The new-look Knicks bounced back after an ugly season debut in Boston. Tom Thibodeau’s club topped the speedy Indiana Pacers while playing their brand of basketball: slowwwww. Is that a championship blueprint?
Welcome to another edition of Tom’s Title Tiers! New year, same schedule. First thing every Monday morning, your inbox will have my tiered rankings of every title contender with a longer focus on one team per week.
A reminder: This is my subjective list based largely on objective data. This is not a pure, analytical ranking. You’re here because you want to know what I think, to get inside my brain a little bit. Consider this a weekly report of what I see on film; what I glean from the numbers; what I hear on the phone; what I read in the news; what I feel.
This week’s featured squad: the New York Knicks.
Here’s a quick rundown of each tier.
Tom’s Title Tiers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a complete team, no notes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Just missing that one thing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ One move away from being one move away.
⭐️⭐️ So much has to break right.
⭐️ Sooo you’re saying there’s a chance.
This week, I assess the New York Knicks after an up and down start to the season. Do I upgrade them after their rebound? And did the Knicks win bounce the Pacers off my list?
Let’s find out.