Abdicating the Throne

LeBron may be the King, but the Knicks finally grabbed his crown.

Good morning! Crack open that six pack, baby…

Knicks 112, Lakers 100

31-18 (W6); 20-6 at home

Of course it would end like this.

LeBron James rising up, LeBron James throwing down, and Reggie Miller going full Susan Waldman like he’d just seen Roger Clemens in the owner’s box.

In the more than two decades he’s been in the league, LeBron has owned the Knicks as much as anyone. Coming into this game, he’d bested them 73 percent of the time between the regular season and playoffs. That was slightly better than Michael and just behind Russell.

Worst of all, just like those guys, he’s always derived a special joy from calling the World’s Most Famous Arena his home away from home.

So when Reggie had his King-gasm on national television as the Lakers went up by three early in the second half, it was hard to shake the feeling like we’d seen this movie before. With Jalen Brunson - the closest thing we’ve had to a Frazier to LeBron’s Ali - clearly having an off night, it was hard to see a path to victory, especially considering James was no longer the best player on his own team.

But being the NBA historian that he is, James would be the first to tell you that great players don’t win games in this sport. Not by themselves, they don’t. If that were true, James would have at least two handfuls worth of rings considering his own greatness and that of his best teammates over the years.

No, basketball has always been a sport where the collective will of the group can overcome even the most supremely talented individuals. The Lakers know that better than anyone. From West and Wilt against the 70’s Knicks to Kobe and Shaq against the 2004 Pistons to this current pairing of the league’s foremost savants, bigger stars doesn’t always equal better results.

It’s a lesson the Knicks have had to learn the hard way this season, but after seemingly being pushed to the brink of fracturing, they have come back better than ever, unified in a way we’ve rarely seen from this group.

While even Jalen Brunson isn’t on the level of Luka or LeBron, New York’s starters are as decorated as any in the league. We’ve been waiting for those five to suddenly click into place like the Voltron they were assembled to be. Maybe that happens, maybe it doesn’t, but suddenly their fortunes may no longer depend on that outcome.

The Knicks didn’t topple the King because of one or two or even five players on Sunday night. As a team, they showed that when they come to play, they might be even more dangerous than we ever imagined.

Consider, for example, that this was a four-point game with under 10 minutes to go against by far the best clutch time team in the NBA, and the Knicks got as many fourth quarter buckets from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns as we got moments of blessed silence from Miller on the broadcast. Neither scored a single point, and yet New York still pulled away late. In doing so, they barely missed holding their fourth consecutive opponent under triple digits, while all of their own points were scored - appropriately enough - by Wingstop.

That moniker has added a fourth legal name to its birth certificate, with Landry Shamet now every bit the core component as his more ballyhooed brethren. In scoring nine of his 23 points in the final frame, Shamet ended up embodying everything that made this win so symbolic of New York’s evolution as a team. If someone at the top of the pecking order doesn’t have it, someone lower down will pick up the slack.

Most importantly, whether you’re the first or 15th man on the roster and whether your shot is or isn’t dropping, defense is no longer optional. As far as in season turnarounds go, it’s hard to recall a bigger one than that.

Two weeks ago, the Knicks were barely above the bottom 10 in the league in defense. Today, they wake up barely outside the top 10. Over these six wins, they’re not just the best defense in basketball, but the gap between them and the next best team is larger than the gap between the second best defense and the 23rd best defense over that same time frame.

Not long ago, it wasn’t a matter of if, but when a semi-coherent opposing offense would find its way to a good shot against them. Now, a disciplined unit is holding their ground, communicating well, trusting each other, and making second, third and fourth efforts where first efforts were once absent.

Credit also to Mike Brown and the coaching staff for adjusting and simplifying a scheme that clearly wasn’t working as intended midway through the season.

In that sense, toppling LeBron at the Garden for the first time since Mario Hezonja briefly became Super Mario was eminently appropriate. For all of their top end talent, the Lakers have consistently failed to defend under JJ Redick. Brown, for whatever ups and downs he’s had, has his group playing their best basketball just in time for the home stretch.

The scary part? They still haven’t topped out.

Over this winning streak, Jalen Brunson is scoring six points below his yearlong average and his efficiency is five percentage points lower than usual. KAT’s efficiency is even lower, and he’s been New York’s fifth leading scorer during this streak. Mikal Bridges has made just 10 of his last 34 attempts from deep. Deuce McBride hasn’t played in nearly a week.

No one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth, but there’s a chance the best is yet to come.

In the meantime, gifting LeBron just his second loss at MSG in the last 12 years will have to suffice.

The Knicks are hitting their stride, they’re doing it with defense, and they’re doing it together.

We are all witnesses.

💫 Stars of the Game 💫

⭐️ Josh Hart: Tyler Kolek picked up where Mikal Bridges left off, leaving a positive taste in everyone’s mouth despite going 3-for-10 from the field, but unlike Mikal, that stat line doesn’t get him a spot on the podium. Apologies also go out to KAT and JB, who proved the adage of an old coach I used to know that you don’t have to shoot well to play well. Brunson in particular was exceptional both as a passer (13 assists, one turnover) and defender (he’s more than holding his own these days). Mitch did Mitch things, including a literal walk off offensive board to seal the deal.

But Hart gets this one over the lot, in part because he respectably handled stints guarding both LeBron and Luka, and also for an 8-for-11 night from the field, including making his first three from deep.

⭐️ ⭐️ Landry Shamet: I mean…

Who does Landry Shamet think he is? This season he has per-36 minute averages of 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 threes on a 43.5 percent hit rate. The only other player in the league who has at least Shamet’s 490 minutes of court time and hits those same per-36 marks of 3.7 & 43.5 is Sam Merrill. Unlike Merrill though, Shamet is New York’s secret weapon on defense as well. The ultimate pain in the ass, Landry makes you earn everything you get.

Last night tied his season high with six made threes. The Knicks are 11-2 in games when he makes at least two from downtown and 11-3 when he scores at least eight points.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ OG Anunoby: I’ll be back.

Unlike Arnold’s most famous line, we’re never 100 percent sure when we’ll see the real OG Anunoby if he’s in the midst of one of his cold streaks. One way or another though, the Terminator always returns.

He has, with a vengeance, and every game has become Judgment Day for opposing offenses. On offense, aside from the threes now falling, he’s taking ownership of the court in ways we haven’t really seen before:

We’ve said it many times in many ways: OG is the skeleton key that turns the Knicks from a very good team into an unstoppable one. This was his eighth game going over 20 in his last 12 and he’s first on the Knicks with a plus-98 over this win streak. Even Luka wasn’t safe from his wrath last night.

Hasta la vista, baby.

Final Thought

Congrats to Karl-Anthony Towns on being named to his second consecutive All-Star game and his sixth overall. At 30 years old, he’s on track for the Hall of Fame, any way you cut it.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”