Former New York Knicks guard John Starks believes the current Knicks squad is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. In an exclusive interview with DJ Siddiqi for Covers.com, Starks pointed to New York’s dominant performance against the San Antonio Spurs as evidence of their championship potential.
“They’ve got to be consistent when you’re playing against these good teams, and they haven’t shown that, obviously,” Starks said. “But that San Antonio game showed me that they’re a championship-quality team.” The Knicks defeated the Spurs 114-89 on March 1, outplaying the Victor Wembanyama-led roster.
Starks highlighted the Knicks’ top players, particularly the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns pairing. “I think Karl is doing a tremendous job and making conscious efforts on the defensive end of the court,” he said. “He’s just not settling for jump shots. Now he’s been more aggressive going to the basket.” Regarding Brunson, Starks added, “Now I think he’s back to being Jalen Brunson.”
The former All-Star also emphasized New York’s defensive identity, noting that the team ranks fifth in points allowed per game and defensive rating. “I think when you want to hang your hat for any team, you hang your hat on the defensive end of the court,” Starks said. “That’s always been our mentality when I was here, and it’s going to continue to be that way here in New York.”
New York has been on a hot streak, winning seven games in a row after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans (121-116) on Tuesday. Starks acknowledged recent back-to-back losses to the Lakers and Clippers but attributed it to travel and adjustment. “After that, they got back to playing aggressively. On the defensive end, Golden State woke us up again.”
Starks is confident the Knicks can make a deep playoff run. “No question,” he said. “Understand one thing about this team: they know they can go on the road and beat anybody. The playoffs is all about going on the road and winning on your opponent’s home court.” He recalled New York’s six-game series win over Detroit in the first round last season, showing the team can overcome home-court disadvantages.
Despite trailing the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics in the standings, Starks maintains that the Knicks are the best team in the East. “I really do. I know Detroit has the record over us, and I know Boston is ahead of us right now. But when I saw that San Antonio game, it’s almost like when you dangle some meat in front of some guys and they go get it. That’s what it looked like to me.”
