In a way, it shaped the tenor of the series last year. When the Knicks erupted for 40 points in the fourth quarter of their Game 1 win against the Pistons, it allowed them to erase an eight-point deficit — anchored by a 21-0 run — and avoid an early setback. It made a statement early in the first round. It avoided the catastrophic scenario of dropping the opener at home and losing home-court advantage.
It was also a bit unexpected, going against the numbers and trends from the 2024-25 regular season. The Knicks finished with the sixth-worst net rating in the fourth quarter that year (minus-4.2), and their minus-1.6 in clutch situations (the final five minutes when the lead or deficit is five points or less) during those frames ranked No. 17 in the NBA.
But when the Knicks open their series against the Hawks one year later Saturday — with most of the same rotation intact and the only major difference a new head coach — fourth quarters, and specifically clutch situations down the stretch, have become an undeniable strength.
Their plus-11.7 net rating in the fourth quarter was the best in the league during the regular season and the best since NBA.com began tracking stats during the 1996-97 campaign.
Their plus-20.5 net rating in clutch situations in fourth quarters is second in the league behind the Lakers (25.4), too. The Knicks already have Captain Clutch, with Jalen Brunson named Clutch Player of the Year last season and once again delivering when it matters most in games, and now, that has seemingly become part of their overarching DNA.
“I think it shows the ability that we have to lock in and focus and have a good attention to detail,” Josh Hart said Thursday in Tarrytown. “Now we gotta make sure, seeing that, you know you have the capability of doing it, and now you have to make sure you do it for all 48 and not 12 minutes.”
That’s the catch-22 of all this, at least in the eyes of the Knicks. For as well as they’ve played in the fourth quarter, it’s also left them wanting more from the other three. There’s a hunger, head coach Mike Brown said, to be as perfect as they possibly can. Because in these playoff games, in these high-stakes and pressure-packed moments, being consistent matters — and being consistent is what makes great players elite, Brown said.
“So if you can be consistent instead of fluctuate, you have a better chance of being elite,” Brown said. “Because you’ve already shown that you’re a great team, but can you do it over 48 [minutes] instead of over 24 or over 12 or whatever it may be? Because usually the elite ones figure out a way to do whatever they do for a longer period of time than everybody else.”
The Knicks’ four wins against the Pistons last postseason were by a combined 17 points, and they outscored the Celtics by a combined 30 points across the final frames of their victories.
In the Detroit series, Karl-Anthony Towns hit a deep 3 to put the Knicks ahead late in Game 4 after they trailed by 11 earlier in the frame, while Brunson hit the series-clinching 3 with just four seconds remaining in Game 6 to eliminate a pesky Pistons team that became the Eastern Conference’s top seed one year later.
These fourth-quarter and clutch situations factored into the Knicks’ narrow victory over the Hawks earlier this month, too, when Brunson poured in 17 points during the final frame, hit the game-winning jumper and connected on a pair of final free throws to ensure that their one-point lead from the end of the third quarter could remain intact.
Of course, Brunson is at the center of anything for the Knicks down the stretch of a game. He’s the centerpiece who can take over at any point, the guard who’s earned his reputation for what he can do with the ball in his hands on the final possession. That has become a staple for the Knicks, something they can depend on.
Over the course of the year, they’ve flipped their fourth-quarter reality and turned it into a strength for the entire team.
And it could shape their ability to manufacture a deep postseason run.
“If you do it for the first 36, you might not have to do it for those last 12,” Hart said. “It shows our ability to lock in and focus, and we have to make sure we do that during the course of a game.”
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