2021-22 Archives - Knicks.City https://www.knicks.city/category/2021-22/ We All Live in Knicks City Tue, 12 Apr 2022 23:13:56 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.knicks.city/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-knickscity-32x32.jpeg 2021-22 Archives - Knicks.City https://www.knicks.city/category/2021-22/ 32 32 Knicks End Strong on Toppin’s 42 Points, Quickley’s Triple Double. NY 105 Toronto 94 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-end-strong-on-toppins-42-points-quickleys-triple-double-ny-105-toronto-94/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-end-strong-on-toppins-42-points-quickleys-triple-double-ny-105-toronto-94/#respond Tue, 12 Apr 2022 21:42:16 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3818 Obi Toppin continued his high-wire heroics, scoring a new career high of 42 points, and Immanuel Quickley had another Triple Double — leading the Knicks to a start-to-finish win over the Toronto Raptors, who were [...]

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]]> Obi Toppin continued his high-wire heroics, scoring a new career high of 42 points, and Immanuel Quickley had another Triple Double — leading the Knicks to a start-to-finish win over the Toronto Raptors, who were resting key players for the playoffs.

1. Toppin Terrific Again

Toppin’s 42 was another career high, after scoring a career-high of 35 points the previous game, after hitting a career high of 20 points 3 games ago and 4 games ago. Toppin was everywhere — and efficient — shooting 16-28 from the floor, 6-14 from 3, and 4-4 in free throws. He had 10 rebounds and 3 assists and a +8.

Toppin hit almost all his free throws late in the season — to finish with a free throw percentage of .758. He also finished averaging 9.0 ppg, and shooting 30.8 from 3 — which tells you how low his 3-pt pct was earlier in the year (when it was in the low 20% area). He ended up shooting 53% from the floor.

After the game, Immanuel Quickley told the story of him and Toppin driving in together: “He was like ‘I’m about to go crazy tonight’. I’m like ‘I’m about to go crazy too. I guess we both gonna go crazy!”

2. Quickley Goes Crazy Again

Quickley had 34 points on 12-26 shooting (4-9 from 3), 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Quickley finished the year averaging 11.3 ppg (after 11.4 ppg as a rookie), 34.6% from 3 (after 38.9% as a rookie), and .881 from the free throw line (after .891 as a rookie). His Sophomore Jinx season vanished — he ended up having a good 2nd year — and a great end of year.

He showed he could be the point guard of the future.

3. Other Knicks

Jericho Sims had 14 rebounds and 6 points in 39 minutes — and a +27.

Taj Gibson played 17 minutes as the backup center.

Evan Fournier and Alec Burks chipped in with 6 and 10 points, respectively.

Point guard Ryan Arcidiacono — the Arch of Dimes — played 23 minutes and had 5 pts, 2 assists. And Feron Hunt played 7 minutes.

Etcetera

Julius Randle did not play — his sore quad keeping him out of the last few games of the year opening up playing time for Obi Toppin, and making Randle’s future as a Knick more dimmed with every sensational Toppin performance.

RJ Barrett was also out with the sore knee after a spill in the last game. Quentin Grimes was out with the sore knee after the knee cap injury, and Mitchell Robinson was out with injury as well.

The Raptors sat Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401361045

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-end-strong-on-toppins-42-points-quickleys-triple-double-ny-105-toronto-94/feed/ 0 Obi Toppin’s 35 Points Spearhead Knicks Romp; NY 114 Washington 92 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/obi-toppins-35-points-spearhead-knicks-romp-ny-114-washington-92/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/obi-toppins-35-points-spearhead-knicks-romp-ny-114-washington-92/#respond Sat, 09 Apr 2022 13:17:40 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3806 Obi Toppin continues to make Julius Randle‘s future as a Knick more and more dim with every game that he starts while Randle is out for the rest of the season with a minor leg [...]

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]]> Obi Toppin continues to make Julius Randle‘s future as a Knick more and more dim with every game that he starts while Randle is out for the rest of the season with a minor leg injury. This was Obi’s best performance yet — a career high 35 points on spectacular play and efficient shooting — 14-22 from the floor and 6-9 from 3 and a +18.

The Knicks rolled from the start, leading by 20 points or more for most of the game in this breeze of a win in Washington. NY won its 5th straight game on the road — their best road win streak in 9 years. They finished 20-21 on the road this season; a better road record than last year. It was all the last-minute home losses at MSG that crushed this team.

1.  Quickley Leads Charge

Immanuel Quickley also excelled — 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists on high-octane energy leading the Knicks attack at point.

Quickley was feeling it in this game — using razzle-dazzle dribbles to fake opponents before passes or scores in front of a cadre of hometown family and friends (he is from Maryland).

Quickley almost made the NBA play of the night in the 3rd quarter, a between-the-legs hesitation move to the basket then switching hands on the shot and flipping one up, but it rolled out.

Quickley’s court vision was exceptional — especially finding Obi Toppin all night on alley oops or ahead-of-the-field slams.

