Knicks Free Fall in Power Rankings

The New York Knicks are back in the loss column after falling 132-121 to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The loss also brought the Knicks under .500 once again as they now have a 4-5 mark on the season.

The loss, which marked the Knicks’ third defeat in the last four games, prompted NBA.com writer John Schuhmann to drop New York nine spots in his latest power rankings from No. 6 to 15.

“Only three Eastern Conference teams are .500 or better, and the Knicks aren’t one of them, having lost three of their last four games,” Schuhmann writes. “The Knicks and Sixers are two of the three teams (Miami is the other) that have yet to play a back-to-back. They’ll both begin their first back-to-back of the season when they open Emirates Cup play in Philadelphia on Tuesday, also the start of the Knicks’ first stretch of five games in seven days. The last four games of that stretch are at home and against the Bulls, Nets (x 2) and Wizards.”

The only teams in the Eastern Conference to rank higher than the Knicks were the Pacers (No. 10), Boston Celtics (No. 4) and the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, who unsurprisingly are at the top of the power rankings.

In order for the Knicks to get back into the swing of things, they have to execute properly. Even though they are still getting acclimated with one another, they have already proven that they can win games together. Now, it’s about doing it at a rate consistent enough to put them in position to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks will look to bounce back this week with games against the Philadelphia 76ers (Tue.), Chicago Bulls (Wed.) and Brooklyn Nets (Fri. and Sun.).

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