout-out.
But it’s about to get its biggest test yet.
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