The Utah Jazz had their possibilities.
Svi Mykhailiuk bricked a clear nook three 43 seconds after tipoff. Seven-foot fringe All-Star Lauri Markkanen botched an alley-oop over the 6-4 Josh Hart, then smoked the uncontested putback. Jusuf Nurkic rolled into the lane, obtained fouled, fumbled the continuation, missed each free throws — after which missed his subsequent shot point-blank over Hart. Ace Bailey, the Jazz’s prized 2025 lottery decide, clanged a wide-open three off a pindown display screen.
In fact, Utah supplied itself as tribute to the report books.
But it surely takes two to make historical past, and the Knicks had been greater than prepared dance companions. What started as a 13–0 snowball grew to become a full avalanche — a blistering 23-0 begin that ballooned right into a 146-112 demolition at Madison Sq. Backyard on Friday. The Jazz went scoreless for the primary 6:33, the second-longest scoring drought to open a sport because the Showtime Lakers opened with a 29-0 blitz in opposition to the Sacramento Kings in 1987.
And right here’s the connective tissue between these Lakers and these Knicks: each entered their historic nights carrying the burden of a conference-finals heartbreak — and each wield the identical ceiling-defining superpower. They run. They run off makes, off misses, off something resembling a possibility, turning protection right into a model of transition offense that may break opponents earlier than the sport even begins.
“It’s pretty cool,” Jalen Brunson mentioned. “We were able to get stops and we were converting on the other side of the court. Not really thinking about it, you’re just going out there and executing… I haven’t been part of something like that in a while.”
‘COULDN’T MAKE A SHOT’
There’s a standing ovation inside The Discussion board that evening in ’87 — however not for the Lakers. The cheers are for Derek Smith, the Kings guard whose free throw on the 2:54 mark of the primary quarter lastly ended Sacramento’s scoring drought. Almost eight minutes earlier, the Lakers engulfed Smith’s layup try entire. Off they had been to the races: Magic Johnson hit Byron Scott. Scott hit the mid-range. Moments later, James Worthy pushed tempo and located A.C. Inexperienced for a dunk.
Over and again and again. Earlier than the Kings inhaled, they had been down 40–4. The Jazz knew the sensation; they trailed the Knicks 41–13 after one.
“They’re a good team, obviously. They got comfortable and made a lot of shots,” Markkanen mentioned. “We were getting pretty good looks at the start of the game, but we just couldn’t make a shot. Obviously, against a good team like this, it’s hard to climb back up.”
That’s the material connecting Showtime to New York’s new-age pace-and-space. The Jazz noticed the Knicks a 16–0 lead. The Knicks stole the following seven factors by pressure.
One possession crystallized the issue: Markkanen flashed to the center for what ought to have been a simple move in a cushty spot. However Hart almost intercepted the ball, forcing it out of the Jazz All-Star’s fingers to the weak aspect of the ground. Utah resorted to the Nurkic screen-and-roll. McBride beat him to the spot, and Cities blocked his shot from behind.
Identical to that, it’s showtime: Cities pushed the ball to Hart, who discovered Mikal Bridges streaking for a dunk in transition. Just a few possessions later, Bridges would intercept a Jazz outlet move, save the ball again inbounds to Cities, then beat Utah up the court docket for a layup off his personal steal.
“We always talk about if you’re in the right shift position defensively, your teammate’s going to have your back. It’s never this guy is on an island by himself, it’s five guys guarding the basketball,” Mike Brown mentioned. “Our rotations had been on level, we obtained to shooters, we contested photographs, after which we obtained out and ran.
“We had five guys on a string defensively for a while there to start the game.”
‘NO MORE’
Just like the Showtime Lakers, these Knicks are constructed for transition, not by chance however by identification. Brown’s up-tempo system has unshackled a wing core — Hart, Bridges, McBride and OG Anunoby — that thrives when the sport quickens.
But these Lakers didn’t construct on a 40-4 result in win 160-16. Basketball is a sport of runs. The Knicks know this all-too properly.
They’ve recorded 11 40-point quarters — 5 greater than some other staff — together with 4 in first quarters and three in second quarters. But they’ve additionally blown double-digit results in Toronto, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and suffered a 32-point swing behind Jaylen Brown in Boston.
Friday broke the pattern. Utah chopped the result in 19 early within the third then by no means noticed the teenagers once more. The Knicks stretched the benefit to 41 by the tip of the interval.
“I think Mike said something at halftime like make sure we come out third quarter aggressive,” Hart mentioned. “Obviously, we’ve got to continue to learn how to play with big leads, but that’s a good problem to have.”
Brown isn’t overly involved in regards to the blown leads both.
“It’s hard in this league to go up 20 and then maintain 20 the rest of the game,” he mentioned. “They’re going to go on a run. And then you put your foot in the sand and say, ‘no more.’ Our guys did that.”
He ought to be involved in regards to the degree of competitors.
The 1987 Kings completed with 29 wins and the West’s 10-seed. These Jazz are trending equally — Friday marked their 14th loss in 22 video games. And that’s the place the warning signal flashes for New York.
The Knicks have confronted adversity precisely as soon as since their pre-Thanksgiving meltdown in Orlando. Their report is padded, accurately, with the bones of groups headed towards lottery evening. Their wins getting into Sunday got here in opposition to opponents with a mixed 143–201 report; the seven groups who beat them sit at 89–72.
The remaining vacation stretch options contenders. The coaching wheels come off. However Brown gained’t apologize for beating who’s in entrance of them.
“Teams are talented,” he mentioned. “[Utah’s] got a lot of young guys… but they’re a talented team.”
So are the Knicks — particularly after they flip protection right into a sprinting avalanche. And on Friday evening, they reminded the league they will bury groups earlier than the popcorn is heat. The query is whether or not or not they will do it in opposition to opponents price their weight within the standings. If they will, the Knicks might discover extra widespread floor with these Showtime Lakers than the report books they stumbled into on Friday.
“I think we just played well. That’s about it,” mentioned Hart. “I felt like we had been placing the ball within the basket greater than they had been. And, you realize… we had been simply having enjoyable.
“We were playing our style.”
