Enough was enough. 

The Knicks had enough of the hangover talk. Enough of the early-season panic. Enough of playing like a team that didn’t resemble the one that took over the city last year. 

They broke out of their malaise, and the champions finally re-emerged. 

An all-around defensive gem got them off the schneid and back in the win column — for the first time since clinching the title in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year. 

After dropping the first three games of the season, coach Mike Brown said “our crap stinks. It does.” Tuesday — particularly with how the Knicks defended — represented an air freshener of sorts. 

The Knicks (1-3) woke up after a sleepy first quarter and imposed themselves on a previously undefeated — but shorthanded without the injured Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe — Pistons side with an 111-97 win at Madison Square Garden. 

A year after the Knicks lost all three regular season matchups by a combined 84 points against the Pistons, they landed the first blow in what was at times a chippy evening. 

Another sluggish start meant the Knicks trailed by 13 heading into the second quarter. The Pistons were shooting 60.9 percent from the field and had 38 points — after the Knicks had given up 40 points in the fourth quarter in their loss to the Magic on Sunday. Paul Reed of all people was killing them and had 13 points. 

The Knicks were in danger of making the worst type of history. They were already the first defending champions to start 0-3 since the 2011-12 Mavericks. Only one defending champion has started 0-4, and it hasn’t been done in 57 years — since the 1969-70 Celtics. 

The Knicks clearly had no interest in becoming the second.