Knicks 111, 76ers 99: T.I.M.E.
The Knicks are 1-0 in the NBA Cup after a tournament-opening win over the 76ers
The New York Knicks’ 111-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers had all the classics: Jalen Brunson in the clutch; a floundering Joel Embiid; OG Anunoby dunking over everyone; Kelly Oubre Jr. controversy; and Josh Hart hitting above-the-break threes. All of these transpired at a high clip during the Knicks and 76ers first-round matchup in last year’s playoffs.
Surprise, surprise, the result is the same six months later: a big fat W for New York.
An off-night for Brunson – and Embiid – still saw the Knicks top the 76ers in their first game of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup tournament. (Adam Silver, that is a mouthful. What are we doing here?) Anunoby scored 24 points, Hart had a triple-double and Miles McBride’s sixth-man resume grows with every game. Paul George looked like himself for the first time this season, with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block in 32 minutes. Jared McCain continued taking advantage of Tyrese Maxey’s absence with 23 points, averaging 22.6 since climbing Nick Nurse’s rotation. Caleb Martin is the Cam Reddish of Josh Harts.
That’s enough analysis. Let’s talk about the vibes.
New York needed this win, and they need this win. After allowing Tyrese Haliburton the best game of his season in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, more questions mounted about the viability of this Knicks’ roster. The offense was moving slow, the defense wasn’t moving and the 3-point volume wasn’t meeting the criteria for a standard NBA offense. In the win over Philadelphia, the offense sped up a tick and the defense won the game. But still, 3-point proficiency eludes New York after they finished this one just 9-of-31 from deep. That’s 29%. This is the give-and-take fans will have to accept, but hopefully not get used to. Some nights will scrape the floor while others embody the team’s ceiling altogether. I thought Hart said it best:
“At the end of the day we’ve got [Brunson] as our [number-one] option. KAT’s been a [number-one] option for many years . . . [Mikal Bridges] has been . . . OG can score the ball in various different ways. [McBride] comes in off the bench and gives us great minutes. I’m out there just trying to connect the dots. Great to have a game like that. I think it starts with the defense. I think we outrebounded them. We played Knicks basketball.”
Brunson scored 10 of his 18 in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns got the team started early, and when the shooting didn’t translate across the other three quarters dug into his passing chops to build (and ultimately maintain) momentum. Anunoby scored every way possible, including six or seven dunks. Deuce added 15 over 25 minutes in what was probably one of the most efficient outings of his career, in terms of impact versus minutes.
There’s no better way to get over a loss to the team who eliminated you in the playoffs last year than a win over a team that’s retooled since you did the same to them. On a team with three overly-qualified scorers like Bridges, Brunson, and Towns, the defense has to come first. Chemistry and communication on that side of the ball will save you in championship moments. Asking any of the aforementioned trio to get you a bucket in late May/June is far less of a quandary. Yes, Josh, the Knicks did outrebound the 76ers, 47-40. You alone had more rebounds than the four Philly starters not named Paul George.
I’ll argue with Hart’s last point. That’s Knicks basketball today. But game’s like this one are what help teams build into what New York’s striving for. I don’t think he’s calling this a finished product as much as he is noting that when it mattered most, they played their game. It’s a version of basketball fans can recognize and relate to, whether from their couch or from section 432 in the arena. And on a team with two particularly prominent new faces, that’s a great sign.
I was told once that “time” is an acronym for “things I must earn” (Ed. note: Or “The Inner Mind’s Eye”) Games like Tuesday night’s are games where the Knicks earn whatever becomes of their 2024-25 season. New York’s assembly needs time. Can they manage that without compromising the season?