Late in the Season, the Knicks Have Won Bigger April 24, 2012, 2:26 pm In my last post on Off the Dribble, I wrote that the percentage in which teams blow out their opponents may indicate they are stronger than their record would indicate. This season, the Knicks have won 28 percent of their games by 10 or more points. That rate ties them for seventh best in the N.B.A., a substantial showing despite their middle-tier ranking in terms of actual wins. One curious fact about these blowout wins for New York is when they occurred. The Knicks made a coaching change after 42 games, swapping Mike D'Antoni for Mike Woodson who has presided over the last 22 matches. Despite the disparity in games, both coaches have the same amount (9) of blowout wins. This fact is a bit surprising given the reputations of the two coaches. D'Antoni was known for his offensively slanted teams that ran at a spirited pace. Woodson's Atlanta teams were less skewed and operated at a slower tempo. In his final season with the Hawks, the team ranked 27th in possessions per game. One would have expected that D'Antoni's Knicks, given his tendencies, would have won more blowout games this year. However Woodson's strong showing reveals that his philosophy has better suited the team. Since Woodson's first game as the head coach in New York on March 14, the Knicks have won 41 percent of their games by 10 or more points. In that time span, New York has the fourth highest percentage in the league behind the Spurs, Thunder, and Bucks. If that rate is indicative of the Knicks" current strength, then they may be an even stronger team than their yearly stats would hint at.