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| Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Blazers |
After playing for the 2004 Detroit Pistons, a team that relied on defense, teamwork, and clutch shooting rather than a star, Chauncey Billups knows what it takes to win an NBA championship. He is currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, a young and unknown group looking to make an impact in the Western Conference. The Knicks are neither young nor raw. They are perceived as just outside of the Eastern Conference championship hunt, a tier below the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. Three teams led by superstars. The Knicks notably do not have one.
Ahead of tipoff between the Knicks and Billups’ Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Mr. Big Shot said he doesn’t believe the Knicks need a superstar to win a title, though he hedged that thought process by saying the NBA of the 2020s is far different from the NBA of the early 2000s. Billups’ Pistons did not have a superstar. Instead, they won with a physicality and defensive mindset mirrored nearly to the tee by Tom Thibodeau-coached teams.
“The game is obviously very different now, but I’m a big believer in: if you can get a top-flight defensive team and you got enough people on offense that can – obviously you got to score more in today’s game than you did then – but if you have enough people who can score and get it going and you have three-point shooting, you got a chance to be elite and get it going,” he said. “It’s really all about you have to have the right culture to win at today’s game. You don’t win without that at the highest level.”
It’s clear Thibodeau has established a worker’s culture in New York City. His teams are no-nonsense. They prioritize rebounding, defense, hustle plays and three-point shooting. They prioritize the work that must go on behind the scenes to ensure proper performance come game day.
“I think obviously what Thibs is doing here is awesome,” Billups said. “I think Thibs is doing a perfect job going and getting a guy like OG Anunoby, who is about everything that Thibs is about. He really guards and is versatile. He can shoot it. He can guard up. He can guard down. I thought it was a really good move for this team. This team is really [constructed] well.”
Do the Knicks have a superstar? Maybe not in the traditional sense. Donovan Mitchell may be the household name many transient basketball fans want the Knicks to swing for, but New York projects to be home to at least one All-Star this season if not two. Jalen Brunson is coming off his second Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors of the season and is averaging 26 points and six assists on the season.
“I’m a huge fan of Jalen. I think he’s a winner more than anything,” said Billups. “You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays.”
Julius Randle is also having another stellar season, averaging 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game while shooting 38% from three-point range.
“I love Julius Randle,” Billups said. “I think Julius Randle has been one of my favorite players in this league for years now because he’s just so tough to guard.”
Billups also praised RJ Barrett, who has improved his three-point shooting to 40% this season while averaging 16 points per game.
“He’s just getting better every year,” Billups said of Barrett. “He’s getting more confident every year.”
The Knicks are currently fourth in the East with a 25-14 record, just two games behind the first-place Celtics. They have won six of their last seven games, including impressive victories over the Bucks, Nets and Heat. They have also been one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking second in points allowed per game (99.8) and third in defensive rating (104.2).
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are struggling with injuries and inconsistency. They are ninth in the West with an 18-21 record, having lost four of their last five games. They are also one of the worst defensive teams in the league, ranking 28th in points allowed per game (113) and 29th in defensive rating (113).
Billups said he is still learning how to be a head coach in his first year on the job, but he is confident that his team will turn things around.
“I’m learning every day,” he said. “I’m learning from my mistakes every day. I’m learning from my successes every day. I’m just trying to get better and trying to help this team get better.”
He also said he is not worried about the rumors that his star player, Damian Lillard, might want out of Portland.
“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” he said. “I know Dame. I know what Dame is about. Dame is about winning. Dame is about loyalty. Dame is about this team. He’s been nothing but supportive of me and this staff and this organization. So I don’t worry about that stuff at all.”
Billups said he respects the Knicks and their coach, but he is looking forward to competing against them on Tuesday night.
“I think it’s going to be a great game,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a physical game. I think it’s going to be a fun game. I’m excited for it.”