The New York Knicks dropped another one to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the contender question is getting hard to ignore.

The Knicks are among the best of the best in the clutch. Even after Sunday night’s meltdown against OKC, the Knicks are 19-13 with a plus-17.3 clutch net rating, only behind the Lakers, Thunder, and Sixers. Their defense is third-best, their offense is fourth-best, and their turnover rate is fourth-lowest. It’s overall pretty good.

Mike Brown and the Knicks suffered a setback on Sunday not just in the win-loss column, but on the Miles McBride injury front as well.

And if they do, if they emerge from the East and survive the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers along the way, there’s little reason to believe, after falling short at OKC’s Paycom Center in a 111-100 loss to the Thunder on Sunday, the Knicks will fare any better in a seven-game series.

This year's Knicks have a deeper rotation than last season, yet rank 28th in bench points -- a weakness that could cost them in the playoffs.

MVP top-candidate Shai Gileous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-100 win over Jalen Brunson and theNew York Knicks at home on Sunday.

The New York Knicks might benefit from being the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference.