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The way the Knicks were passing and shooting and defending and taking care of the ball and just doing everything couldn't last. We knew that. We were waiting for a letdown game, and in a way, this was at least half a letdown game. And yet...they beat a 4-1 Mavericks team by ten.
Initially, the Mavs weren't in on the Knicks' "okay, we're gonna stop hitting so many threes now" agreement, but they came around eventually, Meanwhile, the Knicks managed to generate over 100 points of offense despite cooling off from downtown (they still shot 36 percent, so I wouldn't say they were cold) and shooting miserably from the free throw line. They weathered the hot shooting of O.J. Mayo and company, tightened their interior defense as the game progressed, and stifled Dallas in the second half.
Carmelo Anthony led the way with a very bossy 31 points on 22 shots in 29 minutes while J.R. Smith chipped in a huuuuuge 22 points off the bench. His play really saved a reserve unit that struggled in the first half.
I'll do a much more detailed recap in this morning. For now, enjoy the fact that we and the Knicks will remain the only undefeated bros in the NBA until Tuesday. This is still pretty nuts.