On Oct. 31 in 2000 and again in 2008, Philadelphia beat New York by 29 points. Eighteen years later the defending champions are 2-4, 12th in the East and winless in three tries against the Sixers.
Same Ghost Returns
The calendar says Philly gets the Knicks on Halloween. On this date in 2000, the Sixers came to New York and won 101-72. In 2008, the Knicks went down the turnpike and lost 116-87. That's a 29-point beating both nights. Friday's 98-93 loss was closer and just as hard to take. The Sixers led by 14. The Knicks never led by more than one. With 11 seconds left, LeBron James tipped in a Tyrese Maxey miss to seal it. Three meetings this fall, three losses.
The Wilt Scar
The deepest Philadelphia wound is older. On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knicks in a 169-147 Warriors win. It came during a long collapse after Joe Lapchick resigned in 1956, with one playoff trip through 1966. Maxey's 27 on Friday was no Wilt night, but he did his damage from the same city.
Defending a Crown
The better lesson comes from 1970. On Oct. 31 of that year, fresh off the franchise's first title, the Knicks beat Detroit 107-89. Reed, Frazier and DeBusschere won again in 1973, but they never won two in a row. This core ended a 53-year drought by beating San Antonio in the Finals. Now it faces its first repeat test, and it's 2-4, one game behind sixth-place Atlanta.
Fix the Starters
Friday showed where the problem starts. The starters scored 74 and the bench scored 19. Karl-Anthony Towns did his job with 22 points and 12 rebounds, including 11 points in the final quarter. Jalen Brunson needed 22 shots to score 24. Josh Hart went 2-for-9 and finished minus-10. The best lineup this season, Towns, OG Anunoby, Hart, Mikal Bridges and Brunson, has a net rating of minus-7.6 over 68 minutes. That isn't a title defense. It's a group still trying to find itself.
Bottom Line
Tomorrow marks 80 years since the first Knicks game, a 68-66 win over the Toronto Huskies on Nov. 1, 1946, with Leo Gottlieb scoring 14. Brooklyn, the crosstown rival, comes in Monday, and Chicago follows Nov. 4, the date Jose Alvarado is expected back from his left ankle injury. History hands this team a Philly curse and a championship standard. Only one of them should decide the season.
Have the Knicks beaten the 76ers this season?
No. Philadelphia has won all three meetings: 120-97 on Oct. 5, 106-100 on Oct. 20 and 98-93 on Oct. 30.
When did the Knicks play their first game?
On Nov. 1, 1946, the Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies 68-66, and Leo Gottlieb scored 14 points.
