Afterward, they faced the Utah Jazz on the road in the second half of a back-to-back.
In Salt Lake City, that demonic home court that had once given even Jordan headaches, the entire Knicks team displayed suffocating tactical discipline.
The twin towers of Sabonis and Li Fei completely sealed off the paint, while Allan Houston and Sprewell engaged Stockton and Hornacek in a precise shootout from the perimeter.
The final score stood at 99-91. Li Fei steadily put up 32 points and 18 rebounds, while Sabonis dished out a game-high 9 assists, completely dismantling Utah's pick-and-roll offense.
Immediately afterward, the Knicks defeated the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Vancouver Grizzlies... Whether they faced the young squad led by Nowitzki and Nash or bottom-feeding teams at the base of the league, the Knicks showed astonishing consistency and focus.
When they crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-102 at home, the New York Knicks' winning streak had quietly reached a terrifying number—22 games!
The entire league was shaken. Since the start of the season, the Knicks had yet to lose. Li Fei's averages of 35.6 points, 17.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 3.8 blocks per game had already transcended basketball and entered the realm of myth. Allan Houston averaged 22.5 points, Sprewell 19.8 points, and Sabonis 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. This team's chemistry had reached perfection.
The media even began discussing whether they could break the seemingly unbreakable record of 33 consecutive wins set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
Amid that atmosphere, the Knicks welcomed their twenty-third opponent: a team that had stirred up a defiant "youth storm" since the start of the season—the Philadelphia 76ers.
These 76ers were not a traditional superteam. Their roster was even somewhat lopsided; aside from that fearless centerpiece, every other player seemed like a supporting soldier