Knicks improved defense? Don't buy the hype

An already herky-jerky Knicks season hit another speed bump Thursday night when Carmelo Anthony sprained his right ankle during a loss to Memphis.

Since that defeat, the Knicks are 6-6 -- hardly a promising pace considering last season's 14-14 finish once Anthony was added to the team at midseason. And it's not the expected record following an offseason that landed Tyson Chandler. With that in mind, Knicks fans could use some good news.

They won't find it here.

The biggest selling point so far of this young New York season has been the team's improved defense. After Anthony was traded to the Knicks in time for a mega-hyped Feb. 23 debut, the Knicks' defense continued down a dark path, allowing an average of 105.6 points-per-game through the regular season's final 28 games. The defense for the entire season alowed 105.7 points-per-game so, despite some players who were perceived to have more "heart" or "energy," they weren't really doing anything magnificent on defense before the trade.

This year, the team's ability to hold opponents' scoring in check has seemed to improve markedly. So far, they've allowed only 94.6 points-per-game. But it's difficult to see just how that type of performance can be sustained.

True, the Knicks have improved in a few areas this season, particularly steals. In the 28 games since Anthony came aboard last season, the team averaged 7.39 steals-per-game. That figure has jumped to 9.7 this season, and the Knicks are particularly putting down the hammer in wins, when they have 9.16 steals-per-game. Last season, they only averaged 8.5 steals in victories.

Part of that is due to the addition of Chandler who has 12 steals this year and is averaging one per game. Timofey Mozgov played in 34 games last season as the Knicks' center and averaged just 0.4 steals.

But then there are the more troublesome numbers.

The Knicks averaged just 12.39 turnovers per game from Feb. 23 forward last season, finishing the regular season with +44 turnovers in Anthony's 28-game tenure. This season they're giving up a whopping 15.3 turnovers-per-game.

Then there's this figure: of the 12 games the Knicks have played so far, nine have come against teams below .500. Despite their so-so record, the Knicks have been facing under-performing or talent-stripped teams.

To put it bluntly, their defensive numbers are soft.

But perhaps this could be good enough for the Knicks. After all, last season their problem wasn't hanging with the best teams, but rather somehow getting slammed by the worst. Against teams with .500 records or better, the Knicks allowed just 101.7 points-per-game following the Anthony trade. Against sub-.500 teams, they inexplicably gave up 108.9.

This season, they've held that in check. The defense has allowed sub-.500 teams to only average 94.7 points, giving a talented offense some room to move.

But if the Knicks plan on totally turning the page on their stomach-churning defensive performances of late, they're going to have to do more than hold bad teams at bay and rely on blocks and steals to mitigate mistakes.

And they're going to have to do it against a higher level of competition.

Game on.