Knicks quietly exorcising demons as they prepare for an essential postseason

At this stage of the season, a vast majority of New York Knicks fans have likely heard the news. New York has dominated the opponents they're meant to defeat, posting a record of 17-3 against teams that are under .500, but have thus far gone just 12-13 against the teams at .500 and above.

It's a startling contrast in success that has many questioning the validity of the Knicks' 28-16 record, as well as how legitimate their championship ambitions truly are.

For as concerning as that figure may be, the Knicks are actively changing the narrative despite the negativity that continues to spread. New York is 12-13 against teams at or above .500, yes, but it's also securing wins over postseason-caliber teams it previously struggled to defeat.

That trend continued on Monday, Jan. 20 when it went head-to-head with the Atlanta Hawks and finally got the better of Trae Young.

The Knicks entered Monday's outing on a three-game losing streak against Young and the Hawks. That included two losses during the 2024-25 regular season, which had many questioning if Atlanta simply had New York's number—a concern dating back to 2021.

With a 119-110 victory, the Knicks proved that losing one's cool over a mid-season record would require overlooking several positive trends.

Knicks are righting past wrongs—and defeating above-.500 teams is next

New York not only defeated Atlanta, but did so due in large part to its new arrivals. Jalen Brunson led the way with 34 points and six assists, of course, while Josh Hart tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

It was first-year Knicks such as Mikal Bridges, Cameron Payne, and Karl-Anthony Towns, however, who proved to be the difference.

Bridges went off to the tune of 26 points and four assists in just 27 minutes, shooting 12-of-17 from the field. Payne, meanwhile, continued to be a per-minute menace, dropping 10 points and two steals in just 12 minutes off the bench.

Towns struggled to find the bottom of the net himself, but he excelled with a team-high seven assists and played invaluable defense against the pick and roll.

It was a welcome display of quality form that should help temper some of the concerns surrounding their season. For that matter, they also defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 140-106 on Jan. 12—Milwaukee's only loss over its past eight games.

Even its win over the 15-27 Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 15 came in the midst of a 22-game stretch during which the 76ers had gone 12-10.

New York will need to figure out how to overcome the highest level of competition, particularly the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Its only encounters with those two sides, however, were its first and third games of the 2024-25 season.

It's easy to lose faith when presented with disconcerting statistics and records, but the Knicks are in the process of exorcising the very demons that critics refuse to believe they can.