The Knicks enter the All-Star break with a win and a sense there’s more to come

The Atlanta Hawks are the New York Knicks’ Lloyd Braun: a piece from their past they can’t escape, one they’re still often measured against. In the Knicks’ final game before the All-Star break they were victorious over the Brauns, 122-101, a wire-to-wire sapphire gem of a W. The defense dominated, giving up 25 or fewer points in the first, second and fourth quarters while holding the Hawks to a single 3-pointer in the first half and only five all night. Meanwhile the Knicks scored 29+ in three different quarters and enjoyed a +27 from behind the arc. This win was like smoking a joint in a warm bath and finding out you hit the numbers. Just all-around comfort and joy.

The Hawks are a good reminder for the Knicks to enjoy today and not look too far ahead of themselves. Only two years ago the Hawks brushed the Knicks aside with ease in the first round of the playoffs, then ended Ben Simmons’ run as a relevant player and nearly topped eventual champions Milwaukee. Led by Young, the breakout star of that postseason, Atlanta looked like a Team of the ‘20s frontrunner. But as the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 1980s learned after Magic Johnson dubbed them the “Team of the ‘90s,” some futures never get here.

Just like two years ago, last year the Hawks stumblebummed their way through a mostly aimless regular season, then caught fire late, winning 14 of their last 21. Any hopes of a repeat of 2021 were quickly ended by the Miami Heat, who won their first-round series 4-1 with three of the wins by double-digits. Ahh, but Atlanta, like New York, added a new starting guard last summer, a two-way All-Star at that. Like the Knicks, the Hawks hoped last year was an anomaly in their development. At this year’s All-Star break, it’s looking more like their 2021 run was the exception and not the rule.

The Knicks can say the same thing, only with considerable more joy when they say it. As was the case two years ago, the Knicks were missing the mensch in the middle, Mitchell Robinson. Unlike two years ago, their backup bigs didn’t wilt at the sight of Clint Capela, but stood tall; Jericho Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein were +11 and +10 while combining for eight points, 17 rebounds, three blocked shots and more than a few unspoken suggestions where other Hawk shots could take their business.

Six Knicks scored in double-figures, led by their new starting guard. Jalen Brunson wasn’t named to this year’s All-Star team, but he’s more than deserving. 29 points and a much-appreciated nine rebounds for JB. Obi Toppin made three threes and every one of them felt timely. Josh Hart continues to fit like he’s always been a Knick. The metronomic magnificence of Julius Randle has reached the point where 25 and 11 with a +20 rating is relegated to the fifth paragraph of a recap. So let’s elaborate a bit on his significance in the next one, too.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two teams is the growth – or regression – of their best player. Young is playing a career-high in minutes yet shooting worse from deep and overall than he has since his rookie year, worse from every area except the mid-midrange (10-16 feet). Couple that with a vibe that invariably ends up clashing with coaches and leaving teammates uninspired and it’s easy to see why Atlanta is a losing team at the break: the star they hitched their wagon to stalled at 30,000 feet. You ever think you’ve seen a star or planet in the night sky that turns out to be a plane? You know the absolutely Luciferian fall your spirit takes when it goes from contemplating celestial objects to realizing it’s just the 8:30 to Raleigh-Durham? Ladies and gentleman: the Trae Young Experience.

Meanwhile, Julius Randle isn’t just playing better; he’s playing a style that lends itself more to stability than 2021’s Midrange Jubilee. Also while the addition of Dejounte Murray has yet to show its benefits for Young, Brunson has been the best addition to Randle’s world since baby #2 came. The Knicks are deeper than they were two years while also being younger. Their ceiling is higher. They’re the sixth seed today and have a real chance of catching Brooklyn for fifth. Life is good. And if you didn’t know, Lloyd Braun ends up institutionalized. Sometimes the long game is longer than we realize.