The New York Knicks entered the 2024-25 NBA regular season with a mountain of momentum. New York followed its winningest season in over a decade by making waves during the offseason, adding productive veteran wing Mikal Bridges and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
A season defined by ebbs and flows left some pondering if the Knicks' dream of an elite starting lineup would ever come to fruition, but it's slowly coming together in the playoffs.
New York entered Game 3 of its first-round series against the Detroit Pistons in need of a statement from its starters. New York had squandered an opportunity to go up 2-0 at home, scoring just 94 points in a generally underwhelming Game 2.
Thankfully, the starters chose to band together and put the team on their backs during an explosive 118-116 victory during Game 3.
Towns scored a team-high 31 points, while Jalen Brunson tallied 30 points and nine assists. OG Anunoby added 22 points and Bridges tallied 20 for good measure, also coming up with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Compounded by Josh Hart posting 11 rebounds and nine assists, the Knicks finally showed what they can do when their starters share the spotlight.
Knicks prove starting lineup can play at a truly elite level
Conversations about Thibodeau's utilization of his reserves will persist, but the starting lineup will need to play at an elite level for the Knicks to truly contend. The need has never been stronger than now, as they're two wins away from potentially facing the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the second round.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum may be the stars, but the Celtics are Exhibit A of the importance of having five high-level starters.
Brown and Tatum are flanked by All-Stars in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and a two-time All-Defense honoree in Derrick White. All five starters have proven capable of taking over a playoff game for extended periods of time, including during the NBA Finals.
For the Knicks to be able to compete with Boston, their own starting lineup will need to display that same capability—and Game 3 was a promising step in that direction.
The scoring distribution was balanced, with four players recording at least 20 points. The ball also moved more than in previous outings, with criticism of Brunson spending too much time in isolation seemingly resonating with the locker room.
Hart also took a significant step forward as a playmaker, further revealing the skill that he began to incorporate into the Knicks' system during the later stages of the regular season.
New York will now have a chance to utilize Game 4 as something of a dagger. If it succeeds in going 2-0 on Detroit's home court, then it would head back to Madison Square Garden with a chance to close the series out in Game 5.
If the starting lineup plays as well in Game 4 as it did in Game 3, the odds are in the Knicks' favor as far as a successful result is concerned.