Under Karl-Anthony Towns, there was a widespread perception that Minnesota's roster was built specifically to beat one team.
“They're built to beat us,” Nikola Jokic said in May, just before the Nuggets lost to the Timberwolves.
Now, Towns has changed conferences and the Larry O'Brien trophy has also moved from Denver to Boston.
With this championship in the background, the Knicks' season opener will be held in Boston on Tuesday night, and Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others will be presented with diamond-encrusted title rings.
“Good for them,” Mikal Bridges said. “But I'm ready to play. Nothing else.”
Conventional wisdom says the Celtics will take the road to the next NBA Finals, but the Knicks are a good match on paper as they have top-tier wing defenders to counter Tatum, Brown and Derrick White. It looks like.
As Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks acquired Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby, “We're all chasing Boston.”
But Towns said focusing on one team is too narrow-minded.
“For us in Minnesota, we were just preparing to win a championship. So for us, we can't just worry about one team,” Towns said. “We have to worry about the entire Eastern Conference. To accomplish what we want to do and what this city wants us to do, we have to not only beat Boston, but we have to worry about all of the Eastern Conference teams. You have to be the team that finds a way to beat the team. So limiting yourself and packing yourself into a philosophy of only beating one team won't get the job done.”
Towns has a point.
The Timberwolves, who emphasized size with one of the longest lineups in the NBA, eliminated the Nuggets in the second round last season, but were bounced by the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.
They achieved their goal, but not their goal.
The Knicks, who haven't reached the conference finals since the Clinton administration, are in no position to overlook the Sixers, Cavaliers, Pacers, Bucks, Heat and Magic.
But it's hard to recite New York's starting lineup without believing that Leon Rose had the Celtics in mind.
The Knicks are a good fit. Towns' 3-point shooting allows him to keep Kristaps Porzingis (currently injured) away from the basket. Anunoby, Bridges, and Josh Hart can turn on Tatum or Brown without giving up too much. Brunson has had plenty of success against Jrue Holiday and feels he has a decent shot at going head-to-head with the 34-year-old Holiday in particular.
The Knicks were dominated by the Celtics last season (1-4 with three losses by double digits) and have an opportunity to make a statement on Opening Day with a revamped roster.
“I think it's a great challenge to play against a team like that,” Bridges said. “But I feel like they're motivated. Listening to coaches and players coming off championships, I feel like they're still very motivated. And in a way. You might feel a little bit disrespected. So I know they're ready. And that's a big challenge for us.”
Bridges clarified that his “downplayed” comments were more about the Celtics battling the perception that championship teams tend to relax right after they finally win.
But Boston's top players have reason to feel disrespected.
Brown was not selected for the U.S. Olympic team, which he blamed on a falling out with Nike.
Tatum sat on the bench for most of the Olympics and returned with a damaged reputation despite winning the gold medal.
Although they are champions, they are not fully tested.
“I'm very motivated, for obvious reasons,” Brown said recently. “And I’m ready to tackle it.”
So are the Knicks. After all, their roster is built for matchups like Tuesday.
“Just to get the job done,” Towns said. “There's nothing else to think about, so I just think about how we can get points and keep scoring on the left side. [of our record]”
