An Ugly Win is Still a Win…

Luckily for the Knicks, style points don't count in the standing. 

New York had to scrap and claw and rely on the Spurs to make some bone-headed blunders, but the 'Bockers were able to back into a victory Wednesday night, beating the lowly Spurs 117-114. 

Let's start with the positive, and that's the play of the NY point guard. Jalen Brunson poured in a career-high 38 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists, and three 3-pointers in 40 minutes. Brunson, who had never made more than 14 field goals in a regular season game, converted 17 of his 27 attempts from the floor vs. the Spurs. 

We're not even halfway through the 2022-23 season, and JB has already scored 30+ points on six separate occasions. The only guards in Knicks franchise history with more 30-point games over an entire season are Allan Houston, Walt Frazier, and Richie Guerin. 

The Spurs beat the Knicks in San Antonio last week with Brunson sidelined, but JB was able to push the Knicks past the finish line on a night NY's defense and execution down the stretch almost came back to bite them. 

When asked about Brunson after the game, Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich (who isn't often overly complimentary) raved about the Knicks PG. "He's a heck of a player," said Pop. "He was always a nemesis in Dallas, and now he is in New York. He's got it all; he's got the skill, he's got the toughness, he's got the basketball IQ to go with it. He's just a hell of a competitor."

And again, it's important to point out that when the Knicks are fighting for playoff positioning in April, no one will ask them if their wins were pretty. In today's NBA, where parity reigns supreme, we see quality teams upset by subpar opponents with stunning regularity. Just last night, for instance, the Miami Heat (with all their key players healthy) somehow lost to a 16-21 Lakers team missing both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And just as shockingly, the Pistons beat the Warriors in Golden State on Wednesday.

As an aside, it's wild to think how dominant the 2017 Warriors were. During that first year with Kevin Durant, who joined the Dubs after Golden State won 73 games the prior season, GSW absolutely cruised a title, going a combined 16-1 in their four playoff series victories. They were so far ahead of the rest of the league that it seemed almost unfair. Contrast that with the state of the NBA today. You could argue that any of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference (Bucks, Celtics, Nets, Sixers and Cavs) have a legitimate chance to advance to the Finals. And I have no idea who should be considered the favorite to come out of the West. A strong case could be made for the Nuggets, Grizz, Pels, Clippers, Mavs, Suns, and Warriors. Would anyone be shocked if any of those 12 squads I just mentioned won the championship this season? When was the last time 12 different teams could be considered legit contenders in January??

Looking at the big picture, the Knicks woke up this morning as the sixth seed in the East. The Knicks' current three-game winning streak is tied for the longest in the conference. They have a better record than the Warriors, Suns and Heat. New York has the 8th-best Net Rating in the NBA, ahead of the Bucks, Nuggets, Clippers and Mavs.

That being said, New York is but a lengthy losing streak away from fighting to make the play-in. And that's why many Knicks fans went to bed somewhat dispirited despite the win last night. So let's discuss what went wrong on Wednesday.