The Knicks dropped to 0-2 after a 103-107 loss in Boston and are the 14th seed. The Magic are also 0-2, and Sunday at the Garden is a game a champion has to win.
October Ghosts
Look back at October 24 and the Knicks' history is loud. On this date in 1969 they won 116-92 at Detroit. In 1972 they beat Cleveland 123-90. Those were the seasons that ended with banners in 1970 and 1973. Fifty-three years of waiting ended last June. Nobody in that building wants a slow start to the defense of it.
The Bad Dates
The same date has been mean, too. New York lost 89-110 at Boston in 2017 and 87-110 at Miami in 2018. Both were blowouts. Friday's loss was nothing like that. It was a four-point game decided in the last seconds, and that makes it harder to swallow.
Same Old Line
Boston scored 33 in the third quarter and led by 12. The Knicks answered with a 9-0 run in the fourth and had it to 98-101 with 1:11 left. Then came the free throws. Brunson shot 3-6 from the line and went 0-for-2 with three seconds left. Anunoby grabbed the board, and his 28-footer at the horn missed. Miles McBride hit six threes and scored 20. Towns had 22 and 10 on 9-13 shooting. The top of the roster showed up. The finish did not.
Magic Trick
Orlando has no better start. The Magic are 0-2 with a two-game losing streak. Paolo Banchero, who averaged 22.2 points last season, is day-to-day with an ankle issue. So are Jonathan Isaac and Anthony Black. Desmond Bane, at 20.1 points, is the other scorer to watch. Orlando was 45-37 last year and a plus-0.6 team. New York was plus-6.4. That gap should show on the Garden floor.
Bottom Line
Two games are not a season, and this core knows how to climb. Mike Brown has two days of rest and a loss to fix at the line. The Knicks are a game behind sixth place and half a game from tenth. A win Sunday puts the champions back on the board. Another loss makes it a real conversation.
What is the Knicks' record this season?
The Knicks are 0-2 after losses to Philadelphia and a 103-107 defeat at Boston. They are the 14th seed in the East.
When do the Knicks play the Magic?
They host Orlando on October 25 at the Garden. The Magic are also 0-2, and Paolo Banchero is day-to-day.
