For the negative segments of the fanbase and bloviators in the media, Thursday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets will serve as enough of a sample size to write the Knicks off for the umpteenth time this season. However, true observers won’t let it distract from the simple fact that New York’s been one of, if not the most dominant team in the league over the past two months.

Ugly games against deep lottery teams and Stephen A. Smith rants may take up the noise, but the Knicks are 23-8 since their embarrassing rock bottom blowout to the Dallas Mavericks in late January. They are tied for the second-highest net rating in the NBA in that span, outscoring opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions.

They also went on separate seven- and eight-game win streaks, beating the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs along the way. What spurred this turnaround, and how have the Knicks been able to stay the hottest team in the NBA?

The life of a contender can be very boom-or-bust over an 82-game season. New York is equally susceptible, hitting a major wall after starting the season 23-9 and winning the NBA Cup.

They stumbled into the new year with a 2-9 skid, dropping games to dreg after dreg, as their defense plummeted to near-worst in the league during this span. The team completely lacked energy, focus, and seemingly chemistry, capping the losses with a 17-point home drubbing to the lowly Mavericks. 

But contenders have bad months - the real ones can shake them off and not string two back-to-back. So the Knicks did, rattling off eight in a row to kick into high gear.

It started, first and foremost, with the defense. Even when the Knicks looked strong in the early season, their defense was good-to-average, passable if not worrying for a team with championship aspirations.

Since January 21, they’ve had the best defense in the league, holding opponents to 106.7 points per 100 possessions, a full point ahead of Oklahoma City. A key to the shift was the coaching staff simplifying the defensive system, as well as emphasizing protecting the middle and corners. 

While the change empowered each individual player to step up their defensive games, including the vaunted wing defensive combo of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, one in particular deserves added credit for his leadership on this end, and that’s Karl-Anthony Towns.  

Despite the coaching and system changes, Towns has consistently brought it defensively throughout the season, even through injury and a slower offensive season. He’s been asked to jump between different schemes more, and taken on the challenge to success, now having one of his best defensive years.

The Knicks have still maintained a robust offense during this tear - good for sixth in the league. But this may be even more impressive than the defense, given some of the shooting woes of their key scorers.

New York has won all these games with Jalen Brunson averaging 23.8 points on 50 percent shooting from two and 35 percent from three. Those are well below his usual numbers, yet he’s stayed grounded as the floor general, picking up his assist count and off-ball play to make up for the drop-off. 

Mikal Bridges is also in a dry spell of his own, failing to crack 15 points in the last 11 games. He’s averaged 13 points on 55 percent shooting from two and 33 percent from three since the Knicks started winning again - one can only imagine what the offense looks like once these two get going again.

It’s been Towns once again on this end, shaking off his rough start to the year to average 21 points on 63 percent shooting from two and 41 percent from three his last 20 games. Head coach Mike Brown once again had to find some midseason solutions to get KAT going, and did so in the nick of time.

The bolstering of New York’s depth has been another big factor. Mohamed Diawara went from creeping into to demanding a spot in the rotation, the Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet got healthy, all in this span, no small developments. 

It can be easy to get lost in the day-by-day of the regular season, but the further you zoom out, the more impressive and ready for the playoffs this Knicks team looks. No matter what the doubters may say about a single loss, New York has been atop the league since before the trade deadline, and that means a little more.