It can happen quickly. Around 9:30 on Friday night, the Knicks came off the floor at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City with a 12-point first-half lead against the Thunder. He had his best quarter of the season with a nice, natural 36-point outburst against the Thunder. One of the gold standard teams in the NBA.
They had won nine straight. Both ends of the floor looked great. They made the Thunder look completely normal. It was an eye-opener. At that moment, you couldn't help but wonder what this team's ceiling actually was.
72 hours later…
Well, let me put it this way. After 72 hours, the honeymoon officially ends. By 9:30 on Monday night, Madison Square Garden was rapidly evacuating, and those who remained didn't have much love in their hearts, and rightly so. The Knicks were putting the finishing touches on a quarter they hadn't seen in basketball for six consecutive quarters and were trying to absorb their first three-game losing streak of the season.
