The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.
On one hand, they have handled business against inferior opponents, finishing off the NBA’s tankers to keep pace with the real threats atop the East.
On the other hand, they’ve been mostly unimpressive while beating the bottom dwellers, exhibiting trends and low-energy basketball that would’ve left them with losses against tougher opponents.
Friday night’s nail-biting victory over the Nets became the latest example. For the seventh time in the past nine games, the Knicks lost the first quarter. In fact, during that seven-game stretch heading into Saturday’s games, their average point differential for first quarters (minus-5.1) was only better than the Wizards’ and Nets’.