2. Barrett Injured

The only mar to the evening was an injury to RJ Barrett‘s right knee — he left the game with what so far has been called a sprain, after a tumble to the floor on a drive to the basket in the 2nd quarter. Barrett was having a good night — 14 points on 6-10 shooting.

3. Toppin’s All Around Game

Toppin not only played a spectacular game — with sky-high slam dunks and all-around energy — but also played a great all-around game; hitting jumpers in the lane, playing defense; passing.

“All my teammates and all my coaches were pushing me — so without all those guys none of this would be possible,” said Obi afterwards.

Meanwhile — Randle Not with Team

Meanwhile, Julius Randle was not with the team due to his minor leg ‘injury’ — and that seemed to speak volumes of his current relationship with the team.

4. A Game You Might Want to Lose

Of course some fans wanted the Knicks to lose this game — as they and Washington came in with the same record, and now NY jumps ahead of the Wizards with a game to play — meaning Washington will get better odds for the draft lottery.

NY is now 36-45; Washington is 35-46.

5. Other Knicks

Jericho Sims started at center again and played another strong, active game — 6 points, 9 rebounds and a +24 in 34 minutes. Evan Fournier played well; 17 points on 6-14 shooting (4-10 from 3) and a +22. Taj Gibson also played well in 23 minutes.

Miles McBride got 19 minutes as the backup point and played well; Alec Burks had a poor shooting night (1-9).

6. For DC

Rui Hachimura had a strong game (21 points on 8-14) and Raul Neto had 10 points off the bench on 5-7 shooting but overall Washington looked like a team that didn’t mind losing.

Etcetera

Mitchell Robinson did not travel with the team with a non-COVID illness. Quentin Grimes was shut down for the season because of knee soreness (he dislocated his kneecap a month ago and had been trying to come back).

Randle did not travel with the team. He has become a big problem for the Knicks — his jumpshot deserted him this year (shooting 41 pct from the floor and 30 pct from 3) and that dominoed into boos at Madison Square Garden, and frustration on the court for Randle — with numerous techs by the refs, and some altercations with other players. Most importantly, he seemed to distance himself from the team as the season wore on — going thru pregame warmups by himself, and standing by himself during timeouts — seemingly to keep his concentration. RJ Barrett’s New Year’s resolution text to his agent that the time had come to take over, then Barrett waxing poetic about Obi constantly, then enforcing himself as 1st option — may have built a rift between Julius and RJ and the rest of the young Knicks.

Randle finished averaging 20.1 pts, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He has 4 years left on his contract at $23 to $29 Million/yr — not an awful contract for a 27-year old in his prime.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401361023

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/obi-toppins-35-points-spearhead-knicks-romp-ny-114-washington-92/feed/ 0 Knicks Give Nets a Scare But Brooklyn Rolls at End, 110-98 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-give-nets-a-scare-but-brooklyn-rolls-at-end-110-98/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-give-nets-a-scare-but-brooklyn-rolls-at-end-110-98/#respond Sat, 09 Apr 2022 02:52:18 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3799 Maybe the Knicks should have tried harder to sign 31-year-old with torn achilles Kevin Durant after all. He devoured the Knicks again — scoring at will at the end of the game, to lead Brooklyn [...]

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]]> Maybe the Knicks should have tried harder to sign 31-year-old with torn achilles Kevin Durant after all. He devoured the Knicks again — scoring at will at the end of the game, to lead Brooklyn from 21 behind in the 3rd quarter to take the game in the final 3 minutes and end up with the 12-point win. Kyrie Irving, Patty Mills, and Seth Curry were big too — hitting 3 after 3 in the 4th — as was the Nets defense, which limited NY to 31 points in the 2nd half.

1. Barrett “Bad Reads” in 2nd Half

RJ Barrett had a great 1st half, as did the Knicks team.

But in the 2nd, Barrett kept going to the hole and getting denied — the Nets defense keying on his drives. In his own words, he didn’t make good reads in the 2nd half. The result — a 7-27 shooting evening, including 2-11 from 3 — for 23 points but on High Volume shooting.

2. Toppin Terrific

A highlight for the Knicks was Obi Toppin, who was one of the few Knicks making big buckets in the 4th quarter to keep the Knicks holding the Nets at bay until the Nets came on strong the last 3 minutes.

Toppin had 19 points on an efficient 7-13 shooting (2-4 from 3) in 43 minutes.

3. Knicks Looked Great in 1st Half

It was a tale of 2 halves for the Knicks. In the first half, they played tenacious defense and passed the ball relentlessly, getting many easy shots and blowing past the Nets for a 17-point halftime lead.

But they came out in the 3rd quarter without the same tenacity — instead they were hesitant, as if they were trying to protect the lead. In hte last 3 minutes of the 3rd, the Nets’ Kevin Durant hit two 3’s and two free throws and just like that a 16-point Knick lead was cut to 10. That urned the momentum and you knew the Knicks were in trouble heading into the 4th.

