It may have been a different opponent and location. Subsequently, Monday night’s performance against Chicago at the United Center was a repeat of what New York Knicks fans have seen before. Tom Thibodeau’s squad was a step behind all night against a team they had a legitimate chance to defeat. The Bulls (8-11) took advantage and snapped a three game losing streak with a 110-102 victory.
It was a moral victory. The game was closer than the score. These cliches are often used in sports. Both came to mind Sunday after the New York Knicks challenged Los Angeles hard before falling to the Clippers 129-115 at Madison Square Garden.
It sure didn’t look promising early. The New York Knicks got off to a lethargic start with their starting five looking like they were mired in quicksand. Enter Immanuel Quickley and Austin Rivers. The rookie sensation and crafty veteran gave New York a spark off the bench as the Knicks pulled away to defeat Cleveland 102-81 Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The win snaps a three game losing skid for the Knicks.
Let’s face it. Most fans of the New York Knicks were hoping for improvement this year. Even with not being successful in landing a star player in free agency the arrrival of Tom Thbodeau as the new head coach, draft picks Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley, along with a few free agent pick ups suggested the team may improve. Knicks loyalists who have suffered through losing season after losing season were at least thinking that an eighth seed or finishnig tenth and trying to play their way in to the NBA playoffs were a possibilty. At this point they would take it.
If you have been a fan of the New York Knicks for a long period of time you should have seen it coming. A three game winning streak. An impressive win at Golden State 24 hours earlier. An opponent that ranks dead last in the league defensively. That exciting feeling that the franchise is finally on the right track. Then, like a balloon that someone stuck a pin in at a children’s birthday party, all of the wind is gone out of it in a split second.
Proving that the stifling defense they played 24 hours earlier in Boston wasn’t a fluke, the New York Knicks did again. Reggie Bullock and RJ Barrett combined on a defensive gem late in the game and the Knicks (7-8) held on for an 91-84 win over the Orlando Magic on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Madison Square Garden.
If ever there was a day for New York to play huge, today was it. On coach Tom Thibodeau’s 63rd birthday the Knicks were playing the rival Celtics in Boston. The Knicks took control early and blew out Boston 105-75 at TD Garden. The surprising win snapped a five-game New York losing skid.
Fans of the New York Knicks have been clamoring for the team to sign or draft a quality point guard for serveral years. After suffering through seasons of watching Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntlikina, Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton among others, the Knicks may have finally found their guy. Rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley has shown flashes of potential as New York’s back up. In my opinion it is time for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau to hand Quickley the keys to the car as the team’s starter.
Andre Drummond dominated the paint, and Damyean Dotson tormented his former teammates down the stretch as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged New York 106-103 Friday night Rocket Mortgage Arena. The loss was the fifth straight for the Knicks (5-8).
Kyrie Irving out. James Harden not yet available. On the heels of the blockbuster trade that brought Harden to the Barclays Center, the shorthanded Nets fought off a late New York rally to edge the Knicks116-109. Kevin Durant was still there, and he was more than Brooklyn needed as he powered the Nets with 26 points. It was the fourth loss in a row for the Knicks (5-7) after a promising 5-3 start.
