ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The Knicks traveled farther than ever to play basketball, and the potential benefits — or drawbacks — of their Middle East excursion won’t be evident until it’s long finished.
By playing their opening two preseason games here, the Knicks started training camp about a week earlier than the rest of the league and they’ll get a unique bonding experience. Upon arriving at their swank hotel overlooking the Arabian gulf with family members in tow, the players were greeted by a blindfolded falcon, among other sights and sounds of the area. But they’ll also have to manage a pair of 13-hour flights, 100-degree weather and the business obligations of brand development in a foreign country.
“At the end of the day, it all washes out,” said new coach Mike Brown, a veteran of long preseason overseas excursions to China with the Warriors and Cavaliers.
History backs up Brown’s assessment. Teams that participated in these Abu Dhabi preseason games — which only date back to 2022 — experienced mixed results once the games mattered:
