Steve Popper: After 76 games, Knicks still not playoff ready
Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks collects a rebound against the Houston Rockets on March 31, 2026. Credit: Getty Images/Jack Gorman
MEMPHIS — The Knicks had a night off in Houston on Monday and still got the good news that they had clinched a top six playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, which might have, in another year, signaled a time to start resting players and readying for the postseason, where the success or failure of this team would truly be determined.
But the fait accompli that they had secured the playoff spot did little to assuage the nervous feeling that now, 76 games into the season, they still do no appear nearly ready for the playoffs.
“We’re not going in the right direction,” Josh Hart said after Tuesday's 111-94 loss in Houston. “We’re not trending upwards. So we got to figure it out. Three tough ones. Got another one [in Memphis]. That’s a must-win for us. And build from there.”
It’s hard to argue that this game wasn’t a must-win under any circumstances considering the Grizzlies' injury list numbers are nearly as long as their win total. Their startlng five from opening night includes three players on the injured list and two who were traded away — including Jaren Jackson Jr., who was traded almost two months ago and still has the second-most starts on the team.
Lose to a team like Memphis — or Chicago back home Friday night — at a time in the season when not only should all of the questions have been resolved, but each win has an effect on the standings and playoff positioning would be a red flag waving wildly, or maybe even a white flag ready to surrender the championship aspirations.
The Knicks haven’t gotten there yet, not with a team built on the same foundation — same five starters and returning key bench pieces — as the team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season. But there are alarming trends regardless of the experience.
“Regardless of being veterans or not, we got to turn the page and do something about it,” Jalen Brunson said. “It doesn't matter how long you've been in the league or not.”
The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after falling short of the NBA Finals last season. It’s hard to imagine that there won’t be some sort of change — front office, roster moves — if they don’t meet the lofty goals that have clearly been voiced all the way to the top of the organization with Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan saying in a radio interview earlier this season that he believed they should absolutely reach the NBA Finals and can win it.
There are certainly moments and a 48-28 record is evidence of that. But Mike Brown has spoken all season long about following an upward trend throughout the season, expecting the usual bumps and slumps, but peaking at playoff time. And in March there was little evidence of that. The Knicks' last win against a team with a winning record came on March 6 in Denver when everything seemed to click perfectly in a blowout win.
Since then the Knicks are 0-5 against teams with winning records and 7-0 against teams with losing records. Spoiler — they won’t be facing any teams with losing records in the playoffs.
The problem is that as they approached Game No. 77 Wednesday they have been watching the same problems crop up — slow starts, sluggish play from the starting five, a disconnect on both ends of the floor and a lack of physicality. The bench has gotten a boost with Deuce McBride returning from two months away this week, although he was held out Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back set along with Mitchell Robinson. And Landry Shamet was back Wednesday after missing the last five games with a bone bruise in his right knee.
“To start the game we were poor defensively,” Brown said after the latest loss. “They didn’t feel us at all, especially in the pick and roll game. Against [Kevin Durant] we went under two to three times early. He’s hot, we’re not supposed to go under and he knocked down shots. We didn’t make shots going the other way. That’s what it’s coming down to.
“[The physicality] has to be there. Yeah, I’m frustrated with that part because, again, I sound like a broken record. I thought we made strides against Oklahoma City. I’ve got to give our guys credit. We competed. They came out the start of the game and they felt us. But [in Houston] everything was just real easy for them. Especially on the pick and roll. They didn’t feel us at all.”
“Yeah, I just think mentally we all have to be locked in and focused on attention to detail and the success of us as a group and a unit,” Hart said. “And it gets frustrating when the same thing pops up. And then you figure it out. And there’s slippage. It’s human nature. There’s always going to be slippage but we got to find a way to combat that because if we have that slippage we’re not going to win.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
