They literally was in the top 3 in most categories and #1 in a number of defensive categories. To say that they aren't a tremendous defense is a lie and I told them their flaws before the series and was obviously correct. Saying it's a ridiculous statement is nikka babble 101. Just nikkas babbling like a hoe.
You don't need elite talent to be an elite defense. The Knicks had five very good defenders initially starting. Noel is obviously their best defender and he is excellent but like Tybyulle, they don't play many minutes and they can be exploited even defensively if their minutes cepted up to unusual times.
They don't have the offense to be as effective defensively as those teams. Offense matters. They don't have enough. So much of what they did on offense is based on tough shot making, Randles playmaking which I told Knicks fans was flawed before the series which they finally now believe me. They were stubborn before. And shooting open threes. But defensively, the Knicks are extremely impressive. They are athletic at all positions, strong, communicate exceptionally well, one of the best I've seen at defending the PnR, they put a lot of pressure on your PG to be perfect. Sadly, they had to deal with Trae Young and that's like dealing with Pat Mahomes. You can try dog, but it ain't easy.
They don't have a Ben Simmons. An exceptional defender who can defend 1-4 as well as anyone. Tremendous at FS, high BBIQ, and a tremendous man defender. A vet like Danny Green who's battle tested, understands rotations exceptionally, doesn't always have to see it, and doesn't try to do too much. Plays within himself or a Joel Embiid. One of the best drop coverage centers in the NBA. Tremendous rim protector. Has the lateral ability to stick with bigs on the perimeter and recover. So don't think I don't respect the Sixers defensive talent because I do.
I just see the flaws and your defense is very exploitable. Doc defenses with the exception of the KG era generally are. Brett Brown's one was even more exploitable. Doc at least using Simmons extremely well on a consistent basis.
Trae ain't the only one you should lose sleep over. Bogi is going to wreck up your defense as well. Harris always been someone you can abuse in actions. His m2m is solid but his team defense leaves a lot to be desired. Embiid really is so critical for what you do. I hope he can really play. Otherwise....
