Over the past 25 games, the New York Knicks have had the fourth-best record in the NBA at 18-7. Before this 25-game stretch, the strength for the Knicks was their ability to put the ball in the basket. When you have two elite offensive talents in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, that is the expectation.

Over the course of the season, the Knicks’ offense has been elite. They are third in offensive rating at 118.2. That number means that they are scoring 118.2 points per 100 possessions, a supreme mark. But during this extended period of success for New York, the catalyst has been the uptick in their defense.

Since Jan. 21, the Knicks have been not just a good defensive team, but they have had the best defense in all the NBA. Before we dive into the numbers for New York over the past 25 games, let’s take a look at how the Knicks’ defense performed before this stretch.

Up until Jan. 21, New York had a 115.0 defensive rating, which ranked 17th best in the league. At that point, the Knicks were known as a team with a great offensive attack that struggled to string together stops defensively. But boy has that changed.

For the past 25 games, starting with their beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets by the score of 120-66, New York has sported the best defensive rating in the NBA: 104.7. This is the best defensive rating in the NBA by a wide margin as well, with the Boston Celtics being second in line with a defensive rating of 108.1 during this 25-game span.

The Knicks have found something defensively to pair with the elite offense they possess, and that makes them even more poised to get over the hump and win their first championship since 1973.