Knicks' comeback wins are nerve-wracking character-builders
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart defends against Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson on Sunday. Credit: AP
MIAMI
How many times must Knicks fans sit through this?
How many close comeback wins can they endure before wearing out the edge of the seat of their favorite Barcalounger?
Aren’t Knicks fans due a 30-point win, one in which the team leads wire-to-wire and they don’t have to feel guilty about missing a few minutes in the third quarter to walk the dog or do the dishes?
The Knicks came back from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Heat here on Sunday, and their 116-112 overtime victory marked the 10th time this season that they have trailed by at least 10 points and come back to win, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In the Eastern Conference, only Milwaukee has done it more with 11 comeback wins. Four other teams — Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Cleveland — also have done it 10 times.
“It’s good to have those games,” said Josh Hart, who recovered from a nasty fall to collect a big bucket and steal in the fourth quarter. “It’s even better to win them. [It’s a] step in the right direction.”
Of course, it wasn’t stressful enough to just come back from a huge deficit to win. Sunday’s victory was doubly stressful because it went to overtime.
It marked the fifth time this season and the third time in less than three weeks that the Knicks have won in overtime. They are 5-0 in OT, and three of their last five wins have required an extra period. They also scored overtime wins over Atlanta on Feb. 12 and Chicago on Feb. 20.
The good news here is that the Knicks believe having to win close games will give them experience and confidence that will pay off in the playoffs.
They’re still learning how to play together, too. The Knicks began the season with two new starters, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mitchell Robinson, out all season after undergoing ankle surgery, is just now being added to the mix.
No one embraces pulling out a big win in crunch time more than Jalen Brunson. Two days after willing the Knicks to a road win over Memphis, Brunson scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime against the Heat. Brunson believes that winning games the way they did in Miami, with multiple players making key contributions, “says a lot” about the character of the team.
“It’s something we have to continue to build on,” he said. “We just have to find a way to keep chipping away. [We] got within striking distance and kept our composure and found a way to win. It’s very important. We have to be able to win tough games like this. It helps the chemistry and the character and shows we have the ability to fight back.”
Among the most composed down the stretch was OG Anunoby, who has come up with huge plays in the Knicks’ last two wins. Anunoby, whose numbers have steadily improved since he missed six games with a sprained foot, hit the winning three-pointer in a 114-113 victory over Memphis and followed it up with what may have been his best all-around game of the season.
Anunoby got it done on both ends of the floor against the Heat, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. In the second half, he attacked closeouts on the perimeter and guarded Bam Adebayo in the post.
“It’s just how resilient and tough we are,” Anunoby said when asked what the comeback win says about the team’s chemistry. “Even when we are down, we can always come back. It’s just staying with it, never getting too down or too high or whatever. Just playing until the game is over.”
“We can always come back.” That, in essence, is the key phrase for Knicks fans. The one that keeps them glued to the television, the one that keeps them from walking the dog in the third quarter.
The Knicks have dragged themselves back into game after game this season.
Stressful, yes. But also entertaining.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.