Knicks Return to Detroit a Different Team - and They Made Sure the Pistons Knew It
DETROIT - The last time the Knicks walked into Little Caesars Arena, they left with their tails tucked and a 31-point loss hanging over them. That was January 5 - the kind of night you circle on the calendar not to remember, but to make sure you don’t repeat.
Fast forward a month, and the Knicks came back to Detroit with a message: *we’re not that team anymore. *
Friday night’s matchup wasn’t just another game on the schedule. It was a litmus test - not just against the Pistons, the East’s top seed, but against the ghosts of a brutal January stretch that saw the Knicks drop nine of 11. This time, they entered the building riding an eight-game win streak and playing with the kind of confidence that comes from weathering a storm and coming out stronger.
Now, the rematch lost a little of its star power before tipoff. The Knicks were down two starters: Karl-Anthony Towns, who took a cut above the eye in Wednesday’s double-overtime win over Denver, and OG Anunoby, sidelined with a toe injury. Detroit, meanwhile, was without rising big man Jalen Duren, who sat with knee soreness.
But the headliners were still in place.
Jalen Brunson, who has become public enemy No. 1 in Detroit after sinking the Pistons with a buzzer-beater in last year’s playoffs, was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home crowd. Cade Cunningham, the Pistons’ All-Star guard and the engine behind their January blowout win over New York, was locked in and ready to go.
Brunson didn’t shy away from the stakes. Speaking at shootaround Friday morning, he made it clear: this one meant something.
“Obviously, we came in here and didn’t show up last time,” he said. “I think our urgency has to be a little bit better tonight.
I think most importantly we have to be ready for them. Obviously, they are the No. 1 seed in the East.
They are a great team. They’ve been playing great all year… They are going to be ready to go.”
It wasn’t just about avenging a loss. It was about showing who they are now - a team that’s battled through adversity, found its rhythm, and is starting to look like a real threat in the East.
Head coach Mike Brown, who’s been steering the ship through both the highs and lows, downplayed the idea that this game was some kind of postseason preview.
“It’s tough. I don’t look at regular-season games as a barometer because come playoffs, it’s a different basketball game,” Brown said pregame.
“I’ve been with different teams that went to the Finals or played deep in the playoffs that lost the season series to teams and still won in the playoffs. I look at it as it’s our next game.
It’s very important.”
Still, there was no mistaking the tone in Brown’s voice when he talked about the last time these two teams met.
“These guys handed our lunch to us last time,” he said. “And so we need to come in fighting. That’s what I’m looking for tonight.”
And fight they did - even without Towns and Anunoby. The Knicks didn’t just show up; they showed growth.
This wasn’t the same team that collapsed under the weight of expectations and a tough stretch of games in early January. This was a team that had recalibrated, refocused, and responded.
A lot of that credit goes to Brown. During that rough patch, he made the right adjustments - simplifying the defensive schemes, encouraging more vocal leadership on the floor, and tweaking the rotation to give guys like Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson more meaningful minutes.
He didn’t panic, even when it looked like things might spiral. He stayed steady, and the team followed his lead.
Now, the Knicks are not only back in the thick of the Eastern Conference race, they’re tied with Boston for second - and they’ll face the Celtics on Sunday in a matinee matchup that could have major playoff implications. There’s a chance they’ll be closer to full strength by then, with newly acquired guard Jose Alvarado potentially making his debut.
But Friday night wasn’t about who was missing. It was about who the Knicks have become.
And if this version of New York keeps trending upward, the rest of the East should take notice. This team isn’t just trying to make noise - they’re building something real.