There was one sequence that stood out from all the remaining. That’s saying one thing if you spend a lot of the fourth quarter nursing a 20-point lead, cruising towards a 125-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
This one was telling, although. This was a reminder that Madison Sq. Backyard, when it has a basketball crew with which it’s absolutely engaged, understands the uncommon pleasures of basketball higher than any fitness center, any area, any fieldhouse you’ll be able to identify.
The Knicks had shaken off the first-quarter blahs, turned what early on had been a 13-point deficit right into a 22-point lead, 95-73. You would sense the gang was rising stressed, as had the final two on the Backyard, matching blowouts of the Pelicans and the Magic. This one was of the identical blueprint.
They had been keen to begin chanting for Tyler Kolek and Matt Ryan.