Heading into the season, the New York Knicks were not expected to even sniff the playoffs. After trading away disgruntled star Carmelo Anthony and letting Kristaps Porzingis run the show, just being competitive appeared to be the goal. However, the Knicks are off to a surprising start at 8-7 and could be 9-6 if they didn’t let a 23-point lead slip away against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The fast start has incited some hope into a Knicks’ fan base – and into the new face of the franchise.
On the Michael Kay Show on ESPN, Porzingis is asked about the team’s expectations in what was supposed to be a growing season. His response is pretty straight forward, “I thought we were going to be a competitive team no matter what. The only thing I wanted is for this team to play hard throughout the game…But I am happy the way we are competing and I feel we are a playoff team.”
Even after a decent start last season, there was not much hope for a Knicks’ playoff appearance. This season, however, there is more fight in the team. Porzingis mentions it several times throughout the interview, specifically citing rookie Frank Ntilikina and newcomer Enes Kanter. “We got each other’s backs”, Porzingis says to Michael Kay in the interview. “It just shows that we are a team.”
Kristaps Porzingis is off to a great start as the leading man in New York. He is averaging 27.8 points per game, seven rebounds, and is shooting 48% from the floor. Those are some impressive numbers regardless of who is on the roster, and he is even getting “MVP” chants from the fans at Madison Square Garden. In a relatively weak Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks have an outside shot of making the playoffs if they continue playing this hard – and as a team.