4. Knicks Couldn’t Close the 4th

At the very start of the 4th, Patty Mills hit a 3, Kyrie Irving a deuce, and Mills another 3 sandwiching Immanuel Quickley free throws and it was a 3-point game. Durant dunked off an Alec Burks turnover and it was a 1-point Knicks lead. Kessler Edwards tipped in a shot for a Nets lead. Quickley fed Obi Toppin for a dunk.

The game went back and forth — Quickley and Toppin giving the Knicks will power.

But then Durant made 3 straight 13- to 18-foot jumpers to put the Nets up 98-96 with 4:15 left.

Kyrie Irving hit a huge 3 to give the Nets a 5-pt lead with 2:48 left, followed by a huge 3 by Seth Curry with 1:48 left for an 8-pt Nets lead and the old ballgame.

Etcetera

Jericho Sims had a strong game with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Mitchell Robinson was out with a minor injury. Julius Randle too, is out for the remainder of the year with the minor leg injury.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401361010

 

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-give-nets-a-scare-but-brooklyn-rolls-at-end-110-98/feed/ 0 Knicks ROMP in Orlando. A FUN Night for All. NY 118 Magic 88 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-romp-in-orlando-a-fun-night-for-all-ny-118-magic-88/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-romp-in-orlando-a-fun-night-for-all-ny-118-magic-88/#respond Mon, 04 Apr 2022 03:15:26 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3793 The Knicks ROMPED in Orlando — crushing the Magic by 30 on a Sunday afternoon before a house that was Filled with Knick fans cheering them on loudly with chants of “OBI, OBI, OBI” or [...]

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]]> The Knicks ROMPED in Orlando — crushing the Magic by 30 on a Sunday afternoon before a house that was Filled with Knick fans cheering them on loudly with chants of “OBI, OBI, OBI” or “R-J-BARRETT” throughout the 3rd and 4th quarters. It was a complete reversal from the afternoon before, when the Knicks played Schlock basketball in getting routed at Madison Square Garden by playoff-bound Cleveland.

Orlando is not Cleveland. The Magic are one of the worst teams in the NBA. And they looked it.

1. Knicks Take Off in Middle of 3rd

The Knicks jumped out to an early lead and led by 10 at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. But Orlando came back and when former Knick Ignas Brazdeikis hit a 3 with 3:51 left in the 2nd quarter — Orlando took a 45-44 lead.

That was all she wrote for Orlando. The Knicks stormed back with a 21-2 run that extended into the 3rd quarter. The Knicks outscored Orlando 50-15 at one point and held a 94-62 lead heading into the 4th.

2. Knick Fan Fun in 4th Quarter Blowout

The entire 4th quarter was garbage time, as Marv Albert used to call it. NY led by 34 points at one point. Orlando narrowed it down to 20 points, but the Knicks moved it back to 30 points by end of game.

All the while, Knick fans chanted for Obi and RJ. “It was pandemonium,” said one fan, and you could see them all having fun on the broadcast.

Walt Frazier was on a roll on the broadcast as well: “They’re having a good time in That section!” he commented as the cameras panned a particular section of the audience.

“They call him Deuce but he gets a Trey!” Frazier poemed when Miles McBride knocked down the first of two 3’s.

3. Quickley Triple Double

Immanuel Quickley led the attack, and got the first triple double of his career — 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He had 15 pts, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds with 6 minutes left — and you could see him racing to the rim after missed free throws or shots to grab the last two needed rebounds. As Fred Katz of The Athletic observed, “Lol Quickley flying in front of Obi Toppin to get free-throw rebounds. He knows exactly what is happening.”

4. Barrett Taking It to Rim

RJ Barrett had a bounce-back game from the afternoon before when he was 4-18 from the floor for only 12 points. In this one he was efficient from the start, driving to the bucket for points.

Barrett finished with 27 points on 9-20 shooting (3-9 from 3; 6-8 in free throws) with 5 rebounds and 6 assists. He was a +29.

5. Obi Fantastic — a +46 !

And Obi Toppin was in high gear — 20 points on 7-16 shooting (4-10 from 3; 2-2 in free throws), with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a game high +46!!!

6. Burks Efficient

Alec Burks played a great game — 6-7 from the floor (3-3 from 3 and 4-5 in free throws) for 19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a +44!

7. Robinson a Beast

Mitchell Robinson blocked 5 shots, including a manhandle block of a Robin Lopez hook.

Robinson had 12 points on 6-8 shooting, with 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. He is currently 4th in the NBA in blocked shots per game average, with 1.8.

Jericho Sims played an active game in 19 minutes as backup center. Taj Gibson played 13 minutes.

Etcetera

Cole Anthony left the game after 2 minutes as his injured toe was acting up.

