Karl-Anthony Towns Compares Knicks to LeBron James' Heat

Neither Rome nor Miami was built in a day and the same principle applies to the New York Knicks, so claims Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns invoked the relatively slow rise to power of LeBron James' famed Miami Heat groups as the new-look Knicks (15-10) dropped another heartbreaker on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Despite a historic first half from Towns, the Knicks were denied advancement in the NBA Cup's knockout round after a 108-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

"The Miami Heat years ago with LeBron, had a whole year, it took, before they figured out how to put a banner up ..." Towns said in video from SNY. "I don't have a crystal ball. I can tell you that every day we're working to be the best version of ourselves."

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Knicks have rendered a slow start forgotten, having gone 10-4 since a meandering 5-6 start. The loss to the Hawks, however, feels like another wasted opportunity to make noise in the Eastern Conference landscape, one undeniably ruled by the distant leaders Cleveland and Boston.

While there's no shame in losing to the hot Hawks (winners of seven of their last eight after recovering from a slow start of their own), the way the Knicks did it is rather concerning.

New York led by as much as 12 before Atlanta staged a dominant third period, one that saw them take a permanent lead thanks to a personal 8-0 run from Trae Young. New York also lost the second half rebounding battle by 11 as Towns endured foul trouble during the latter sessions, even as he mustered a serendipitous double-double at 19 points and rebounds each.

Towns is asking his new adoring public to be patient and recall historical context.

To his point, the Heat needed some time to develop chemistry when James famously "took [his] talents to South Beach" in 2010: his newly-formed triumvirate, co-starring Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, tipped off their collaboration with a mediocre 9-8 start before winning 21 of their next 22 games. Miami reached the NBA Finals that season but fell to the Dallas Mavericks.

May 3, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is defended by New York Knicks guard Landry Fields (2) during the first half of game three in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-Imagn Images | Anthony Gruppuso-Imagn Images

The debut tour nonetheless developed chemistry for the road ahead, which yielded two Larry O'Brien Trophy hoists in the following seasons before James returned to Cleveland in 2014. Yearning for a title denied to them since the mid-70s, Knicks fans can only hope a similar end lies on the road ahead.

Towns and the Knicks get a few days off to ponder the loss to Atlanta, as they get a de facto NBA Cup consolation game with the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening (6 p.m. ET, MSG).

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