They call New York the ‘Mecca of basketball’. Even Zion Williamson couldn’t help but wax lyrical about Madison Square Garden having played there for the very first time as a professional this week.

“I love playing here. I played here in college. This is my first time playing in the pros. I mean, this atmosphere – whether they’re cheering for you, whether they’re booing for you, it’s amazing,” Williamson said.

“I think this might be my favourite place to play. Outside of New Orleans. I can’t even lie to you.”

That Zion’s comments were delivered with a one hundred gigawatt grin told you everything. That every Knicks fan on the internet saw it as a sure-fire sign Zion would be joining them in the near future much less so.

There was, after all, no reason for Williamson to be so cheerful. His words came immediately following a gruelling overtime loss. The Pelicans led by six with just under two minutes remaining and three with fewer than eight seconds left. Typically those games hurt far too much to praise the opponent’s fans and arena.

But in those final eight seconds Derrick Rose drove to the basket and found Reggie Bullock in the corner. He didn’t need a second invitation to send the game into overtime.