Evan Fournier had a quiet night (2 points in 15 minutes). Quentin Grimes played 15 minutes — he had missed games after injuring his knee. Ryan Arcidiacono got 1 minute of action late, and grabbed a rebound.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360990

 

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/knicks-romp-in-orlando-a-fun-night-for-all-ny-118-magic-88/feed/ 0 Schlock. At Least Toppin Scored 20. Cleveland 119 NY 101 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/schlock-at-least-toppin-scored-20-cleveland-119-ny-101/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/schlock-at-least-toppin-scored-20-cleveland-119-ny-101/#respond Sat, 02 Apr 2022 21:12:38 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3778 With the Knicks officially eliminated from the playoffs, they took on playoff-bound Cleveland at Madison Square Garden on a Saturday afternoon. NY made it a game into the 3rd quarter — but then Cleveland pulled [...]

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]]> With the Knicks officially eliminated from the playoffs, they took on playoff-bound Cleveland at Madison Square Garden on a Saturday afternoon. NY made it a game into the 3rd quarter — but then Cleveland pulled away and blew them out.

Immanuel Quickley kept the Knicks alive at the beginning of the 4th — scoring their first 9 points — but RJ Barrett had a difficult afternoon — his ball constantly rolling out of the rim on his drives. He finished 4-18 and the Knicks fell with him.

You had to feel bad for the people who purchased tickets for this game. Overall, the Knicks played poor D and at the end, schlock basketball.

1. Barrett Averaging 20.0 PPG

Barrett seemed intent on keeping the Knicks in the game and keeping his PPG average above 20. He came in at 20.1 ppg, but with the 4-18 performance only scored 12 points — lowering his ppg average to 20.0.

His hero ball hurt the Knicks, as the ball did not rotate at all.

Meanwhile Darius Garland, Cleveland’s young star point guard — did distribute — for 13 assists and 24 points. The Cavaliers had a balanced attack — with Kevin Love killing the Knicks off the bench (15 points on 6-10 shooting, 3-7 from 3), center Moses Brown scoring 16 points with 13 rebounds, Caris LeVert scoring 19, and Isaac Okoro scoring 16.

2. Toppin Scores 20

And then Obi Toppin scored again and Kenny Albert said he had 20 points. Toppin did it on efficient 5-10 shooting from the floor (1-4 from 3) and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line in 31 minutes as the starting power forward.

Julius Randle was out with a nagging leg injury — and coach Tom Thibodeau said that would probably be it for the season for him.

3. Quickley Looked Good Again

Immanuel Quickley looked good again running the team — 17 points on 6-17 shooting and 7 assists (with 7 rebounds). So that continued to bode well for the Knicks future.

4. Other Knicks

Evan Fournier had a quiet 19 points on 6-10 shooting.

Mitchell Robinson was at times awesome in the paint — at one point in the 2nd quarter blocking back to back shots to keep the Knicks from falling behind too far. But in the end they fell behind by very far. Robinson blocked 3 shot on the night, and had 7 points in 29 minutes.

Taj Gibson was popping 3’s every chance he got in the 1st half. It was reported that his 3-pt field goal percentage on the season was 50 percent coming in, including a perfect 8-8 from the right corner. So he started popping away like it was a schoolyard game which it essentially was. He went 1-5 from 3 and 2-7 overall for 8 pts.

Jericho Sims played 16 minutes of aggressive basketball, and had 6 rebounds and 2 points.

Alec Burks had 11 points on 3-9 shooting. Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes were out injured.

Ryan Arcidiacono played 22 minutes. The new Knick is knicknamed “The Arch of Dimes” — dime meaning assist. The 6’3 former college star at Villanova had 5 points and 1 assist in 22 minutes. He played with intensity.

Etcetera

Other highlights on the afternoon were Luis Severino pitching 4 shutout 1-hit innings against Philadelphia in a Spring Training game — hopeful for the Yanks since he’s been lit up his previous 2 spring starts. And bad news for the Mets as Jacob deGrom was put on the shelf for a month. It was that kind of afternoon for the Knicks — as fans started switching their attention to baseball.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360981

 

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/schlock-at-least-toppin-scored-20-cleveland-119-ny-101/feed/ 0 Miles Bridges Gets Revenge Again. Charlotte 125 NY 114 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/miles-bridges-gets-revenge-again-charlotte-125-ny-114/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/miles-bridges-gets-revenge-again-charlotte-125-ny-114/#respond Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:52:32 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3752 Miles Bridges tore the Knicks up down the stretch to lead Charlotte to the 125-114 win and just about end NY’s hail-Mary hopes for a playoff spot. Afterwards, he publicly revealed on Twitter that yes [...]

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]]> Miles Bridges tore the Knicks up down the stretch to lead Charlotte to the 125-114 win and just about end NY’s hail-Mary hopes for a playoff spot. Afterwards, he publicly revealed on Twitter that yes indeed — every time he plays the Knicks he is looking for revenge — for them passing over him and picking Kevin Knox with the #8 overall pick in the 2018 draft.

1. Bridges’ Revenge

This was a 104-102 game in Charlotte’s favor with 5:53 left in the game. When Miles Bridges ripped down an offensive rebound and fed P.J. Washington for a 3 and 5-point Charlotte lead.

The Knicks closed back to 109-105 when Bridges hit a 3 from the corner to make it 112-105 with 3:30 left. He made the 2nd of back-to-back 3’s with 2:24 left to put the Knicks in a deep hole at 112-105.

