Defending NBA champions tend to have targets on their backs at the start of the season. Every squad in the league wants to batter down the group that hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy just a season prior. The New York Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, are no different. In fact, after their 111-102 loss against the Orlando Magic, they joined the 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks on the wrong side of NBA history. This unfortunate feat has not been seen in the association for a little over 15 years.
Knicks join Mavericks in unfortunately historic NBA feat after loss to Magic
The Knicks did everything in their power to beat the Magic. Jalen Brunson and Co. popped off in the first half. In the first quarter, they scored 28 points while allowing the Magic only 21. The Knicks followed up with a second-quarter slip, scoring only 24 points while the Magic got 27.
All was seemingly going according to plan for the Knicks and Brunson. By the third quarter, the two squads tied the quarter with 23 points apiece. Then, a collapse of absolutely historic proportions happened. The Magic rallied to score 40 points in the fourth quarter. The Knicks? They only got 27 points.
In the end, the Knicks lost 111-102 to the Magic. This is now their third-straight loss to start the 2026-27 NBA season. They got smothered by the 76ers in a 106-100 heartbreak, followed by a 107-103 clutch beating by the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks are now the first defending champions to start their campaign with a 0-3 record since 2011-12. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were the last team to do the same, per ESPN Insights.
So, what does this mean for the Knicks? Historically speaking, the fates are not on their side. See, the era of parity in the NBA is at an all-time high, and there is no incentive to tank given the contract pressures of Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns.
They will also have a rough schedule. Their next games have them facing the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Three of those teams could be easy wins, but changes need to happen for that to happen.
Compared side by side with the 2011-12 Mavericks, things don't look great for Brunson and the Knicks. That squad managed only 36 wins, though it was a lockout-shortened season with just 66 games. Eventually, this Mavericks squad would come crashing down in the first round against the season runners-up, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
There is no monolith archetype of defending champion in the NBA. The Knicks can stray away from these comparisons to the Nowitzki-led Mavericks. However, it will take a lot of willpower to do so.
Will the magic of New York save them again for a repeat, or was that all just reserved for the summer of 2026?
