Fearless

By going into Boston and dominating the 62-win Celtics, the Knicks showed us that they aren't scared of anyone.

Good morning.

Is it time for the playoffs yet?

(Shameless plus: get your KFS Playoff gear today by clicking here. I have to say, it’s pretty dope. #WhyNotNow?)

Game 80: Knicks 118, Celtics 109

(h/t BR for the photo)

In a New York minute…

Right out of the gate, you could tell the Knicks came to play. With an offense clicking on all cylinders, New York got out to a lead midway through the first, and it was one they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the game. Still, hot early shooting kept the Celtics close, and this was a two-point game halfway through the second. That’s when a 17-0 Knick tidal wave wiped away any Boston momentum, and another push early in the third turned this one into a laugher. The Celtics’ scrubs made the score respectable in the fourth, but this one was never in doubt.

One Thing: Dominance

Don’t let the final score fool you.

It was right around the 9:30 mark of the third quarter, when Jalen Brunson hit his second consecutive step back 3-pointer to extend New York’s lead to 26 points, that the enormity of this performance fully set in.

They’d eventually push the lead to 31 before Boston’s scrubs came in and played like they needed to earn their next paycheck, closing the last five minutes of the game on the most meaningless 20-2 run in NBA history. It should not for a second distract your attention from what went on over the first three quarters, when the Knicks took the Celtics normal rotation of players behind the woodshed and made them regret their decision to suit up in the first place.

That’s what really made Joe Mazzulla’s postgame comments so funny. He can tell himself that the Knicks were a “desperate” team (they weren’t; this is just how they approach every game) and that he doesn’t mind how his team looked after having everything wrapped up weeks ago (he should).

Still: if he doesn’t care how they played, then why would he send his full rotation into battle in the first place, let alone trot them out after halftime when they were down by 21 points?

He did it because he expected his guys to perform to something resembling their normal degree of dominance, which is the only word for Boston’s level of play this season - especially at home.

Before last night, they’d lost just three game in their own building, all to Western conference teams. Their 15.9 home net rating coming into this matchup seemed like a fake number. The 2015-16 Spurs, who tied the greatest home mark in NBA history at 40-1, had a 14.4 rating in their building. Jordan’s ‘96-97 Bulls, who went 39-2 in the United Center, have the highest such mark in recorded history¹ at 16.5. That number was in play for Boston with a strong end to their season.

It isn’t now. Not after New York came in and carved up Boston’s second-ranked defense like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Had the Knicks cared to do so, they could have become the first team to put up 130 on the Celtics in Boston this season. Heck, 13 teams hadn’t even cracked 100 points in TD Garden this season. New York reached that total after just three quarters.

This wasn’t the result of one team having an insanely hot shooting night from long range either, which can sometimes result in unexpectedly lopsided scores nowadays. No, Boston didn’t have a great night from downtown following a 5-for-10 showing in the first quarter (a quarter the Knicks still won despite making just 1-of-5 threes themselves, by the by), but it’s not like New York lit it up either, with 12 makes in 31 attempts through three.

This was far more impressive than just hot shooting. The whirling dervish that New York’s offense has evolved into over the course of this season was on full spin cycle. The Knicks increasingly found creases and cracks in the armor, to the point that the Celtics eventually threw their hands up in defeat.

Mostly though, it seemed like they were sick and tired of dealing with one man in particular (if indeed he is mortal, which is increasingly becoming a matter of dispute these days):

Aside from the close of the fourth that gave Thibs an excuse to inhabit his preferred state of being - misery - the only unfortunate part of this game was that Jalen Brunson missed a free throw at the end of the third quarter that would have given him his third consecutive 40-point game, a feat only ever accomplished by Bernard King and Carmelo Anthony in the history of this franchise.

Then again, had he cared even a little about the accomplishment, he’d probably have asked to stay in the game.

There was no need. What else can he prove, after all?

Right now, Brunson is playing like a guy who knows he can’t be stopped. The governor is off the golf cart, the cheat code has been entered, and the kids have found mom and dad’s secret stash of Halloween candy. It is a free for all, and nobody can do a blessed thing about it.

Even without that extra point, Jalen Brunson is spiking touchdowns on anyone who dares get in his way. He is averaging 35.1 points per game over his last 15 contests, and is a hair short of 50/40/85 shooting splits in that time. In a few days, he’ll become only the sixth guard 6'2" or shorter to average at least 28 point and six assists in a season, joining Tiny Archibald, Allen Iverson, Steph Curry, Dame Lillard and Trae Young. Of those, only Steph and Dame have done it more efficiently than Brunson. None have come close to committing as few turnovers as he has.

And on those rare occasions when Jalen misses or can’t directly or indirectly help generate a made shot from a teammate, the Knicks can still tap into their mean & nasty side to win games. They did that last night as well.

Through three quarters, New York’s offensive rebounding total (15) fell just five short of Boston’s defensive rebounding total (20), with the Knicks dominating the boards overall, 52-36. Defensively, New York let go of the rope after the outcome had long since been decided, but the relevant numbers from when Boston’s regulars played still stand…

…with the film to back it up:

It’s a good thing Boston came out scorching the nets, otherwise this would have gotten ugly even quicker.

Again, context will be placed on the win, as it should. Boston didn’t need the game, and it showed at times in their play.

It’s fine to acknowledge that, as long as we acknowledge a couple other things as well - one about Boston, and one about New York:

• The Celtics are so good that they can - and have, many, many times this season - blown the doors off teams without being fully locked in (and they were more locked in than they’d have you believe in the first half, only letting go of the rope after the Knicks had hit them in the mouth).

• The Knicks didn’t need to prove a damn thing, not with a season-long resume that is becoming impossible to overlook.

To be clear, last night’s win was no more a coronation of one team than it was a condemnation of the other.

Boston remains the favorites in the East, and the Knicks are undoubtedly the pursuers.

But could New York give them a real run? They’ll have to get there first (as will the Celtics, in fairness). As last year’s 58-win Bucks should remind us all, nothing is guaranteed in the gauntlet of the postseason. No team, with the possible exception of Denver, is guaranteed safe passage past round one. These Knicks haven’t accomplished anything yet.

But they sure look like a team ready to start checking off some boxes.

They will not be afraid or intimidated, outmuscled or out-hustled. They are emboldened by their collective preparation and the individual brilliance of their best player. They are, in a word, dangerous.

One journey is almost over.

They look more than ready for the next one to begin.