Led by their defense, the Knicks romp and rampage to their second straight W.

Back in the day – not “Ed Norton in Rounders” back-in-the-day; more “100 years before Ed Norton’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother Pocahantas was born” back in the day – when a warship sailed into a foreign port, they’d fire a shot from each of their cannons while still out of range. Cannons took a long time to re-load, so the act of shooting was actually a gesture of peace, ensuring the warships didn’t have time to re-load and attack before docking. The fort ashore would fire three times for each shot made from a ship; with British boats typically having seven cannons, that was 21 shots, which is where the 21-gun salute began.

That tradition continued yesterday in New Amsterdam, where the New York Knickerbockers scuttled the sinking Phoenix Suns 102-83. The 83 points were the second-fewest allowed by the Knicks this season; after giving up 81 in a win over Cleveland a month ago they ripped off eight straight wins, and the way they looked yesterday they may be embarking on another run of conquest. In the first quarter New York gained separation with a 14-0 run and surrendered just 11 points without committing a single foul. Pretty incredible, no? Más increíble: that wasn’t their claim to fame this game.

In the second quarter, already up double-digits, the Knicks over nearly five minutes threw a 21-0 run at the Suns. After not quite twenty minutes of action, they’d built a 30-point lead. You can dive into the box score if you want to really soak up all the dominance, but even that wouldn’t do the scene justice. The Knicks literally looked like they were from a dimension the Suns don’t have language for. Julius Randle was the best player on the floor. Jalen Brunson returned after missing the Texas trip and looked right as rain again. Mitchell Robinson was dribbling between his legs and throwing no-look dimes. 

He was also doing regular Mitch stuff, too. In this sequence Cameron Payne’s shot is the Spanish Armada and Robinson the Earl of Nottingham. If you’re not up to date on your Earls, let’s say Payne’s shot is something smashable and Mitch is the Hulk.

A Quentin Grimes rapid-fire corner three was the final chord in this matinee masterpiece. Look at poor Suns’ coach (and OAKAAKUYOAK) Monty Williams’ face after that shot. Man looks like someone strolling along the beach who though a cloud had passed in front of the sun, but too late realizes that shadow came from the tsunami he’s only now aware of. 

The entire second half was just waiting for the W to become official. With the win the Knicks are 20-18, victors in 10 of their last 15 games. On a night when the one who got away last summer scored 71 points for Cleveland, the feeling remains that New York made the right move by not trading all their youth and assets for Donovan Mitchell. There is excitement over what could be next on the horizon. Literally what’s next is a rematch with San Antonio, whom the Knicks should be up to take down after last week’s loss to them. But there’s also hope and hype beyond that. They boast two players performing at an All-Star level in Randle and Brunson. Robinson has never been better. Even with RJ Barrett still out, they plug in Immanuel Quickley and throw two two-way terrors in IQ and Grimes at their foes. After their stirring 21-gun win Monday, the Knicks go for win #21 tomorrow when they host the Spurs. Be sure to check the night sky before you go to bed tonight. Odds are it’ll be red.