The New York Knicks had one of their worst first halves in franchise history on Saturday night in Utah. After two quarters, they trailed the Jazz, 71-34, a whopping 37-point deficit. It was their second-worst halftime deficit since the league introduced the shot clock.
This is the Knicks' 2nd-largest halftime deficit in the shot clock era 😬 pic.twitter.com/fbNY1mUMt1
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 30, 2018
This wasn't just a case of the Jazz playing super well either; the Knicks were bad. They shot just 11-of-48 from the field -- 26.8 percent -- and turned the ball over 10 times. Yet despite the Knicks' embarrassing performance, many of their fans were actually excited.
Not about this game, specifically, but about the loss and what it potentially bodes for their future.
Knicks losing 71-34 at halftime. pic.twitter.com/E5FG6nmydd
— Deez (@DeezKnicks) December 30, 2018
The Knicks have 24 points with 3:05 left in the second quarter pic.twitter.com/pbSoyJ6Wfm
— Knicks Film School (@KnickFilmSchool) December 30, 2018
Utah Jazz lead the Knicks 71-34. pic.twitter.com/htQ5GyV91S
— Evan Daniel (@mrevandaniel) December 30, 2018
Knicks down 40 at the half #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/ShLNUYEDs3
— New Year, New Daley 🙃 (@daley_shmurda) December 30, 2018
With the loss, the Knicks will fall to 9-28 on the season, which puts them just ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst record in the NBA. It would be their seventh loss in a row, and each one draws them closer and closer to another top pick in the draft. And with their record as bad as it is, and no sign of a turnaround coming in the second half of the season, that pick could very well be No. 1 overall.
That, of course, would allow them to potentially take Zion Williamson, the Duke freshman who is taking over college basketball. Of course, all of this is a long way off, but it's easy to see why Knicks fans are thinking about getting the No. 1 pick after performances like this one.