00:00The Knicks were sick. They needed medicine, and they got it in the form of the Brooklyn Nets,
00:05and it was a Brooklyn beatdown as the Knicks won for the 13th straight time against the Nets,
00:10120-66 here at Madison Square Garden. Yes, that score is correct, 120-66.
00:16It is the most lopsided victory in Knicks history. You definitely heard that right,
00:21and it sure was a beatdown. It was exactly what the Knicks needed.
00:24I talked about them being sick. Why? They lost nine of their last 11 games coming into this one.
00:30And how did they turn things around when I look at my observations from this game?
00:33My number one observation is the fact the Knicks did this on the defensive end.
00:37They came out early in the fourth quarter. They were engaged.
00:41They had their mindset to playing really good defense. The communication was strong.
00:45Guys were swarming to the ball. This is a Knicks team that held the Nets to 29% shooting from the field,
00:5028% from downtown, and they also forced 14 turnovers.
00:55So a very impressive night for the Knicks defensively. You like what you saw.
01:00Defense had been a major problem. It was the primary problem for me when you look at the stretch where the Knicks went 2-9.
01:05They showed the defensive effort that you'd like to see tonight.
01:08Now, yes, we don't want to get too crazy. You've got to pump the brakes because it is the Nets.
01:13They are not a good team. They are at the bottom of the NBA.
01:16They are one of the worst teams in the NBA.
01:18But, hey, this is what you want to see good teams do, especially when they're elite,
01:22especially when they're trying to contend for a championship.
01:23You want to bury teams. And, boy, did the Knicks bury the Nets tonight with this lopsided win.
01:28You can look at that number of 120 they put up, but I really think the number you've got to focus on
01:32when you think about the Knicks is the 66 that they held the Nets to.
01:36That is an NBA season low in terms of points scored in a game for a team.
01:41The Knicks holding Brooklyn to 66 points tonight.
01:44And Mike Brown, he was very impressed with the defensive effort by his team.
01:48You know, I tell you, defensively, one of the things we've been talking about with our guys is to communicate.
01:54And their communication was off the charts.
01:56Every time down the floor something was happening defensively, I heard it from my seat.
02:02You know, just the guys talking and trying to help one another on that end of floor.
02:06Mitch was our defensive player of the game.
02:08Now, on the other side of the ball, we talked about that 120 that the Knicks put up.
02:12Look, they did their thing. Six Knicks players in double figures in this contest led by Jalen Brunson.
02:17He had a strong game with 20 points.
02:19Look, the starters, they didn't even play in the fourth quarter.
02:21They were gone before then off the court.
02:24Four of the five starters scored in double figures in this one.
02:27As I mentioned, six of the Knicks scored in double figures in this one.
02:30They had also had some strong performances off the bench.
02:33You like what you saw from the Knicks offensively.
02:35You saw the spacing. You saw the movement.
02:38You saw them dishing the ball, right?
02:40And it was really good in the way that they were able to do it.
02:4228 assists on the night.
02:44That's a great number that you like to see.
02:45So, the Knicks were back to passing the ball, sharing the ball, moving with the ball.
02:49Now, all season long, we've heard Mike Brown talk about sprays.
02:52That's guys getting into the paint and then kicking it out to the open shooters.
02:55And the Knicks absolutely did that.
02:57That's the kind of offense Mike Brown wants to see.
02:59I will pump the brakes again and say I understand in the observation that this is the Nets.
03:04But it's a good start to the Knicks getting back to good habits offensively.
03:08The first thing is the spacing has to be right in order for it to work.
03:12And our spacing was really good tonight.
03:15The next thing is guys have to make quick decisions.
03:20So, if that ball gets swung, D.K. can't sit there and hold it, hold it, hold it.
03:25Because if he does, then the defense settles and now it's hard to get by the next guy.
03:31So, those are the two biggest things in terms of how we can get sprays.
03:37The spacing has to be right and then our decisions have to be quick.
03:42You can factor in pace.
03:43You can factor in ball reversals as well.
03:46But those first two are big ones for us to get to the paint.
03:50And then the last one is to play off two feet.
03:53Because you get to the paint and if you jump and you play off one foot, now defense is too good.
