Chris Iseman | NBA Writer

Seth Harrison/lohud, The Journal News/lohud

NEW YORK — When team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry held their impromptu press conference back on Nov. 10, they made it clear they weren't happy with the Knicks' performance through the first 10 games and wanted to see progress in the ensuing 10.

The team's effort level had been too sporadic, its performances too inconsistent during its 2-8 start.

The onus was on David Fizdale to get things turned around, or at least to get his team to start showing some improvements.

The second 10-game increment closed Sunday with the Knicks' 113-104 loss to the Boston Celtics at the Garden, another defeat where they played well for an extended portion of the game only to see it fade away in the end.

Too many turnovers and a stagnant offense in the final six minutes cost the Knicks this time around.

The Associated Press

So they closed their second 10-game increment with a 2-8 record, the very same mark that forced the impromptu press conference in the first place.

Was their progress during this stretch?

Fizdale believes there was.

“I think we’ve become a better basketball team," Fizdale said.

More competitive games

The Knicks' first 10 games included blowout losses to the Celtics, Magic, Kings, Pistons and Cavaliers.

Three of those came at home, including the embarrassing loss to Cleveland that prompted Mills and Perry to meet with reporters after the game.

The Knicks in their last 10 games have been more competitive. They had two blowout losses, including one to the defending champion Raptors in Toronto.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

Against the Spurs at the Garden, they trailed by 28 after getting off to a terrible start before climbing back to make it a seven-point loss.

In five of their last eight losses, they fell by seven points or fewer.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks put together more incomplete performances. They were more consistent offensively and showed some defensive improvements, particularly when it came to protecting the paint.

Fizdale started sticking to rotations and players began getting more comfortable in their roles.

The problem was they couldn't close out the games they had a chance at winning.

"I think we got our ass whipped in Toronto," Fizdale said. "And, sometimes that’s going to happen to the best of them. It doesn’t matter who you are. But if you look at our games against everyone else, we won one or two and every other single game we were competing with a chance to win. That’s a big thing we were fighting for was to be more consistent and giving ourselves a chance to be more competitive.”

During the Knicks' first 10 games, their defensive rating of 109.5 ranked 21st in the NBA.

In their last 10, their defensive rating of 112.7 ranked 23rd, so a small regression.

Their offensive rating took a jump, going from 30th the first 10 games to 23rd in their last 10.

Wins still elusive

Yet despite any progress the Knicks showed these last 10 games, their record of 4-16 is still ugly.

Fizdale still is lamenting the lack of trust his team shows on both ends of the floor at times, and the Knicks' free-throw shooting has been abysmal.

Their last in the NBA in free-throw percentage at 67.5, and they've had several close games where their lack of production from the foul line might've cost them a chance at a win.

That included Sunday against the Celtics, when the Knicks missed 11 free throws.

"Can’t miss 11 free throws against the Boston Celtics and think you’re going to win a close game," Fizdale said. "We’re going to keep coming up with creative ways to try to make them better at it. Right now I think it’s much more mental than it is technical. But we’ve just got to stay with it. Again if you go through, say eight of our losses, nine of our losses, we either didn’t shoot enough of them or we missed the ones that we did get."

So is the progress really there?

Yes, the Knicks have improved in some areas. Yes, they've put together more complete performances.

Still, they were 2-8 in their last 10 games and while they gave themselves a chance to win in many of their losses, they didn't get it done.

If the Knicks are judging this stretch by progress, there were some encouraging signs.

But the record remains ugly.

It might be up to Fizdale to find ways to get his players to be more consistent, but it's up to the players to actually perform on the court.

"We’re the ones out there playing," Bobby Portis said. "We’re the ones who have to go out there and protect the ball. Or we’re the ones who have to go out there and make shots, we’re the ones that have to go out there and play with effort and energy. He can't go out there and play for us."