Next came an exclamation-point Dunk with 3 minutes left to make it 114-106.

Bridges followed with a drive and bucket with 1 minute left to make it 119-108, and hit 2 free throws in the final minute to finish with 31 points on 11-15 shooting, 4-4 from 3, and 5-6 from the free throw line. Burying the Knicks. Again.

Bridges has played Great ball vs NY every time he plays them lately. He’s having a bang-up season averaging 20 ppg.

Afterwards, we learned that not only is Bridges seeking revenge against NY every time he plays them — but also — the word is that the Knicks picked Kevin Knox over him because Knox outplayed him in a pre-draft workout 3-on-3 scrimmage.

But Bridges felt otherwise — responding to Knick fan Julito McCullum who tweeted “Why you let Knox cook you then?!?” — Bridges’ response: “You seen it happen? Alr then. 2 or 3 buckets ain’t cooking. Y’all front office thought otherwise.”

 

2. Barrett’s Defense — You Had to Watch the Game 3 Times

RJ Barrett was guarding Bridges and normally plays excellent defense but didn’t this time — allowing Bridges open space on the 3’s and getting beaten backdoor on the drive. Walt Frazier and Knicks Twitter pointed this out but some Knick fans saw it another way — that other Knicks didn’t rotate and Barrett’s D wasn’t at fault.

Just earlier in the week coach Tom Thibodeau said in a post-game interview that you have to watch a game 2 or even 3 times, and know the Knicks plays before you know what happened. This seemed a representative example.

3. Knox Scores 17 in Atlanta

Meanwhile, Kevin Knox — oblivious to it all — was having his best night of his new career in Atlanta — scoring 17 points in 17 minutes on 3’s and drives and dunks.

4. Randle Plays Well; Says He Never Demanded Trade

Julius Randle played well — 21 points on 7-16 shooting, and 4-10 from 3, with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Afterwards he spoke on the rumor that circulated after the last game that he or his agent had demanded that Knicks management trade him after the season. He said that never happened.

5.  Craig Carton Called It — Not?

All of that threw into the wind radio analyst Craig Carton’s breaking of the story. Carton had taken to twitter chastising other news outlets for not crediting him when they ran with the rumor he announced on the radio.

Carton took particular aim at the NY Post for not crediting him.

Once Randle stated it was a false rumor after this game, Berman shot back at Carton.

All in all a fun night of drama overshadowed by the Chris Rock-Will Smith-Jada Pickett Smith drama of the Oscars.

6. The Game Up Until Bridges Ripped It Away

It had been a close game throughout but Charlotte started to pull away late in the 3rd and early in the 4th — pulling out to a 10-pt lead before the Knicks, led by Immanuel Quickley with buckets by Barrett and a 3 by Alec Burks — pulled to within 104-102 with 5:53 left.

Quickley finished with 16 points on on 6-12 shooting (1-6 from 3) and 4 assists in 23 minutes off the bench.

RJ Barrett had 25 points on 9-17 shooting (1-4 from 3; 6-8 in free throws) and has now improved his ppg average to 20.1 — exactly tying Randle for team lead. Barrett’s free throw percentage is now a respectable .720.

Evan Fournier had a good game — 30 points on 10-16 shooting (6-8 from 3) but his strong performance fell into the shadow of Bridges and all else that went on.

Obi Toppin had 4 pts in 12 minutes off the bench and Mitchell Robinson had 6 points on 2-4 shooting and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401360959

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/miles-bridges-gets-revenge-again-charlotte-125-ny-114/feed/ 0 Burks Heroic Again! Randle Flips Out. Knicks Win 4th Straight! NY 109 Chicago 104 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/burks-heroic-again-randle-flips-out-knicks-win-4th-straight-ny-109-chicago-104/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/burks-heroic-again-randle-flips-out-knicks-win-4th-straight-ny-109-chicago-104/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:02:29 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3767 Alec Burks hit a Huge 3 in the closing minute for the 2nd straight game to give the Knicks the cushion they needed for a 4th straight win. This time he hit a 3 from [...]

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]]> Alec Burks hit a Huge 3 in the closing minute for the 2nd straight game to give the Knicks the cushion they needed for a 4th straight win. This time he hit a 3 from the corner with 23 seconds left to turn a 104-103 NY lead into a 107-103 lead.

Julius Randle then hit 2 big free throws to make it 109-103.

But Randle then Missed 2 free throws with 11 seconds left with the score 109-104. NY still had the game at hand when Zach LaVine missed a 3 with 6 seconds left — Randle rebounded and as the clock ran out, he flipped the ball behind him in disgust at himself for the missed free throws and overall terrible shooting game (5 pts on 1-9 shooting) — walking off to the locker room as his teammates celebrated the victory on the floor.

1. Randle Demands Trade?

After the game Knicks twitter rained on Julius for his act of frustration, and not celebrating with the team. Later, it was reported that Randle asked Knick management via his agent for a trade this winter away from the team.

