The Knicks clashed with the reigning champions on Wednesday night, showcasing a performance that suggests they might replicate such efforts come June—assuming they advance that far. If ever there was a commendable loss, the Knicks experienced one against the Thunder, pushing the game to the brink of overtime with a couple of last-second shots.

Jalen Brunson endured a notably off shooting night, while Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out despite racking up 17 points and 17 rebounds. Adding to their challenges, the Knicks struggled with shooting accuracy, received minimal favorable calls even on their home court, and were recovering from a demanding back-to-back schedule after a win against the Raptors the previous night.

Yet, they pushed the Thunder—last June’s anticipated Finals opponents—to their limits. The game culminated when OG Anunoby narrowly missed a game-tying three-pointer following Brunson’s similar miss. Missing shots like that is rare for No. 11, prompting a double-take.

The path doesn’t get any easier for the Knicks before they find a more forgiving stretch in their schedule between March 11 and March 24, which includes games against the Jazz, Pacers, Warriors, Pacers again, Nets, Wizards, and Pelicans. Meanwhile, they face Denver on Friday night followed by a stint in Los Angeles against both the Lakers and the Clippers. This sequence of games, starting with the Spurs and culminating with the Clippers, could further define their season.

As the regular season continues, the Knicks’ rollercoaster ride is set to persist. Fans should brace themselves for a thrilling journey through April, which includes visits to Charlotte—where the Hornets are heating up—OKC, and Houston. Interestingly, following the tumultuous events since their Game 6 against the Pacers last spring, the Knicks find themselves in a familiar position: pursuing the Celtics. Not for the Eastern Conference’s top seed, which the Pistons seem to have secured, but for second place—an advantageous spot that would allow them to avoid the Pistons in the second playoff round, assuming they clear the first.

With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles injury suffered last spring at the Garden, the Knicks were poised to dominate the conference. However, it’s the youthful Pistons who have ascended to that role. Despite this, the Celtics maintain a slight edge over the Knicks in the standings, with Tatum’s return potentially on the horizon. Over the remaining 19 regular-season games, beginning with Friday’s matchup in Denver, the Knicks aim to maintain their position, fend off the surging Cavaliers, and, if possible, overtake the Celtics.

We all can see how they have looked at their best, especially over this last stretch of games. They came back big against the Rockets at the Garden. They survived falling behind the Spurs 19-7 last Sunday afternoon, and beat them for the second time this season. Even in Toronto after most of a game-long lead was gone and the Raptors back in it in the fourth quarter, the Knicks came off the ropes swinging. Toughness and effort have never been an issue for this team, not from the jump.

We saw it with the way they were grinding to the end against the Thunder. Really, it was like watching an ace pitcher figuring it out without his fastball, and refusing to give in to a single hitter. And there it was for them in the final seconds, right there, before Brunson missed the kind of shot he so often makes and then OG did the same.

Now the Knicks get Jokic and them, before LeBron and Luka and them, before they have to face Kawhi Leonard on his homecourt. After that comes a schedule that does look softer than soft ice cream before they face the Hornets on the 26th. There is a tremendous chance between now and then to put some big points on the board, and pass the Celtics.

This has turned into a maddening and unpredictable and immensely likeable team. Again: If they can play like they did on Wednesday against the champs without Brunson making shots, if they could put it on a hot Spurs team the way they did a few days before after a bad start, they can play with anybody.

Towns, in particular, was terrific in this game before fouling out, especially with those 17 rebounds, nine of them on offense. If you can’t see how hard he plays, and how much he’s trying to be a good teammate at this point, you’re watching the wrong movie.

Towns said this afterward about fouling out:

“You want to win the game and you want to be out there with your teammates. It’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that it was called.”

Unfortunate that the Knicks lost even after playing hard again. After a 40-point third quarter, it was the Thunder who punched back on them this time (literally, as Brunson came away with a black eye). The Knicks still showed up big in this game. They continue to show up. Yeah. Fasten your seatbelts the rest of the way.