The New York Knicks walked off the Madison Square Garden floor to a chorus of boos after falling behind the Dallas Mavericks by 30 points, and the reaction felt louder than a single January loss, ESPN reports. For a team that lifted the NBA Cup in Las Vegas and talked openly about title expectations, the disconnect has become impossible to ignore. Even head coach Mike Brown acknowledged the moment, admitting there was little value in diagramming plays when effort and focus had already slipped away.

That frustration has now reached the national stage. NBA on NBC analyst and former scoring champion Tracy McGrady did not sugarcoat what he sees when watching the Knicks. Speaking before the loss to Dallas, McGrady pointed to a defense that no longer resembles itself. In his view, last season’s identity revolved around discipline and structure, traits that have faded during the past few weeks. He highlighted breakdowns across the board, from blown assignments to a scheme that no longer matches the roster on the floor.

Knicks Searching for Identity as Slide Continues

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The timing has only sharpened the concern. New York has dropped nine of its past 11 games, sliding from a position of confidence to a spot where the play in tournament cannot be dismissed. The loss to Dallas marked one of the rare occasions the Knicks surrendered 75 points in a first half at MSG, a statistic that underlines how far the defense has slipped.

Captain Jalen Brunson framed the situation plainly. After the game, he said the solutions are already known inside the locker room, and the real question centers on whether the team cares enough to execute them. That message carried extra weight on a day that should have felt celebratory. Brunson earned an All Star starting nod earlier in the day, and he and Josh Hart both returned from injury.

Instead, the Knicks fell into an early hole and never recovered, with Hart later calling the effort embarrassing.