Mile High

The Knicks sent a statement to the rest of the NBA.

Good morning (that is, if you slept…something I found hard to do after last night).

Game 45: Knicks 122, Nuggets 84*

*not a typo

In a New York minute…

From the opening tip, it was clear that one of these teams did not belong on the same court as the other.

Behind some of the most inspired defense we’ve seen all season and a buttoned up, methodical decimation of the defending champs on offense, New York raced out to a 22-7 lead and never looked back. The Knicks immediately took advantage of a Denver team on the last leg of a five-game road trip, out-energizing and out-executing the Nuggets at every turn. The two-time MVP got his points, but none came easy thanks to the play of New York’s third and fourth string centers, while Defensive Player of the Year candidate OG Anunoby helped force Jokic into seven turnovers to just three assists.

A 21-point halftime lead rose to 30 midway through the third, and the route was on.

Three Things

1. The OG Effect. Last night wasn’t an easy game to put into words. The overwhelming victory over a quality opponent was not something we’ve experience very often as fans over the last 20-plus years (or not from the winning end, at least). It was, truly, the sort of night that can leave you speechless.

So, as will surprise no one who has read this newsletter for some time, I’m going to go back to my most familiar well of analogies.