Knicks 134, Hornets 131 (OT): The blink of an eye
With a dramatic overtime win, the Knicks continue defying the odds with their early-season successes.
A few hours before last night’s Knicks’ 115-112 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets, I was walking down a hallway with a young man at the end of it. From the opposite direction came a young woman. It soon became clear they recognized each other but didn’t know from where. They asked one another about where they went to school, places they’d worked, etc. I thought it was charming in a Hollywood sort of way – two people clearly attracted to each other, insisting on playing the classic “Haven’t we met before?” first. The odds seemed to lean very much in one direction. Until they didn’t.
It turned out she remembered him because they’d met at some point on a dating site and agreed to go on a date, and he’d flaked. “You’re him, aren’t you?” she said. “You stood me up. That story about having to go to the hospital wasn’t true at all, was it?” Reader, if you could have heard the sociopathic calm with which he said, “Word.” That’s the thing about odds: no matter how heavy they get, they can still fip in the blink of an eye, or a lone defender getting back in transition.
For the first 45:30 of last night’s game, New York and Charlotte were both prolific from the field – “exquisite offenses,” Walt Frazier called them – but the Knicks took control in the second quarter, then spent most of the second half in front. It felt like what we’d seen in the prior wins over Detroit and Orlando: Charlotte, absent its two best players from last season, as another team the Knicks “should” beat, yes?
Only the Hornets aren’t the Magic or the Pistons. The Bzzz Bzzzs reached the play-in the past two years, and before LaMelo Ball was injured late in 2020-21 they looked like an emerging Eastern menace. So it was less of a surprise when they came back from 12 down to up in the last minutes. With a little more than 150 seconds left, Charlotte, up three, forced a turnover and got out on a 4-on-1 fast break. It seemed inevitable they’d score; at best, the Knicks might foul them; even if the Hornets missed, they had a clear advantage on the boards. Neutron star-heavy odds weighed against the Knicks. Then, before you knew what was happening, they’d flipped.
Jalen Brunson, the smallest Knick, was initially the only one back as one-time ‘bocker Dennis Smith Jr. led the break. He dished to Gordon Hayward, who got caught between a valiant Brunson and a chase-down Cam Reddish. Hayward lost control of the ball, but kept his wits and quickly gave it back to DSJ. As he went in for the lay-up, RJ Barrett blocked the shot from behind, knocking it out of bounds. It was impossible to know the significance of the sequence at the time, especially in a win featuring so many heroes.
Brunson not only played brilliantly once again, hitting one big shot after another, but was the consensus head of the snake down the stretch. It’s obvious his teammates trust him; Tom Thibodeau does too. Julius Randle remained quick, decisive and efficient throughout, including crunch time. Barrett played through some struggles until he was a positive presence. The bench delivered 45 points on only 27 shots. New York made 61% of their 2-pointers, 37% of their 3-pointers and 19 of 22 free throws. All that shows you how the Knicks won. The 4-on-1 showed why.
Charlotte could have spread the floor better on the 4-on-1; when Hayward missed, all four Hornets were in the paint. Brunson could have simply fouled someone out of frustration or desperation (the Knicks had committed three take fouls on the night). The odds of the Hornets not going up four, five or six points there? Miniscule. That they wouldn’t at least get a foul out of it? Infinitesimal. That two Hornets would both fail to even get a shot off? Come on.
String together enough WTFs and you escape the gravity of conventional wisdom altogether. Consider the Reddish three that tied Memphis at the end of regulation; consider how many Knick teams you’ve seen that would’ve lost the Charlotte game once they lost the lead. How many summers they wouldn’t even have been in the hunt for a Brunson because they didn’t have had cap space. How many times they don’t draft a Barrett because they don’t have their pick that year. These Knicks have shown an early knack for pretty mostly finding what they need when they need it, whether from their three leading lefties or Isaiah & The Righties. Now comes the bad news.
The next seven games – five of which are on the road – come against Milwaukee, Cleveland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Minnesota and Brooklyn. The odds say the Knicks will lose most of them. Just two years ago, the Knicks won enough games like this one to defy the odds year-round. What are the chances we’re seeing that again? Stick around and find out.