04:00Now if a guy starts to go this way, you're in trouble and that's where turnovers happen.
04:03My final observation from this game has to do with the Knicks bench.
04:08And look, they had some good performances off the bench.
04:10But there was one standout performance I'd like to highlight.
04:13Deuce McBride, he had 14 points, really strong in this game.
04:16But for me, the real standout was Landry Shammett.
04:1818 points off the bench, all coming on three-pointers.
04:21Now he was 6 of 7 from the field.
04:23But he was perfect from downtown.
04:256 for 6.
04:26And it's good to see him.
04:27We talked about the sprays, getting it out to the shooters.
04:30And Landry Shammett was one of the guys on the team that absolutely benefited from that.
04:35You like what you saw from him.
04:36He's just got back into the fall playing minutes for this team again since returning from his shoulder injury.
04:41And this was his best shooting night since his return as he's trying to get back into form.
04:46Landry Shammett gives good minutes.
04:47He plays hard on defense.
04:49He gets up in guys.
04:50But also when he's able to help space the floor, that's something that can bode well for the Knicks down the stretch.
04:55So getting those minutes for him off the bench where he's shooting with confidence, that is huge, huge for the Knickerbockers.
05:02And Landry Shammett is emerging as a bench piece that Mike Brown trusts.
05:06We obviously missed him.
05:08We missed his pace, not just in the full court when he's running to get to one of the spots in transition, but also in the half court.
05:16I mean, you could see when he goes from point A to point B, it's with some force.
05:20And then when he catches because of that movement that he does with force and he makes quick decisions, he gets the paint.
05:29And the defense has to react because he's a better athlete than most people think.
05:32And, you know, he played point guard in college, so he does a great job of finding his teammates.
05:36He was a big answer or one of the big answers to us making great passes or great sprays with our ball movement tonight.
05:45One other note in this game, you saw Mike Brown stick with his nine-man rotation.
05:50Guy who appears to have fallen out of that rotation is Jordan Clarkson.
05:54He did not get into the game until the fourth quarter with most of the bench reserves, deep in the bench reserves.
06:00So Jordan Clarkson appears to be out of the rotation.
06:02That is something to keep an eye on.
06:04Next up for the Knicks, they will travel down I-95.
06:07They'll go to Philadelphia on Saturday, and they'll be playing a team that's already beat them twice this season.
06:12So an interesting test for the Knicks, Mike Brown was asked about how do they make sure they can build off of,
06:18I don't want to call it momentum, but build off of this win, this beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets.
06:22And he said, look, he knows that adversity is going to come again for this team, doesn't know when it's going to happen.
06:27But now they have to continue to really focus on the good things they did tonight.
06:31One, it was a defensive intensity.
06:33They started with that, and they kept that throughout the entire game.
06:35They played with fluidity on offense.
06:37That's something you'd like to see.
06:39But if they're going to be able to beat Philadelphia for the first time this season, it's going to start like it did tonight.
06:44It's going to start on defense with the effort that we saw against the Nets.
06:49Once again, a beatdown here at the Garden, 120-66.
06:54Not saying the Knicks have righted the ship, but they got exactly what they needed, a feel-good win, a really feel-good win.
07:01And yes, this is only their third win in their last 12 games.
07:06But hopefully, Knicks fans, hopefully this could be the start of them turning it around.
07:10We will see.
07:11That's going to do it from here at Madison Square Garden.
07:13We'll catch you next time on New York Got Game.
07:15New York City.
07:17In the Mecca of basketball, we only care about one team.
07:19And in New York Got Game, we're locked in on everything orange and blue.
07:23I'm Dexter Henry, host of New York Got Game, where we break down the biggest Knicks moments, talk to the voices that matter, from beat writers, content creators, to super fans like yourself, and of course, former and current players.
07:35We're putting a spotlight on the Knickerbockers you need to know.
07:39And we're here live to watch and react to the biggest games of the season.
07:43From the legends who built the culture to the stars chasing the next banner, this is the show for real Knicks fans.
07:50Knicks basketball is different, and New York Got Game shows you why.
07:53We're coming to you twice a week, locked in on the greatest in this city.
07:58Be sure to tune in, tap in, and run with us.
08:00Subscribe and find us wherever you get your podcasts.
Comments