The Knicks beat the Cavaliers until there was no pulse and then burned the wreckage at a fanless Madison Square Garden on Friday, ringing Cleveland, 119-83, behind a strong overall defensive effort and beautiful offensive performances from Immanuel Quickley and Kevin. Knox.
New York led by 49 people at a time, which is close to 50 points, which sounds impossible for the Knicks, but, well, here we are. With the victory, the Knicks end the pre-season with 3-1 and, for the first time in a few years, there is what feels like a tangible hope. Sure, the Knicks played a Cavs team without Andre Drummond and Kevin Love tonight, and yes, the Cavs are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this year, just like the Knicks. But, as Stanley Hudson would say, lift him to the bottom.
Strangely, if not for an eruption of injuries to some of our precious Knicks, the pre-season probably wouldn’t have ended on such a high note.
Injury Report vs. Cavs: Out – Burks (personal reasons), Kidd Gilchrist (illness), Ntilikina (Achilles left), Noel (clogged left knee), Payton (hamster left to left), Rivers (groin left to right) , Smith Jr. (left injured quad) and Spellman (right knee injured).
– NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) December 18, 2020
However, with all the goalkeepers out of action, Quickley was given the opportunity to start on point guard and quickly took his place in the team’s previous 100-93 victory over Cleveland. From the jump, it was clear that Quickley was confident. He researched the paint, moved the ball and sank each of his first three shots, including two three, putting the Knicks 17-5 with just a few minutes left.
However, it wasn’t just Quickley. RJ Barrett has a fantastic effort at goal. He’s got a crack at the rebound all alone in front of … try and cope with them. Meanwhile, Reggie Bullock was on fire, Mitchell Robinson was playing well, avoiding mistakes, and Julius Randle was looking to make pots instead of spinning.
Even Jared Harper went into action, earning his first minutes of the pre-season as a backup goalkeeper and immediately putting in a four-point game. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks had grown 41-18.
The second quarter was more of the same, except that Knox led the charge. There was a lot of talk about how Tom Thibodeau wants Knox to take smart photos, and he did just that tonight. Each of Knox’s jumpers entered the flow of the offense and, by the middle of the third, had already hit three out of four triples. He was splashing like your annoying brother in the pool, who keeps splashing even after you’ve agreed to a truce.
At the break, the Knicks led 72-35, and for the first time in the dog’s age, it seemed appropriate to feel confident that they would not let Cleveland crawl back into the game. For the record, Quickley had 15 points and 4 steals in the half, and Knox had 12 points on 4-6 from the field.
In the third quarter, nothing changed again. The Cavs tank was still empty, while the Knicks presented a fresh set of young legs eager to show their worth. Barrett and Robinson continue to show the best chemistry seen on TV from Breaking Bad.
Quickley’s 20th point of the night came in a nutshell, in case you’re wondering if slams are part of his arsenal.
Just over a minute into the third, Knox’s sixth-third of the night gave Knicks a 101-54 lead. Walt Clyde Frazier said the shots were “falling like rain” for the former Kentucky Wildcat, who could be anyone on the Knicks nowadays, but you know he’s referring to Knox because of the magic of the context.
In the fourth quarter, the rest of the bench started playing, which means we were given the chance to see Ignas Brazdeikis, Myles Powell and even Bryce Brown. In most explosions, the losing team ends up late in the lead, and the final score usually doesn’t look as bad as it did the rest of the game. Here, while the Knicks had that 49-point advantage mentioned above, they still managed to win by 36, which is very strange.
Notes:
> So that’s how it feels when the team you root for plays very well. It’s fun when it’s fun to watch your favorite basketball team.
> As mentioned earlier, for the most part, Knox only took photos at the pace of the crime. Late in the evening, his patience was rewarded.
> It seems that Mitchell Robinson can handle the responsibility of starting very well. The Blockness monster finished with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks in 27 minutes on the floor. Most importantly, he did not pick up any fouls.
> Barrett was 5-5 on free throws. He totaled 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Look great.
> Obi Toppin played well (6 points on 2-5 shots, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, but 2 turnovers), and a season up and down is expected, hopefully with more promises than dismay. Toppin continued to drive the baseline and get so close to the sideline before launching wild passes that were actually quite accurate.
If Obi Toppin can drive the baseline and find such passes on a regular basis, that would make me feel much better if the Knicks pick him at 8 pic.twitter.com/TFKwqmZwZF
– Daniel Olinger (@dan_olinger) December 17, 2020
> Brazdeikis excludes jurisdiction. In 17 minutes, he had 1 point (0-2 draw), 5 tables, 2 assists and a block. These stats won’t throw you away, but he’s just a confident guy who can handle the ball and get it right. Here’s hoping he finds a role this season.
> Randle was the version of Randle that we all wish we could see on a regular basis. He had 11 points and 8 assists in just 24 minutes of action and focused very clearly on the passes when it was the case once he entered the band.
> The MVP of the night was Immanuel Quickley, who had 22 points at 7-12, including 3-5 in depth. He also posted 5 assists and 5 steals.
Jey Van Halen summed it up briefly on behalf of Knicks fans everywhere: “I love the IQ & Barrett field. Is beautiful’
The Knicks kicked off the regular season on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m., in Indiana, against the Pacers. Who the hell knows what the starting range will look like? Certainly not us. For now, let’s enjoy this wonderful victory.