MoTown Mauling: Knicks Pulverize the Pistons

JB was the headliner last night, but it was far from a one-man show. The story of this victory was New York's well-balanced attack...

Final Score: Knicks 128 - Pistons 98
Record: 3-2

If you asked Leon Rose and the Knicks front office what they envisioned when they emptied their war chest of draft capital and assets in trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason, it would probably look something like New York's absolutely brilliant performance in the first half of Friday victory over the Pistons. 

Yes, Detroit is one of the NBA's weaker teams, but it didn't matter who was matched up against the Knicks last night. The way NY moved the ball offensively and dominated defensively, they likely would have beaten any team in the league. 

After some up-and-downs over the season's first four contests, we witnessed our first A+ outing from the Knicks.

Behind a red-hot Jalen Brunson, New York raced out to an early lead and never looked back. At the first quarter's end, Brunson scored 15 points on nine FG attempts. The entire Pistons team had 13 points on 21 FG attempts. JB had two assists and 0 turnovers. Detroit had two assists and seven turnovers.

The second quarter featured much of the same. New York created easy looks with precision passing while shutting down passing lanes on the other end of the floor. The Knicks carried a 69-46 lead into halftime. 

By the time the final buzzer mercifully sounded, the 'Bockers had secured their most impressive win of the young season. After a surprisingly inefficient start to the season, Brunson looked like the MVP-version of himself in Detroit, nailing his first five three-point attempts and pouring in a game-high 36 points in 31 minutes. 

While JB was the headliner last night in MoTown, it was far from a one-man show. The story of this victory was New York's well-balanced attack, as all five starters scored at least 13 points. Remarkably, it was the fourth straight game in which each of the Knicks' starters reached double figures. (The last time the franchise could make that claim was in February of 1989, when Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, Trent Tucker, Charles Oakley and Johnny Newman were spreading the wealth under Rick Pitino.)

New York's starters currently lead the NBA in Offensive Rating. In the 87 minutes Brunson, Bridges, OG, Hart and Towns have logged together this season, they have scored 221 points while shooting over 54% from the floor and over 53% from behind the arc. Excluding the disappointing season-opener in Boston, they have outscored their opponents by 43 points in 72 minutes. 

Look at this possession midway through the third quarter last night. Two paint touches set up open shots, but the Knicks continue moving the ball. Ultimately, KAT passes up a good shot (an open above-the-break 3PT) for a great shot (an open corner three-pointer from the player who has made the most corner three-pointers in the NBA this century). 

I wasn't alive to see the 1970s title teams pass the rock around, but this is what I imagine Clyde, Willis, Dollar Bill, and DeBusschere looked like when they were toying with defenders.