When the Knicks and Mavericks play ... we really miss Reunion Arena

As the teams prepare to meet Wednesday night in Dallas, we take you behind the curtain to properly detail the ever-deepening ties between the two franchises over the past five years

Ever since Jalen Brunson bolted Dallas for New York in free agency in the summer of 2022, whenever the Knicks and Mavericks are poised to play, somehow either Brunson or Luka Dončić is regrettably ruled out through injury.

It happened the first time Brunson was scheduled to play as a visitor at American Airlines Center just after Christmas in 2022 ... on the night Dončić rumbled for 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists.

It will happen again later tonight when a wrist injury forces Dončić to miss the Knicks' lone visit to Dallas this season.

It happened three times in the first four meetings in the wake of Brunson's departure. Wednesday night's injury-scuttled reunion, then, will make it four out of five.

There is nonetheless some extra juice whenever these teams get together, no matter who is on the floor, because there has been so much to intertwine the Knicks' and Mavericks' front offices over the past five years.

These teams are not really rivals — how can they be when the only way they can meet in the playoffs requires both reaching the NBA Finals? — but the backstory that connects the two franchises only added layers over the offseason.