Randle finished with a +7 despite another horrible shooting night. He had 13 rebounds and 4 assists so played hard otherwise despite the poor shooting.

2. Toppin Terrific

Meanwhile Obi Toppin was terrific again — especially in the 4th quarter — hitting big 3’s and slams and playing with efficient energy. Toppin had 17 points on 6-11 shooting (3-6 from 3) in 20 minutes off the bench.

3. Knicks Survived DeRozan Charge

It was a close game throughout but the Knicks pulled out to a 10-point lead late in the 3rd and early in the 4th quarter — due mainly to the heroics of Toppin, RJ Barrett, and Alec Burks. But then Demar DeRozan got cooking in the 4th, bringing the Bulls back to narrow it to a 1-point Knick lead late — before Burks hit the big 3.

DeRozan finished with 37 points on 12-26 shooting and 12-12 from the free throw line.

4. Barrett Dominated; LaVine Starred Too

RJ Barrett dominated all night — scoring at will against his rival, Zach LaVine.

Barrett finished with 28 points on 10-24 shooting (2-3 from 3; 6-7 in free throws), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, for a +4.

LaVine did his thing too — scoring 27 points on sharpshooter jumpers and drives. He was 8-17 from the floor, 2-7 from 3, and 9-10 in free throws, with 4 rebounds and 3 assists for a -2.

5. Robinson Dominated Inside

Mitchell Robinson had a strong game inside — 16 points on 8-9 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360945

The post Burks Heroic Again! Randle Flips Out. Knicks Win 4th Straight! NY 109 Chicago 104 appeared first on Knicks.City.

]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/burks-heroic-again-randle-flips-out-knicks-win-4th-straight-ny-109-chicago-104/feed/ 0 Alec Burks = Superman. NY 104 Detroit 102 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/alec-burks-superman-ny-104-detroit-102/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/alec-burks-superman-ny-104-detroit-102/#respond Mon, 28 Mar 2022 14:59:35 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3762 Alec Burks hit a Huge 3 with 45 seconds left to give NY a 104-100 lead and then stripped Cade Cunningham of the ball as he was about to take a jump shot with 3 [...]

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]]> Alec Burks hit a Huge 3 with 45 seconds left to give NY a 104-100 lead and then stripped Cade Cunningham of the ball as he was about to take a jump shot with 3 seconds left that would have tied the game — leading NY to its 3rd straight win on a Sunday afternoon at the Garden.

The Knicks had jumped out to a huge 1st-half lead in this game, leading by 21 points in the 2nd quarter before Detroit gradually pulled back into it in the 3rd and 4th.

1. Burks’ Heroics

As we’ve written often here, when Burks is on his game, he plays like a poor man’s Kobe Bryant: his drives to the basket have Kobe movement written all over them; his jumper, his D. All Kobe-esq in body movement and effectiveness.

In this game he made the HUGE final defensive play to seal the win, stripping Cunningham of the ball with 3 seconds left.

Forty seconds earlier he hit the HUGE 3 to give the Knicks the 104-100 lead.

Burks played well all afternoon — finishing with 18 points on 4-6 shooting (3-5 from 3).

2. Detroit Youth vs Knicks Youth

Before the game, Marc Berman of the NY Post tweeted: “Detroit was Eastern team that didn’t pass Knicks by. But Pistons have slew of 1st-round pieces to feel good about – Cade Cunningham (1), Saddiq Bey (17), Isaiah Stewart (16), Killian Hayes (7), Bagley (2). And young vet Grant. They’ll be odds-on for top-4. Knicks in Motown today.”

We replied that: “Knicks fans looking forward to RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, and maybe Miles McBride. Not sure I’d be looking forward to Detroit’s young stash more than Knicks’. But it is a good debate to have. Barrett — 19.8 ppg .410 from floor .347 from 3 – has been called ‘volume’ shooter lately Saddiq Bey — 16.3 ppg .396 from floor .347 from 3 – ‘volume’ shooter too? Cunningham 17.1 ppg, .413 from floor .319 from 3 – volume shooter Toppin..Quick..”

2. Bagley Drives the Pistons

In this game, Cade Cunningham — the 6’6 point guard and #1 pick in the 2021 draft — had 18 points on 8-17 shooting (1-4 from 3) with 7 assists. Besides having his potential game-tying jumper blocked by Burks.

Saddiq Bey had 14 points on 4-10 shooting. But it was Marvin Bagley III who carried the Pistons — 27 points on 11-17 shooting, with 7 rebounds.

Killian Hayes had 6 points off the bench in 25 minutes.

Bagley was the #2 overall pick in the 2019 draft by Sacramento and has been considered a bust until his recent trade to the Pistons — part of a 4-team trade in February wherein Detroit gave up Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles, and two 2nd-round picks. So far it looks like a steal for Detroit as Bagley is averaging over 14 ppg for Detroit after 17 games with them.

3. Barrett, Quickley, & Toppin Lead Knicks Young Guns

The Knicks young guns of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and Mitch Robinson shone brighter than Detroit’s young guns in this game.

