The new-look Knicks are implementing stars and taking the next step — unlike the Sixers

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson had just dropped a fourth-quarter pass to Karl-Anthony Towns, drawing the foul to earn another trip to the free-throw stripe.

Yet the cheers felt a little too boisterous and a little too abrupt, given the time and score — until Josh Hart realized they were primarily for the New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton’s go-ahead home run in the World Series Game 1 unfolding across the country.

“I was tapped in a little bit,” Hart said.

It was understandable that spectators were temporarily pulled away from the team playing inside Madison Square Garden. By the time Stanton’s blast had sailed into the stands of Dodger Stadium, the revamped New York Knicks had already erased the stink of their season-opening face plant against the defending champion Boston Celtics by thrashing the Indiana Pacers, 123-98. And for a Knicks team that, like the rival 76ers, faces the task of implementing new stars, Friday’s about-face rout in their home opener was an encouraging step for coach Tom Thibodeau.

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“I loved the way our guys responded to the game,” he said. “I thought the fight was a lot greater. The togetherness. And I thought helping each other out was a lot better, as the communication improves. It’s still a work in progress. We have to get a feel.

“But the way we played together, guys did a lot of different things.”

The current difference between the Sixers and Knicks is that New York has had perennial All-Star big man Towns and two-way force Mikal Bridges on the floor in both regular-season games, while the Sixers again played without 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid (knee injury management) and flashy free-agent pickup Paul George (knee bone bruise) in Friday’s troubling loss at the Toronto Raptors.

Both teams made significant offseason moves in an effort to challenge the Celtics, who went 64-18 during the 2023-24 regular season and rolled through the playoffs to clinch their 18th title.

After earning the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed — and establishing an relentless playing style anchored by Brunson, the MVP candidate and former Villanova star — the Knicks traded five first-round draft picks for Bridges, another Nova Knick who first flashed 3-and-D capabilities with the Phoenix Suns and then more offensive prowess following a trade to the cross-town Brooklyn Nets. Then the Friday before training camps opened, New York pulled off an even more stunning blockbuster, acquiring Towns for a package centered on All-Star Julius Randle and crucial role player (and fellow Nova Knick) Donte DiVincenzo.

But their opener at Boston, which also lifted the curtain on the 2024-25 NBA regular season, swiftly torpedoed into a disastrous 132-109 defeat. The Celtics went 29-of-61 from three-point range, and fell one make shy of the NBA record.

Following Thursday’s practice, a matter-of-fact Brunson told reporters that, “as a team, we did not show up, and that starts with me.” The point guard also acknowledged the sense of urgency to quickly find chemistry with Towns.

“We have no other choice, if we want to be a good team,” Brunson said. “We have the personality to do it. Like all things, it’s going to take time. But, for the most part, we genuinely care about just wanting to get better, wanting to win, and wanting to help the team.

“The thought is there. We’ve just got to put the execution and effort there.”

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Brunson and Thibodeau recognized their team needed to be ready for the high tempo of the Pacers, who made a surprise Eastern Conference finals run last spring after eliminating the shorthanded Knicks in the second round. This season, Indiana is expected to be in the same East tier as the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, who all boast intriguing talent and will not be load-managing older or oft-injured stars.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle anticipated Friday’s environment inside The Garden to inching as close to a playoff Game 7 as possible on the regular season’s third night. As fans milled around the main concourse less than an hour before tipoff, one screamed, “It’s payback time!”

The result: A balanced shellacking by the Knicks, with four players scoring at least 20 points.

Some of it looked like last season, such as Brunson erupting after weaving through defenders for a falling finish through contact, and Hart grabbing 10 rebounds. But it also showcased those newcomers.

The crowd egged on Towns (21 points, 15 rebounds) as he backed down Myles Turner for an early inside conversion, before banging home a three-pointer and shimmying just before halftime. Bridges, whose tweaked shot form drew intense scrutiny following a rough preseason, found offensive rhythm with a blend of midrange jumpers and three-pointers on an efficient 8-for-12 night that also included five assists. The rangy Bridges also helped hold Pacers All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton scoreless on 0-of-8 from the floor and 0-for-7 from three-point range.

“We [were] playing hard,” Bridges said. “I think we [were] flying around more, and we [were] pressing into the ball more. We just came out not aggressive the first game, so Coach got on us, and that’s what we brought the next game.”

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By those final minutes, the subject of the home crowd’s cheers had shifted to the entrance of Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek. As the last seconds ticked off, Towns shook the hands of folks sitting courtside.

Perhaps the night’s only source of frustration? As players filed out of the Knicks’ locker room, the Dodgers scored the game-tying run of an eventual 6-3 victory.

“Ah, hell,” Hart said while glancing at the television during his postgame media scrum.

But for Thibodeau, it was already on to the next. Because, like their opening-night face plant, a Game 2 thrashing did not deserve an overreaction.

“Obviously, we were disappointed in that [Boston] game,” the coach said. “But we were trying to figure some things out, too. And we still don’t have it all figured out.

“We know we’ve got to get back in the gym, and there’s a lot more work to do. And then we’re going to be tested again.”