The Knicks Are In A Good Place - Thanks to Jalen Brunson

"Technically, chemistry is the study of matter, but I prefer to see it as the study of change." - Walter White

Look, we all know that talent reigns supreme in the NBA. The teams with the best basketball players typically win the most basketball games. 

Still, let's not pretend that chemistry, leadership, and relationships don't play an important role as groups of men run together in the marathon that is an 82-game season.

Just across the river in Brooklyn, we saw firsthand how selfishness and narcissism eradicated arguably the greatest collection of assembled offensive talent the league has seen. And last night in Atlanta, the Knicks beat a Hawks team stacked with shooters and playmakers, but clearly not on the same page. Atlanta has sunk below .500 and their head coach may be fired this weekend. 'We definitely need a break," Trae Young told reporters after Wednesday's loss. 

Knicks fans are all too familiar with those foreboding vibes. One year ago at this time, as the team headed into the 2022 All-Star Break, New York was in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. When the skid finally ended in early March, New York found themselves 13 games under .500 at 25-38. Julius Randle's body language and shooting percentages were awful. He looked miserable and was quarreling with teammates and assistant coaches and fans. 30-year-old shooting guard Alec Burks was staring at point guard and playing nearly 40 minutes a night. The Knicks' perpetually frustrated fanbase was cannibalizing each other. 

During his days in Dallas, Jalen Brunson developed a catchphrase of sorts. When the Mavs were rolling, Brunson would proclaim that the "vibes were immaculate." He'd tweet out the tagline when Dallas was in the middle of a lengthy winning streak. He'd post the quote on his Instagram page after an important victory. The Mavericks' official team account used the slogan from time to time. Stores in Texas began selling "The Vibes Are Immaculate" t-shirts.

As noted above, the juju in New York was far from ideal last year, or for the better part of the previous two decades, for that matter.

That's all changed this season, and that's primarily due to the presence of one man.

After the Knicks whipped the Hawks in Atlanta last night, MSG Network's Rebecca Haarlow interviewed Jalen Brunson on the court. During the interview, in which Brunson said all the right things about how he was happy his team got the win but feels they have a lot to improve upon, a giddy RJ Barret came over to give his point guard a big hug. Brunson playfully pushed him away and warned him not to say anything outlandish on air. A few seconds later, Haarlow asked Brunson to describe "where this team is right now." Brunson began to reply, stating, "I feel like we're in a good place," but before he finished his answer, a shirtless, smiling Julius Randle ran toward Brunson and gave him a huge bear hug while shouting, "YEAH JB!! YEAAH!!!" 

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Safe to say the Knicks feel like they are “in a good place”

When Brunson escaped from Randle's loving embrace, Haarlow declared, "chemistry would suggest you guys are in a great place." 

In the pilot episode of AMC's epic Breaking Bad (please binge this show if you have somehow not watched it yet), science teacher Walter White, speaking to his high school students, tells the class:

"Technically, chemistry is the study of matter, but I prefer to see it as the study of change."

"Molecules change their bonds," White explains. “Elements combine and change into compounds. But that's all of life, right? It's the constant; it's the cycle. It's solution, dissolution. Just over and over and over."

"It is growth, then decay, then transformation. It is fascinating, really," he concludes. 

Yes, Mr. White, chemistry is most certainly fascinating, yo. 

In pro sports, it's often difficult to define. But sometimes you know it when you see it. And it sure seems the 2022-23 Knicks have found the right mix of unselfishness, talent, skill and leadership. Bonds have been formed. The recent introduction of a tough, defensive-minded wing into the mixing bowl has only improved the formula.  

One might say that the "vibes are immaculate" at the moment. 

Dating back to the first week of December, the Knicks are 23-14. Only four teams in the NBA have more victories during the stretch (the Bucks, Celtics, Sixers and Nuggets). New York ranks in the top five in Offensive Efficiency and just outside the top ten on the defensive end. 