Barrett had 21 points on 7-18 shooting, with 9 rebounds, and hit big buckets down the stretch.

Another angle on that shot:

Quickley had another great game as the point guard off the bench with 18 points (4-9 from 3) and 6 assists.

Obi Toppin played 17 electrifying minutes — scoring 10 points on 4-6 shooting.

Mitchell Robinson only had 4 points but 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in 29 minutes.

And old man Julius Randle — now 27 years old — played well: 20 points on 7-18 shooting (2-5 from 3), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360934

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/alec-burks-superman-ny-104-detroit-102/feed/ 0 Quickley & Young Guards Launch Fab 4th-Quarter Comeback. NY 111 Miami 103 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/quickley-young-guards-launch-fab-4th-quarter-comeback-ny-111-miami-103/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/quickley-young-guards-launch-fab-4th-quarter-comeback-ny-111-miami-103/#respond Sat, 26 Mar 2022 15:28:40 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3722 Immanuel Quickley and the young Knick guards launched a fab 4th quarter comeback from 17 points down to beat the Eastern-Conference-Leading Miami Heat in Miami, 111-103 on a Friday night. Friday Night Knicks. It wasn’t [...]

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]]> Immanuel Quickley and the young Knick guards launched a fab 4th quarter comeback from 17 points down to beat the Eastern-Conference-Leading Miami Heat in Miami, 111-103 on a Friday night.

Friday Night Knicks.

It wasn’t an ‘incredible’ comeback because the Knicks have been playing so well since the All Star break, especially the last few days and even more so, coming off a blowout of the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte led by Quickley and the young guards — that the comeback was more ‘reinforcement’ of how good this team is playing.

Too late for the playoffs unfortunately. The Knicks improved to 32-42, 5 games back of a spot with 8 games to go. They will be the best team not to make the playoffs — had they won a fraction of all the late leads they blew, they’d be at .500. Miami falls to 47-27, still the best record in the entire Eastern Conference — ahead of Milwaukee, Philly, etc.

“I thought our starters played really well in the 1st half, and our bench didn’t play as well as we would have liked, and in the 2nd half it was the opposite — the starters were ok, they were actually decent, and then the bench came in and they were terrific,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards.

1. All the Young Guards

At the heart of the 4th-quarter comeback was Tom Thibodeau DEFENSE. At the front of it was Quickley — dancing and prancing and penetrating and passing and shooting and scoring. Around him were young guards Quentin Grimes, playing D and knocking down 3’s, and Miles McBride — “Deuce” — playing D, ripping down rebounds, and scoring. Jericho Sims and Taj Gibson manned the front court — pulling down key offensive and defensive rebounds, and blocking shots.

With 3 minutes left, old man RJ Barrett — 21 years old — came in for Grimes to defend Jimmy Butler. Barrett did his job, and also ripped down a key rebound and hit all of his free throws (2-2) down the stretch. Obi Toppin — who had been sensational again in the 3rd quarter — came in for Taj for the final 3 minutes.

2. The Comeback — Play by Play

With the Knicks down 17 with 11:37 left in the game:

  • Quickley hit a 3 to make it 90-76, pulling NY to within 14,
  • Quickley hit 2 free throws to make it 90-78,
  • Quickley hit another 3 to make it 90-81,
  • Kyle Lowry made to free throws to make it 92-81,
  • Quentin Grimes hit a 3 to make it 92-84,
  • Miles McBride hit a 3 to make it 92-87,

  • McBride played great D on Lowry, stole the ball, and went full court for a layup to make it 92-89,

  • After a Jericho Sims offensive rebound, Grimes hit a 3 to tie the game 92-92 with 6:19 left,

  • Jimmy Butler hit a shot inside to give Miami back the lead, 94-92,
  • Quickley hit a floater to tie it again, 94-94,
  • Grimes hit a 3 to give NY the lead, 97-94 with 4:57 left,

  •  After 2 minutes of back-and-forth no score, Bam Adebayo made 1 free throw to make it 97-95 NY on top,
  • Quickley hit an underhanded floater in the lane to make it 99-95 NY,

  • Barrett ripped down a big rebound in traffic,
  • Quickley hit 2 free throws after a failed Miami challenge, to make it 101-95 NY with 2 minutes left,
  • Quickley stole the ball and drove the court for a layup to make it 103-95 with 1:39 left.

In the final minute, with NY up 8, Miami launched 3’s (Butler hit one to pull Miami to within 4; Lowry missed) and fouled NY on the other end. RJ Barrett (2-2) and Quickley (4-4) made all their free throws to ice it. Barrett made a terrific pass while triple-teamed on the baseline to Taj Gibson for an important slam (looked like he walked but it wasn’t called) and both he and McBride ripped down clutch rebounds. Duncan Robinson hit a 3 with 2 seconds left for the final score.

Quickley was the main hero — and finished with 23 points on 6-12 shooting (3-8 from 3, 8-8 in free throws) and 3 assists. He entered the 4th quarter with 3 points — scored 20 in the 4th.

