It was as if 11 months of enthusiastic fervor had been unleashed in one night at the Garden.
A lively, strong crowd of 2,000 cheered the Knicks, agitated the Warriors and booed the referees on Tuesday night. But in the end, the first crowd of the Garden season – which a team spokesman called sold out – could do so much and the Warriors’ talent won.
Golden State beat the Knicks in the second half to a 114-106 victory. Stephen Curry rained down 37 points, and Draymond Green was all over the field in a defensive gem.
Green made All-Star Julius Randle fight off the field while accumulating 11 assists, two steals and a block. Randle finished with 25 points on 8 of 21 shots and was sent off with 17.5 seconds left after taking his second technique.
Indeed, the Knicks were frustrated afterwards, with coach Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose taking on every issue with the lack of calls going on the Knicks road – causing them to shoot only 39%.
“Sometimes you get calls, other times you don’t,” Thibodeau said. “It seemed that there were a lot of contacts on our records and we did not receive the calls. We have to deal with this, yes. “
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett had a tough night, shooting 1 of 9 for four points and missed a key free throw at 1:26.
“Obviously we didn’t play well,” Thibodeau said. “They played very well. [Curry’s] the shots do a lot of the offense, and Draymond is great at making decisions, so he stretches you pretty well. ”
The crowd gasped as Barrett of Kelly Oubre was flattened by an opponent after 59 minutes and had to be carried off.
Thibodeau lost the challenge, making the Scary Garden even angrier. The loss of the challenge also hurt Thibodeau.
“I didn’t think there was a mistake,” Thibodeau said. “It simply came to our notice then. This was kind of my point of view, if it was a foul, there were several others that were and fouls that were not called. There can be no one way and that is what you are looking for. Just look for consistency. ”
The night seemed to be special when Randle picked up the microphone before the “MVP” songs were released, thanked the essentials, and shouted, “Let’s go Knicks!” MVP songs will continue whenever he throws free throws.
“Right from the jump, you realize they were thrilled with the way they cheered Ju,” Rose said. “Forget about how much energy you get and jump when the fans are in the building. We hope that things continue to improve and let more fans in. You can tell that the city is excited and waiting for some games to come. “
But then Randle’s night ended on a sour note, with his late expulsion for whining.
“It was hard,” Randle said. “I think it was really unforeseen. But I just leave it at that. But I won’t let him dictate how the night goes. I’m more upset that I lost the game. I feel like I could have done better. ”
During the players’ introductions, the Warriors were booed, just like when one of their players went to the foul line.
“There were fans flying, which was great,” Curry said. “There is no better feeling – I don’t care if it’s 19,000 or 2,000. You like to silence a lot of roads. ”
After Green shot two deep photos, fans in the blue chairs started singing “Draaay-mooond”. Everything felt refreshing after almost two months in a sterile garden environment with computer-generated noise.
Eager fans, who missed the first 14 games, were splashed across the arena, many in new Immanuel Quickley or Randle jerseys. Unfortunately for them, Quickley suffered a quiet night (1 for 5, three points).
In front of the court were 20 socially distanced fans, including former Giant star Justin Tuck.
The team’s president, Leon Rose and his lieutenants, were set in the yard for the crowdless games, but were moved behind the baseline on Tuesday.
The frustration of the second half – and the referees – reached Rose and senior vice president William Wesley. The Warriors started the second half in a 22-6 race.
After Elfrid Payton was called up for a doubtful foul after stripping Curry, Rose stepped on his feet and Wesley jumped angrily from his chair, stepping in disgust.
The two senior Knicks officials were indeed caught in the newly charged atmosphere. Meanwhile, Knicks owner James Dolan was not present in his new 100-level chair – probably hidden in a suite.