New York Knicks fans got an encouraging first look at their team under new coach Mike Brown, whose philosophy of fast-paced basketball started to take shape during his side’s two pre-season victories over the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi this week.
The Knicks followed up their win over the Sixers on Thursday with a 112-104 success on Saturday, in front of a capacity crowd at Etihad Arena.
NBA legends like Patrick Ewing, Oscar Robertson, John Starks, Derrick Rose, and Mark Jackson were all in attendance, while other celebrities in the house included rapper Central Cee, UFC fighter Ciryl Gane, Hollywood star Adrien Brody and Irish actor Barry Keoghan.
Star point guard Jalen Brunson led the scoring for New York with 14 points from 17 minutes played, while his teammate OG Anunoby, who missed Game 1 with a hand strain, started on Saturday and tallied up 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal during the 17 minutes he was on the floor.
Josh Hart, who fell in Game 1 and sustained a no-contact injury, was ruled inactive for Saturday’s game due to back spasms.
Coach Brown, who was brought in this summer following the departure of Tom Thibodeau, has been stressing on the importance of “playing fast” from the moment he took over the Knicks.
“Our pace, starting with when the ball goes through the net on a make, has to be better every single possession,” Brown said after Game 1 on Thursday.
The Knicks were clearly listening as they dazzled fans in Abu Dhabi on Saturday with some high-speed action fit for the Yas Marina Formula One track across the street.
“I thought our pace was better tonight,” Brown said after Game 2.
“We didn't take care of the ball like we should have in transition though because our floor wasn't always spaced and sometimes we got too deep and tried to finish in a crowd. So, the pace was better, I think, overall. We just got to do better, try to take care of the ball.”
The Sixers were once again without star duo Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are still recovering from injuries, but the crowd got a glimpse of Embiid in action as he took some shots during a lengthy break for a challenged call in the third quarter.
The Sixers were a poor three out of 35 from the three-point line on Thursday and were looking to improve that stat in Game 2. They did, going 12 from 28 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
Tyrese Maxey top-scored for Philadelphia, sinking 16 points across the first two quarters, but the Sixers still went into half-time trailing the Knicks by 12.
As was the case with Game 1, the Knicks fielded their second stringers and younger crew in the second half. The Sixers attempted a comeback and halved their deficit by the end of the third quarter but the Knicks regrouped to complete the sweep in Abu Dhabi.
“Playing here was great,” said Brunson of the Knicks’ time in the UAE capital.
“The experience here was amazing. Seeing the fans and being able to do what we do on the court and then still have fun off the court. So, great bonding experience for us and I'm just happy to be able to come away with a couple wins.”
Brown believes Brunson is adjusting well to life under a new coach and a new system.
“You can see he's starting to get his feet underneath him a little bit, understand how to play at that frantic pace and still be effective and know where his shots are going to come from,” said Brown.
Brunson admits it will take some time to make the necessary adjustments but is encouraged by the trip to Abu Dhabi.
“We're still adjusting and that's the process of the entire season. You're not just going to be who you are in the training camp, you're going to continue to get better throughout the season. I think the longer that we're going through this and understanding what it is that is needed of us and asked of us, the better we'll be,” added Brunson.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse was pleased with what he saw from his team against the Knicks, highlighting the efforts of Maxey and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe on Saturday.
Nurse was concerned ahead of the trip to Abu Dhabi that the team’s packed schedule of activities would affect the work he wanted to get done on court but the Philadelphia boss said that was far from the case.
“We didn't really experience any of that here because everything was so convenient and the facilities were great,” said Nurse.
“We were able to get our two practices in a day and it was a great experience and the couple of things I did get to do, I really enjoyed and I know a lot of our people really had a great time. From a coaching and a basketball standpoint we really had a good week of work.”
This was the fourth edition of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games, which are part of a strategic partnership between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi.
Starting line-ups
Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr, Dominick Barlow, and Adem Bona.
New York Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby
