After a tough, hard-fought victory in Game One of their playoff series against the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, I am sure that the New York Knicks delivered in Game Two of their quest to advance in the highly competitive NBA playoffs. 

Sadly, I did not witness the sequel to that delicious, nail-biter of a Game One, because my cable was out, and to be honest, I went to sleep at 8:30 p.m., completely assured that no matter whether they won or lost, these Knicks would fight earnestly and tenaciously, just as they had in that glorious Game One, just three days ago. 

But I knew that the ball would move effortlessly from the fingertips of Jalen Brunson to the waiting palms of Julius Randle, who would pump fake, then pass over to the corner where Quentin Grimes was waiting, who would look only momentarily toward the basket—just enough to get that hesitation from a defender—in order to quickly and deftly get the ball to the driving Brunson, who would lay it in for the easy two points. 

R.J. Barrett, even, in this vision, would find a rhythm, fighting as hard on offense as on defense, and no longer wandering like a rootless shaman, conjuring strange brick after strange brick, senselessly passing the ball to nowhere. Josh Hart—oh, he's keeping the spirit alive, vigorously defending, and, only if needed, sinking that much-desired three-point field goal. 

Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin would shake off their playoff jitters—we all can relate!

Win or lose, I'm sure that coach Tom Thibodeau this morning is basking in the glow of "effort," having watched his team take at least one of two on the road before heading home to the confines of Madison Square Garden, where, if the Knicks didn't quite take care of business this year, at least they always tried their hardest. 

This morning, you won't find me checking the final outcome by waiting diligently near a LinkNYC to tell me a random fact about NYC history (did you know Mayor LaGuardia was an Aries?) until it scrolls over to the major league sports scores. I'm sure that the Knicks did well and that in no way will I feel a deep and unsettling sense of dread already about a playoff series where the Knicks are tied and now hold home-court advantage.

All I can see, in my outcome-less visions, is swish after swish. The Knicks, baby, they're back—and they're better than ever. [Editor's Note: The Knicks lost by 27 points.]

(Photo credit: Michael Tipton / Flickr)

And now for some winning links:

• Congratulations to Rowan Wilson, New York's next top judge—we were all rooting for you.
• Contrary to reports, there is no deal on bail rollbacks, says Carl Heastie.
• The Supreme Court gives the mob a win.
• Good luck to the City Council's Progressive Caucus, truly.
• And good luck to the Trader Joe's workers in the city mounting a union drive!
• DSNY, the one agency to rule them all.
• There are a lot more cars in NYC. Via Streetsblog: "From 2012 to 2021, the last year with available data, the number of passenger vehicles owned by residents of the five boroughs rose by 223,500, lifting the number of cars in the city from 1,853,000 to 2,077,000. That’s an increase of 12.1 percent."
• Hmmm: "While the investigators found no 'evidence of harm' was linked to the database, they acknowledged that they were working with limited information."
• "Coney Island shopkeeper from Yemen bashed with metal pipes by gang of white men in racist attack"
• Maybe we should spend the money on building inspectors instead, so that we can prevent entirely preventable tragedies and deaths, just a thought: