This shows that the New York basketball globe is rotating properly on its own axis again. The Nets fans at Barclays Center were hoping for a satisfactory fourth quarter from the nominal home team.
They kept trying out that slightly eerie “Brook-lyyyyn” chant. They tried to get the Nets to forget the “Love-22” the Clippers had given them at the end of Sunday's game in Los Angeles, even as the lead continued to shrink in the fourth quarter, from nine to six, then again to eight, and finally to three, back to six, down to one.
Except it never mattered the entire night. Throughout the game, the invaders among the 17,732 players overwhelmed and overwhelmed the Nets' guards. There were regular shouts of “M!V!” P!” Whenever Jalen Brunson did something remotely rousing, and with 30 points and four assists, there were plenty of opportunities. There were the random and forceful pleas of “LET'S GO KNICKS!”
And then came the hammer, the amps finally turned up to 11. There were 68 seconds left in a tie. Dennis Smith Jr. drove the lane. Josh Hart raised a hand and maybe checked it off. Precious Achiuwa kept hitting, but the ball bounced into the hands of Brooklyn's Cam Johnson. Johnson attempted to slide a 6-footer over the tip of OG Anunoby's finger.
Julius Randle greets Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Bruson in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' 108-103 victory over the Nets. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Anunoby (four steals, two blocks) declined. The ball appeared to skid out of bounds, but Hart caught it before it did. Hart found Randle in midfield. Randle fed Jalen Bruson and shot to the basket. Brunson made a bounce pass to Randle, who dunked it.
“Game of the year so far,” Brunson said.
“This is our team,” said Randle (30 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, 7-for-7 from the line). “Those are the plays that win games. Winning game. Guys who fight.”
That made it 103-101 Knicks on the way to 108-103 Knicks, and it also filled the Barclays Center with a cheer that soon spread to Atlantic Avenue as the Nets fans there actually sprinted for the exits.
“That,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, “is what’s unique about playing for the Knicks.”
Then the Knicks are playing well and are the better team, and they're on a nice little run now, 10-2 since trading for Anunoby with the World Champion Nuggets on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Of course, even if the Nets were the star-studded carnival version of themselves during the fleeting height of the KD/Kyrie/Harden experiment, there were still sizable Knicks fans at Barclays, and Nets fans would return the favor across Manhattan -Bridge. But this was different. This rivalry moved from Jersey to Brooklyn 11 years ago. It's never sounded like that before.
Jalen Brunson celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' win over the Nets. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“The crowd,” Randle said, “was lit.”
And the Nets have noticed, believe it. Bad enough that they were undeniably (but thankfully rested) reeling at 2-11 since everyone was off on the terrible night against the Bucks on Christmas week. The Nets wore their dark uniforms, which still feels strange in NBA arenas for home games.
Except it looked right on Tuesday night. And the Knicks also wore home jerseys in white.
“It felt like a damn road game when they went on their run,” said Nets star Mikal Bridges, who was brilliant with 36 points, including 7 of 13 from three, in the first three and a half quarters quarters but only scored three points. In the fourth quarter, he missed four of his five shots.
Julius Randle celebrates after sinking the Knicks' comeback victory over the Nets in the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The biggest satisfaction for the Knicks was the final result. The Nets didn't exactly play like a team returning from the West Coast, and the Knicks couldn't exactly hold them off either, as they were still a little too loose with the ball and were obviously missing Isaiah Hartenstein, who was out with an Achilles tendon injury. although Achiuwa and Jericho Sims combined for 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks (all by Sims) in his place.
“I don't think we played particularly well, but I liked how we responded in the fourth quarter [Knicks 32, Nets 18]said Thibodeau. “It says a lot about who we are. Winning when you’re not at your best is huge.”
Randle said: “[Me and Jalen] get a lot of attention. But tonight everyone fought. Everyone was in on it tonight.”
The Knicks will make some progress in their class on Thursday. They believe that winning against bad teams and winning when they look like a bad game for most of the game helps solidify winning habits. We'll see it soon.