Why Knicks’ upcoming stretch offers perfect opportunity to regain championship form

Why Knicks’ upcoming stretch offers perfect opportunity to regain championship form appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New York Knicks have rattled off two straight comeback wins following a 0-3 start that had fans and pundits wondering how long their championship hangover would last.They are about to enter an intriguing portion of their schedule that will see them face a healthy mix of opponents who will either give them a real chance to see how the main contributors have meshed or an opportunity to test different rotation wrinkles.Such a stretch will require the unit to learn from their 2-3 start. Knicks head coach Mike Brown recently spoke about how he’s typically looked closely at five-game spurts, and it would not be surprising to see the defending champions use their lackluster start as a chance to treat the next month or so as a time to re-establish their championship standard.Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)“There are marks we like to hit in those five games,” Brown told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Not only that, but it gives you a good feel of how you were over a fair amount of games to see if you can make progress over the next five. And then you always obviously want to go 5-0. We’ll take 4-1. And at the end of the day if you have to go 3-2, then you do, but if you’re anything less than that then you know nobody’s reaching their potential. So that’s what we usually do: break it into five-game segments.”The Knicks will face challenging opponentsNew York’s wins against the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls illustrated the kind of fight they will need when they face some of the league’s top contenders.Despite being up by just one point at halftime, the Knicks outscored the Pistons 37-13 in the third quarter as they battled to a 111-97 win.“I give our guys credit,” Brown said. “We talked about trying to string a game together, close to 48 minutes, the way we can play and like to play. We had some lulls where we weren’t as physical as we should have been.“But we had some good moments. We had more good moments in totality than the first three games.”The Orange and Blue’s most recent game against the Bulls followed a similar script. Chicago led by as many as 19 points, but New York outscored the opposition 77-65 in the second half thanks in large part to a game-high 38 points from reigning NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.The captain scored 22 of his points in the second half and also tallied five of his seven assists across the final 48 minutes of regulation.“I was happy to be able to kind of finally get over that hump,” Brunson said after the 133-127 win. “I feel like I was putting a lot of unnecessary commentary in my head. But seeing the ball go in the way it did, it put me out of my mental state and put me in a good flow state.”From Oct. 30 to Nov. 22, New York will face the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Minnesota Timberwolves, among others. The aforementioned teams are all considered contenders, and should grant stars like Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns a chance to assess how their chemistry has progressed this season.There will be opportunities for the Knicks to test their depthMandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesWhile many of the Knicks’ upcoming games will be against top-tier teams, they will also face less celebrated units like the Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers.On paper, these are games that New York should win. Assuming they play well, Brown could take these moments as a chance to see how bench pieces like Mohammad Diawara, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, and James Wiseman could fit moving forward.Even if the Knicks were to struggle in such instances, Brown has been known to shake things up when necessary. During their Wednesday night win over Chicago, he opted to play Kolek alongside Brunson for a significant amount of time. Additionally, Bridges only saw three minutes of action in the second half, while others like Clarkson, Kolek, and Landry Shamet received more time on the court.An 82-game season will inevitably grant coaches chances to try various combinations. The Knicks’ upcoming slate is not exactly a cakewalk, but regardless of who they play or how contests initially look, they have a seasoned coach who will be willing to experiment with unique looks.Related: Mike Brown sends message to Ernie Johnson after announcing retirement in 2027Related: All 76ers’ Nick Nurse knows about Jaylen Brown’s NBA Cup absence vs. Knicks