Deuce McBride played the entire 4th, finishing with 17 minutes, and 9 points on 2-6 shooting with 5 assists and a +16.

Quentin Grimes had 9 points on 3-6 shooting (all from 3) in 16 minutes.

3. All the Young Centers and the Old Man

Mitchell Robinson, coming off the bench due to the back soreness that caused him to miss the prior game — was gangbusters when he was in: 11 points on 4-5 shooting and 7 (seven) Offensive rebounds. Jericho Sims played 28 minutes as the starter and was 3-3 for 6 points and 7 rebounds.

Taj Gibson played 22 minutes of tough basketball: 5 points (2-4 shooting), 3 rebounds, and a block.

4. Toppin Terrific Again

Obi Toppin started at power forward again with Julius Randle out with the minor leg injury, and was terrific again — 15 points on 6-10 shooting (2-4 from 3) and 8 rebounds.

Etcetera

After the game, Thibodeau was asked by Marc Berman of the NY Post if social media has been a problem for the Knicks this year. Thibodeau answered with comments about social media. “How many people are watching the game to really know what is going on in a game. I see a lot of opinions but not enough people doing the work to actually study it.”

Walt Frazier dressed in a Miami Vice suit to hex the Heat. And it worked.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360922

 

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]]> https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/quickley-young-guards-launch-fab-4th-quarter-comeback-ny-111-miami-103/feed/ 0 Barrett, Obi & Knicks TEAM Blowout Charlotte, 121-106 https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/barrett-obi-knicks-team-blowout-charlotte-121-106/ https://www.knicks.city/2021-22/barrett-obi-knicks-team-blowout-charlotte-121-106/#respond Thu, 24 Mar 2022 13:56:30 +0000 https://knicks.city/?p=3714 Obi Toppin started at power forward for the 2nd straight game — with Julius Randle out with a ‘leg injury’ after his anger episode at the end of the Utah game — and the Knicks [...]

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]]> Obi Toppin started at power forward for the 2nd straight game — with Julius Randle out with a ‘leg injury’ after his anger episode at the end of the Utah game — and the Knicks played team-oriented, fast-paced ball all night in blowing out the Hornets in Charlotte, 121-106.

The Knicks passed, passed, passed, and ran, ran, ran. They had 7 players with double figures in points, led by RJ Barrett who had 30 points on efficient 10-19 shooting (3-7 from 3; 7-8 in free throws).

“We’ve been playing well since the All-Star break,” said RJ Barrett afterwards. “But 4th quarter the other team has executed; and we didn’t. Tonite we played well from start to finish. It was beautiful, amazing basketball, and it was fun to be a part of.”

“We have a number of guys who can get into the paint, and when we get into the paint, and spray — we do have a number of guys who can shoot it as well — so when we get in there and trust each other and make the right plays — myself included as well — that’s tough to guard,” added Barrett.

1. Knicks Kept Composure In 4th

The Knicks jumped out to a 40-24 lead in the 2nd quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field and hitting 8 three pointers.

Charlotte made a run in the 4th and when Isaiah Thomas (remember him?) hit a 3 the Hornets were within 8 points with 7 minutes left, but the Knicks hung tough — getting to the line for free throws by Taj Gibson, RJ Barrett, and Alec Burks to keep them up by 10, and then in the closing 2 minutes, back-to-back Obi Toppin DUNKS sealed it.

2. Toppin Dominated

Obi Toppin was everywhere all night; rebounding, defending, intercepting passes; running the court full sprint; slam dunking; hitting 3’s. He finished with 18 points on 8-11 shooting (2-4 from 3), 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and a +19 in 40 minutes.

“He had a phenomenal game today, and he made huge plays down the stretch as well. He’s a live wire, man, he’s so athletic, can shoot the ball, get the rebound and push, and make plays, make decisions. I’m just happy to see him get more comfortable in his own skin recently.”

3. Efficient Shooting for Barrett

And RJ Barrett had a great game as well — 30 points on 10-19 shooting (3-7 from 3; 7-8 in free throws), with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. With his 2nd straight 30-point game, Barrett raised his ppg average to 19.9.

4. Young Guards Looked Great

Besides the 21-year-old Barrett, the other Knicks young guards all played great. Immanuel Quickley continued to play great at the point — 10 pts on 4-9 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in 21 minutes off the bench.

And Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride also played well. McBride was 3-4 from the floor for 9 pts.

Old man (29 years old) Alec Burks started at the point and looked good for an old man — 17 points on 5-11 shooting including 3-6 from 3.

5. Fournier Breaks Knicks’ 3-Pt Record

Evan Fournier broke John Starks’ single-season record for Most 3-Pointer’s Made in Knicks History. Fournier was 4-10 from 3 for 12 pts.

6. Sims Starts as Robinson Out

Jericho Sims started as Mitchell Robinson was out with lower back soreness. Sims played 26 minutes with 10 points on 5-5 shooting. Taj Gibson played great as first man off the bench — 12 points on 4-5 shooting.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360903

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