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A day or two can change the vibrations.
The New York Knicks showed up on defense earlier this week, deploying a fly swatter to fend off the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. On Thursday someone gave them a sword.
OG Anunoby practiced again, returning to five-on-five drills and simply waiting for clearance from team doctors before he could return for a game. During a win over the Orlando Magic the next day, Isaiah Hartenstein moved like he did before tendinopathy took over his Achilles tendon. Jalen Brunson scored as often as you’d expect from an All-Star guard, and oh, the knee bruise that looked so nasty less than a week ago wasn’t enough to keep him out for more than one game. Precious Achiuwa bombed the boards and extinguished any shots near him. Josh Hart pulled off a strange Josh Hart impression. The Knicks defended like a force.
On Friday, they defeated the Magic 98-74, the fewest points any team has allowed in the NBA this season and the first time the Knicks have held an opponent to fewer than 75 since April 2012. The Knicks had lost their first three games of the season against Orlando, which came into the night half a game better in the Eastern Conference. The victory moved New York (37-26), which hopes to avoid the Play-In tournament, back to fourth place.
But forget about the outcome, even if it mattered, for all the obvious reasons. Instead, focus on the circumstances of victory.
Just five days after limping off the court in Cleveland, Brunson didn’t just play. He looked like his usual self, scoring 26 points in just 29 minutes. And on the other end, he was like one of the most intimidating defenders in the world had already returned; Anunoby’s spirit was everywhere.
After missing just one game with a knee injury, Jalen Brunson returned on Friday against the Magic and scored 26 points. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
The totally idealized version of the Knicks, which fans caught a glimpse of during the Jan. 14-2 game but haven’t encountered since, is closer to reforming.
Anunoby’s rehabilitation is going according to plan. She underwent surgery to remove a loose bone fragment from her right elbow in early February. Because the operation was routine, just a cleanup, the expectation was that she would see doctors again three weeks after surgery and then she would be cleared for on-field activities. Not long after, he would be ready to leave.
Now, it’s just in time, back to contact drills.
The only thing Thibodeau is waiting for is word from team doctors that the backbone of his defense is ready. If he returns in the next few days, New York will have time to help him return. The playoffs are more than a month away.
The Knicks have a pair of upcoming home games against the Philadelphia 76ers, which aren’t as daunting as before considering Tyrese Maxey’s status remains uncertain with the All-Star guard stuck in concussion protocols. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid is recovering from a knee injury. An otherwise difficult West Coast trip begins with a cookie: a meeting with the inexperienced Portland Trail Blazers.
That’s three winnable games, especially if Anunoby participates in one or two of them. Suddenly, a beam of light shines in the Knicks training room.
There is hope when Thibodeau says Anunoby had been practicing without restrictions. There is hope in watching Julius Randle, who is rehabbing a dislocated shoulder, sweat before games, going full speed through shooting and ball-handling drills. There’s hope in the way the defense stifled the Magic, even if Orlando isn’t the scariest offensive team. It’s not 1997 anymore. Allowing 74 points in three quarters, let alone four, is impressive.
There’s hope in the way Hartenstein moved, especially when he deflected a would-be dunk from Orlando All-Star Paolo Banchero. Hartenstein has primarily played through the Achilles tendinopathy that has plagued him, but especially over the last month, he hasn’t looked the same.
The Knicks didn’t have the league’s best defense in January just because Anunoby was around, although the NBA All-Defensive stalwart was the main reason. It was also thanks to Hartenstein, who covered up the painting. His rejection of Banchero, that type of rejection was common in January.
On Friday, a team appeared that understood the moment.
The Knicks were floundering, losing eight of their last 11. They had just given up a winnable game to the Atlanta Hawks on a night when they made too many open jumpers. After two days of rest, they came into Friday’s game with a different tone.
Minutes into the game, Brunson stopped to shoot a three-pointer from near the logo. He shook it. Those are not the actions of someone whose knee is bothering him. And it wasn’t the kind of shot the Knicks made during their 116-100 loss to Atlanta.
Thibodeau also trained differently.
The former Detroit Pistons were not so essential to Friday’s rotation. Alec Burks, who has struggled since he joined the Knicks in February, didn’t enter the game until the second quarter. He played for five minutes, came off as a substitute and never returned. Thibodeau opted for an eight-man rotation in the second half. Bojan Bogdanović played only 12 minutes in total.
It’s a trend to follow, especially once Anunoby re-enters the starting lineup and Randle returns after that.
Has Miles “Deuce” McBride officially surpassed Burks in the pecking order? Does that mean zero playing time for Burks, whom the Knicks acquired in hopes of stabilizing the offense behind Brunson? Bogdanović only gets about 15 minutes? Could it be less than that if Achiuwa attacks teams like he did on the Magic, pulling down 14 rebounds, blocking five shots and somehow inserting himself into almost any play that involved a fumble?
These are first-world problems, which mean the Knicks have too many good players. Organizations strive to address these types of issues.
For the first time in a long time, the Knicks looked like one of those teams. It’s amazing how just 48 hours can alter your mood.
(Top photo by Josh Hart: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)