Over the past 21 games the Knicks have played dating back to the first week of January, Jalen Brunson is averaging 30.0 points, 5.6 assists (vs. 2.0 turnovers), 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 treys, while shooting 51.8% from the floor, 46% from downtown and 82.6% from the free-throw line. He's the first Knicks to average 30+ points while shooting above 50% from the floor over a 20-game span since prime Patrick Ewing in 1990. Brunson has scored 25+ points in none of his past ten games. 

The fact that Brunson isn't an All-Star is literally laughable at this point. 

On the season, the Knicks have the eighth most wins in the league and rank eighth in Net Rating. This is the first time New York will enter the All-Star break more than five games above .500 since 2012-13. The Knicks' 17-12 (.586) record on the road at the break is the best since 2000-01.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks, Brunson's former club (whom he helped lead to the Western Conference Finals last year), are just two games over .500 and rank 16th in NetRtg. 

If one were to study what goes into concocting a winning formula, a pinch of Brunson might be a key ingredient in building chemistry and achieving team success. 

The Knicks are roughly three-quarters of the way through the 2022-23 campaign. There are still 22 games remaining. But this season has become "Must-See TV" for Knicks fans starved for success and excitement. Many fans, who have sat through season after season of horror and drama, anxiously await each next Knicks game as they once did new episodes of Breaking Bad.  

How will this season of Knicks basketball play out? Will they handle success better than our old pal Walter White? Stay tuned

About Last Night:

🏀 Ho hum, another excellent game from Julius Randle, who finished with 25 points (9-of-19 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, and three 3-pointers in Wednesday's win. One tertiary benefit of the Knicks winning by 18 and 21 points in back-to-back games is that Randle has been able to rest the final few minutes of each contest. He's averaging a reasonable 35.2 minutes over NY's past six contests. 

🏀 Once again, the bench contributed in a big way. The incredibly consistent Immanuel Quickley had 14/4/2. Isaiah Hartenstein continues to feast on the boards, ripping down 11 rebounds in 26 minutes while also swatting three shots. Josh Hart knocked down three more three-pointers en route to a 13/5/2 stat line. Even Obi Toppin got in the mix, nailing a trio of treys and adding a dunk in his 13 minutes of action. Over the Knciks' past three games - since the arrival of Hart - New York's bench ranks first in the NBA in OffEff and Net Rating (+12.7).

🏀 One negative is RJ Barrett's prolonged shooting slump continued unabated in the ATL. Barrett was 6-of-16 from the floor vs. the Hawks and is shooting below 35% from the field, 25% from downtown and below 68% from the charity stripe over NY's last seven games. New York needs him to step up over the final two months, which is something we'll discuss next week. 

🏀 Speaking of next week, the Knicks don't play again until Friday, so I'll do a mailbag column on Monday or Tuesday. Please shoot me some questions via email (tsbeer7@gmail.com), Twitter (@TommyBeer) or in the comment section below, and I'll do my best to answer them. 

🏀 I meant to mention it earlier, but it's important to note that Brunson's dominance during this recent stretch has come as teams are game-planning to stop him. And in addition to facing increased double teams, Brunson has been abusing the best defender each opponent can throw at him. Wednesday in Atlanta, JB gave Dejounte Murray fits. (In that contest, Brunson scored 28 points on 19 FG attempts, while Murray and Trae Young scored a combined 25 points on 26 attempts). Monday vs. Brooklyn, Mikal Bridges (arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA) was assigned to JB, and Brunson finished with 40 points. Last week vs. the Sixers, De'Anthony Melton tried his hand at containing Brunson but had no luck. Not sure what more Brunson can do to earn an All-Star berth…

🏀 The Knicks announced this morning that Randle would replace Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (who suffered an ankle injury earlier this week) in the NBA 3-Point contest at All-Star weekend. Randle will compete against Jayson Tatum, Kevin Huerter, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Damian Lillard and Lauri Markkanen on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. Randle is the first Knick to compete in the shootout since Steve Novak.