The Knicks are 0-0 in the only record that matters, with three preseason losses that won't follow them past October 20. Everything else — the payroll, last year's ratings, the 53 wins — belongs to a team trying to prove it can do this twice.
Zero And Zero
New York is 0-0. Three preseason losses — 97-120 at Philadelphia, 109-111 to Washington, 104-122 to Minnesota — don't touch that number, and neither will Toronto tonight. The record that counts starts October 20 against the 76ers. Everything before it is film, not standings.
Fifty-Three Wins
Last season's 53-29 is the number this roster has to live up to, not chase blind. That record carried a title. It proves the pieces work together over 82 games. It proves nothing about three sloppy exhibitions with starters barely getting off the bench.
118.7
That was last season's offensive rating, third in the league, built on Brunson running a real rotation. Mike Brown has called this preseason offense deliberately generic, by design, to test depth pieces rather than show anything. The rating means last year's machine worked. It says nothing about whether this year's starters have found each other yet.
$227.7 Million
The payroll sits above the league's second apron, with the luxury tax line at $200.4 million. That number is why pausing Towns' extension carries weight — this front office has no cheap fix sitting in a trade exception if this group needs retooling in-season. Anunoby, Brunson and Bridges round out the next three biggest checks on the books.
What None Of It Proves
A 0-0 record, a $227.7 million bill and a 53-29 banner can all be true at once without telling you how this team looks in February. Preseason scores wash out. The payroll and last year's ratings are the floor this group is built on, not a guarantee it holds.
What is the Knicks' record this season?
New York is 0-0 in the regular season. The three preseason losses to Philadelphia, Washington and Minnesota don't count toward it.
How much is the Knicks paying in payroll this season?
The Knicks are carrying $227.7 million in payroll, above the league's second apron, with the luxury tax line set at $200.4 million.
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