The New York Knicks wrapped up the preseason with a 122-120 win over the Toronto Raptors. Now it’s four days to rest and ready up for ring night, when they open the regular season at home against Philadelphia.
Who and what stood out from the victory? Here are three things that mattered.
1. Centers of attention
When these teams met two nights ago, James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks were New York’s primary centers. This time it was Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. Sometimes the smallest changes have enormous consequences. There’s nothing small about KAT or Drummond, including their impacts.
In the last dress rehearsal before the curtain goes up Tuesday, Towns looked like the all-purpose point center we saw last spring. He took the shots he wanted, dominated the boards and finished one assist shy of a triple-double. Drummond put up 14 points, eight rebounds and four dimes of his own in just 15 minutes.
Most importantly, for this matchup and for many this season, both KAT and Drummond looked entirely comfortable attacking Jakob Poeltl in space and/or off the dribble. Despite losing Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks still enjoy an embarrassment of riches versus most teams at the center spot.
As important as adding a third big feels, it’s worth remembering two bigs in hand are better than what most teams are trotting out. Especially teams the Knicks could see in the playoffs.
2. Bruce Brown's absence
Josh Hart was a late scratch with a sore right ankle. That was news. Bruce Brown didn’t play a single minute. Those facts may be unrelated, yet they're impossible to view in isolation.
Until/unless the Knicks trade someone, there’s one job opening available, with Wiseman looking like the leading contender. With Hart out, this was the perfect opportunity to plug Brown right into his spot with the starters and see how he fit in.
Even after choosing to start Mo Diawara instead, Hart’s absence created a window to evaluate Brown in a game closer to regular-season conditions than any the Knicks have played this preseason. Instead, he was a DNP.
Hart’s ankle pain doesn’t sound serious; if Thursday were the season opener, maybe he would have suited up. No reason to push it with nearly five full days off.
It would’ve been informative to see how Brown looked alongside the team’s best players, a distinction that instead went to Pacome Dadiet. But for Brown, a decision on his fate now looms large ahead of opening night.
3. It still smells like June at MSG
The game was undecided until the last shot. New York surely didn’t care about the final result, but just as surely they didn’t care to finish the preseason without a win. Players search for whatever edge they can get, whatever motivation they can find. Try telling the ones out there for the final seconds that crunch time is really garbage time.
So when Tyler Kolek put up a late 3-pointer that bounced on the rim, implausibly rested there for a whole beat before dropping in, it was a good moment for him, his teammates and the fans. It also felt a little bit magical, like the spirit of last spring hasn’t left the building.
When Steph Curry returned to Cleveland in 2016 for the first time after the 2015 Warriors won the title there, he said the locker room still smelled like champagne. The Knicks were busting open bottles of bubbly in San Antonio, not New York.
Is there any residue left in the building from the magic show they put on in the playoffs? We’ll find out soon enough.
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