The defending champion Knicks finally secure their first victory

The New York Knicks, the reigning NBA champions, have finally won a game. The news is making waves, as it's their first victory of the season after starting 0-3.

Is this the end of the hangover of the title, or of an overly long summer?

On Tuesday night, against the still undefeated Detroit Pistons, New York won 111-97.

A fourth loss would have tied the worst start to a championship game, that of the 1969-70 Celtics. The game was decided in the third quarter, which they won 37-13, opening up a 25-point lead. Jalen Brunson, 1-for-9 from the field in the first half, finished with 23 points and seven assists. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 27 points and 20 rebounds.

Towns put words to the relief: "We've been waiting for this for a long time," he said after the game, adding that the fans deserved better than what the team had offered them in the first three outings.

Brunson, the 2026 Finals MVP, answered the hangover question directly: "It's a new year, a new team."

But the post-game atmosphere left a strange impression. Tip-off was at 8 p.m., not 7 or 7:30 p.m. as usual, and the post-game meeting with the coach lasted longer than normal. The media weren't allowed into the locker room until 11:15 p.m., while the team bus was leaving at 11:45 p.m. The Knicks were playing in Chicago less than 24 hours later, and many wanted to leave quickly. The result: a nearly empty locker room.

Josh Hart, usually the first to speak, had already moved to the next lounge. OG Anunoby, seeing all the reporters crowding around Towns, left in turn, as did Andre Drummond, recently acquired, and most of the younger players. Rarely has the Knicks' locker room been so empty once it was opened to the press.

One evening isn't enough to turn the page. Next test: Chicago, today.