Hamilton: Unbeaten Knicks have put NBA on notice

If that doesn’t qualify as a feel-good victory, I have no idea what does.

And whether or not the national media wants to admit it, the Knicks have proven they have the ingredients to make a deep playoff run, perhaps even further than we initially expected. In many important ways, the Knicks are who I thought they were.

They have gotten meaningful minutes from Jason Kidd, who continues to play at a very high level and made three huge 3-pointers down the stretch Thursday night.

Raymond Felton, true to his word, has played every single possession with a chip on his shoulder and relishes the opportunity to prove himself against the NBA’s more renowned point guards. He outscored Tony Parker, 25-19, and thoroughly outplayed the All-Star in the fourth quarter.

And the Knicks have been a very good defensive team. Before surrendering 100 points to the Spurs, the Knicks ranked first in the league in defense, giving up just 87.8 points per contest.

The excellence of Kidd, Felton and the defense – while perhaps better than expected – is not a total shocker.

But there are three things that we’ve seen from these Knicks that were evident Thursday night and prove they can win big if the early trends continue.

Ronnie Brewer has been an absolute revelation. He is the perimeter version of Tyson Chandler and was brought to New York to bolster the defense. But no one expected the sustained offensive excellence he has displayed.

Brewer has consistently shown the ability to get to the basket and finish when opportunities are there. The 47.1 percent distance shooting is something not even Miss Cleo could have seen coming.