The New York Knicks have been on rollercoaster of a ride so far in the 2022-23 NBA season. Less than a month ago, they were looking good for the Eastern Conference wooden spoon. Now, they’re on a hot streak and are well positioned to make a deep run in the new year. We take a look at what’s changed for the New York Knicks, and what this has done to the betting odds for the side heading into finals season in 2023.
The New York Knicks Turn Their Season Around
Wind back the clock a few weeks, and the New York Knicks were being humiliated by the Dallas Mavericks in their own backyard.
The visitors put 121 points on the home side, who could only scrap together 100 of their own points. For the majority of the second half, the New York crowd was actively booing their team, who they felt were lack lustre and far from competitive. Since then, however, the Knicks have been an entirely different team. They’re unbeaten across their last six matches, going on a hot winning streak with a win over the Chicago Bulls 114-91 most recently. The win put them at sixth in the NBA ladder with 18 wins from 32 games, with a win ratio of .563.
For a side that seemed dead and buried just three weeks ago, this has been a remarkable turnaround for the New York Knicks.
What Changed for the New York Knicks
It was the shocking loss at the start of December against the Dallas Mavericks that catalyzed a lot of the New York Knicks’ successful changes.
In that game, Cam Reddish and Derek Rose were particularly woeful. Since then, head coach Tom Thibodeau has taken both of the big name players out of the Knicks rotation, shrinking the side’s rotation down to only nine players. Much of what seems to have worked for the Knicks has been this refreshment of the rotation, orchestrated by Thibodeau and executed by the nine players included, such as the defensive maestro Miles McBride.
While the Knicks players have had their issues in the past, it seems like this group has gelled well courtesy of the reshuffle, and is now putting together a potential title run.
Betting Odds for the Knicks Falling With Recent Resurgence
Right now, the betting odds for the New York Knicks to win the 2022-23 NBA are still very high compared to the leading teams. For example, the best NBA betting sites have the Boston Celtics at +300 to win the overall NBA title, while the New York Knicks are at a whopping +17,500 to win it overall. Odds for winning the Eastern Conference overall are not much better, with the Knicks at +10,000 to win that outright.
However, it’s important to note that these odds are moving in the right direction to reflect the Knicks recent form. Three weeks ago, the Knicks were sitting closer to the likes of the Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets, who are both paying +50,000 to win the NBA overall in 2022-23.
