New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has produced a good defensive team. Additionally, this season, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns gave New York much-needed offensive capability. Since 1973, New York has not won an NBA championship. And they were not a top NBA betting favorite this year. Under Thibodeau, the New York Knicks have become a regular playoff team. After missing the playoffs from 2014 through 2020, Thibodeau led the Knicks to the NBA playoffs in four of his last five seasons. Including the past three seasons.
2025 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview: New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 21, 2025, 7:30 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| TV Coverage: | TNT |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | +6½ -107 | 220½ -110 | +220 |  |
| New York Knicks | -6½ -113 | 220½ -110 | -260 | |
| ||||
New York Knicks Series Schedule
- Game 2: Pistons at Knicks | Monday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. | TNT
- Game 3: Knicks at Pistons | Thursday, April 24, TBD | TNT
- Game 4: Knicks at Pistons | Sunday, April 27, 1 p.m. | ABC
- Game 5: Pistons at Knicks | Tuesday, April 29, TBD | TBD*
- Game 6: Knicks at Pistons | Thursday, May 1, TBD | TBD*
- Game 7: Pistons at Knicks | Saturday, May 3, TBD | TBD*
New York Knicks Head Coach
Head coach Tom Thibodeau is in the elite class of sportsbook NBA bench bosses. He is in his fifth season at New York and has produced four playoff campaigns. Including three straight campaigns. Thibodeau is a 2-time NBA Coach of the Year. Previously, he led the Chicago Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and proved to be a turnaround artist in Chicago, Minnesota, and New York.
New York Knicks Key Players
Namely, Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game this season. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. Towns played his entire career before this season. Also, he is a five-time NBA All-Star, including this season.
PG Jalen Brunson led the Knicks this year with 26.0 points and 7.3 assists per game. Last year, he led New York with 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game. Brunson was the 33rd overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Villanova by the Dallas Mavericks. He is a 2-time NBA All-Star, including this season,
New York Knicks Record, Metrics & History
Overall, New York’s NBA metrics were 9th for scoring offense, 5th for field goal percentage, 8th for 3-point field goal percentage, 5th for free throw percentage, and 24th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Knicks’ metrics were 10th for scoring defense, 25th for field goal percentage permitted, 26th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 4th for defensive rebounding.
The New York Knicks had a final regular season record of 51-31 straight up, 40-41-1 against the spread, and 41-40 over/under the NBA betting total. As a result, New York was 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. New York was 13 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Patrick Ewing was arguably the greatest player in franchise history, but even the Hoya Destroya was unable to lead the Knicks to another title. In the 1990s, the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals twice with their rough-house style. But they fell to the Houston Rockets in seven games in 1994 and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. Since James Dolan took control of day-to-day operations in 1999, the Knicks have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA. While the 2023-24 season was an improvement, the Knicks have much work to do to earn the public’s trust fully.