The trade looked good. But not good enough.
It didn’t result in a win, but Derrick Rose played Knicks’ second unit in his debut Tuesday, playing alongside rookie goalie Immanuel Quickley in the backfield.
Coach Tom Thibodeau, however, chose not to end with Rose, and the Knicks suffered a heartbreaking 98-96 defeat at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
Rose’s debut in the second season of the Knicks was a lively success, as he flew 14 points at home with three assists in 20 minutes. Rose recorded a block and a theft after not having as much as a practice shootaround with his new club. He shot 5 of 9 – 2 of 3 from a distance of 3 points.
After 98-96, the Knicks had one last gasp, but RJ Barrett failed to turn a master plan into the final seconds, with Jimmy Butler everywhere.
The Knicks have yet to understand the chemistry of the Rose Piston trade. They led 82-76 after three quarters, but failed to stop the Heat.
Quickley’s minutes were not affected as expected, but his shot went just wide. Quickley was just 1 of 8 on the field before hitting a 40-second left floating key to reduce the deficit to one point.
Julius Randle, coincidentally or not, never entered his All-Star groove, shooting 4 of 18 for 12 points. Barrett (13 points), who passed at the end of the previous game against Miami, did not have any particularly good game, despite the fact that he had the chance to be the hero at the last second.
It was 94-94 when Randle shot an open 18-foot-high top off the back iron. Tyler Herro of Miami, their NBA playoff hero, drew a 3-pointer with 1:04 left. After Quickley’s basket, Randle drove and missed an unbalanced jumper on the right with six seconds left.
Rose became a little careless at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with a turnover and a blocked wrong shot. This prompted Thibodeau to use starting guard Elfrid Payton to close, although Quickley came in at the last minute.
“He just got here today,” Thibodeau said of Rose. “It simply came to our notice then. I felt we needed people who knew what we were doing. I didn’t want to put him in such a situation. ”
Payton also played well, scoring 18 points with four assists.
The Knicks, who lost both ends of the home-and-home to fall to 11-15, will have to get rid of the chemistry.
Rose and Quickley came into play as a 3:27 tandem left in the first quarter, making it clear Austin Rivers, who signed in November, is no longer part of the rotation.
With eight points down, the duo started working very fast. Rose found Quickley for a 3-pointer. Quickley found Rose for a 3-pointer. Rose stole, then drove the baseline and made a sensational pass to Burks for a 3-point corner.
Then he hit the rookie Obi Toppin from a slam pick-and-roll.
In the first 7:13 of Rose and Quickley, as a reserve tandem, the Knicks entered a 25-5 race. Rose and Quickley were plus-20 and brought the Knicks 12 points. Overall, their goalkeeping game was great on Tuesday, while Payton led the way for 12 points in the first half.
The Knicks failed to take advantage, however, because Miami man Kelly Olynyk caught fire. He finished with 17 points in the first half, scoring 5 of 6 triples, while Miami led 57-55.
Before the game, Thibodeau disappointed Rose, calling him another “elite” player, adding: “He tells me he’s as healthy as he is.”