Knicks and Thunder Destined For Historic Matchup

There’s no lack of thunder around the New York Knicks’ interconference clash with Oklahoma City.

The Friday fracas against the Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV) was always circled on Knicks’ fans calendars, thanks to Isaiah Hartenstein inking a three-year, $87 million contract with the artists formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics over the offseason. But the two sides have played well enough to render Friday’s game as a potential NBA Finals preview in the eyes of some.

Though third in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks (24-10) have won nine in a row, the longest active tally in the East entering Friday night play. That’s second in the Association to only the Thunder (28-5), who have cushioned their lead atop the West with 13 consecutive victories, the latest coming on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The official social media accounts of the NBA took note of the matchup’s historic significance, noting that it’s only the fourth game in league history where both combatants enter with winning streak at at least nine games.

Headlines continued to stack up this week: on Thursday, Karl-Anthony Towns and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were named the players of the month for their respective conferences. The Knicks also moved a half-game behind the defending champion Boston Celtics for the East’s second seed.

In addition to the national implications, the Knicks are in a position to set some personal landmarks in Oklahoma City: Wednesday’s win over Utah also gave Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau 199 in his Knicks career. Only Red Holzman, Joe Lapchick, Pat Riley, and Jeff Van Gundy have passed the double-century mark in Manhattan.

Thibodeau is also seeking the first 10-game winning streak of his NBA head coaching career, which began in Chicago in 2010. The Knicks have had six winning streaks reach double-figures, the last of which came during the 2012-13 campaign.

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