Cavs 119, Knicks 101: Shit that’ll turn you white
In a thoroughly predictable loss by the Knicks to the Cavs, Obi Toppin at least scored 20 for the first time, and some other young Knicks had moments.
Patrick Ewing did it in his third game. Kenny Walker, his 11th. Mike Sweetney needed 113. Channing Frye only took seven. Danilo Gallinari did it in 29, which due to injuries came in his second season. Jordan Hill never did it in 24 games as a Knick; when he finally pulled it off, it was game 246 and he was an LA Laker. Kristaps Porziņģis pulled it off in 12. Took 177 for Frank Ntilikina, bless his heart. Kevin Knox did it in 17. RJ Barrett accomplished it in his very first game.
In the draft lottery era, those are all the New York Knicks’ lottery picks (whom they kept – we didn’t forget you, Nenê). Oh, and Obi Toppin, of course. Obi scored 20 in today’s 119-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his first time hitting that mark in the pros. What’s that you say? I buried the lede by not talking about the game result until the 13th sentence of this recap? Twas no oversight, dear reader. It came from a place of love.
For I cannot imagine anyone with a sane brain or the sliveriest part of a heart wanting more of this afternoon’s collective disgrace. To be clear: there is no shame in the Knicks falling to the Cavs, especially without Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, Cam Reddish, and Nerlens Noel. Cleveland’s form has dropped since earlier this season, but even with the play-in looking inevitable, they remain one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this year. Once they get back two 7-footers in All-Star Jarrett Allen and Rookie of the Year contender Evan Mobley, this is not a team anyone wants to play in a winner-take-all proposition.
If you care, this was one of those late-season games you can close your eyes and see. New York trailed most of the way, never threatening to threaten. This L was always a matter of “when” and not “if.” With the Knicks eliminated from the play-in and shorthanded, we saw some bizarre shit that’ll turn you white. Immanuel Quickely played 30 minutes, including more minutes than Alec Burks. Ryan Arcidiacono saw 22 minutes of action. Three Knicks starters played fewer than 30 minutes. Tom Thibodeau was on the sideline astral projecting to his safe place, which ironically was where he actually was: at the Garden, losing again. What a mad, mad, mad, mad world.
As for Obadiah Richard, oddly enough he continues to produce when given playing time. This was Toppin’s sixth start this season. In those games he’s averaging 14.5 points on 58/33/85 shooting, plus 7.2 rebounds and two-and-a-half assists for every turnover. The Knicks are only 2-4 in those games, but if you think that’s Obi’s fault, you’re pro’ly the type who thinks the President controls gas prices or doesn’t tip your waiter when your dinner’s overdone.
Remember last year, when Toppin was content/relegated to alley-oops, shooting threes, and handing the ball off? The 2022 model is far more aggressive. Here he is driving, spinning and winning over the taller Lauri Markkanen for the basket and the foul.
A lot of the other highlights were slams, including a lefty East Bay throwdown that died before ever living thanks to yet another take foul. But that’s not all Toppin brings. Watch him fill the lane on breakaways, in secondary transition, and open up space and looks for his teammates. There’s something to be said for the intangibles, like ligament assists: the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the bucket. Sometimes Toppin cuts out the middleman and dishes the dime himself. He’s not a great passer, but he’s an insightful passer.
Energy is a tangible though mysterious object. Is Toppin a better player in a vacuum than Randle? Not at this point in time. Does even a struggling Randle occupy the defense in ways that could/should ease life for his ‘mates? He does. Will Obi earn $200 million or more in the NBA? Odds are against him. Toppin may never be the force multiplier we all hope lottery picks end up being. But he is an energy multiplier, even on an aimless, slow-ass team like New York. Imagine the Knicks adding a foundational young player with physical or intellectual burners, a LaMelo Ball, a Ja Morant. Like high blood pressure and toxic masculinity, speed is the silent killer.
Speaking of IQs, Immanuel Quickley deserves recognition for his performance. They say numbers do and don’t lie; both are true for Quick, in this case. He shot 6-17 from the field, including a blech 3-11 inside the arc. But, again, energy matters. Spirit matters. Doing your best when the chips are down shows your teammates that you’re dependable; it shows the fans and the coach (in that order) that you deserve to be out there whenever games hang in the balance. IQ nabbed seven boards and dished seven dimes, leading the team in both categories.
Knicks fans tend to stampede over one another when it’s time to sing RJ Barrett’s praises, so let’s be fair: this performance is not going in his best-of videos. It wasn’t just the shooting, though I’m already wondering if/hoping that RJ doesn’t take 2-3 months to find his stroke next year. To Barrett’s credit, he has a Playoff Rondo energy accepting the challenge of defending some of the great guards drafted around him, whether it’s Morant or, in today’s case, Darius Garland. Accepting the challenge is a long way from completing it, and on that end Barrett still has a loooong way to go. Then again, it’s not like any other Knicks had Garland figured out.
There was no joy in Mudville, AKA MSG. There wasn’t even enough energy in the arena to boo. This marathon of misery is finally nearing the 26.2 mile mark, and it can’t come soon enough. I’ve sat through worse years than this, watched much worse teams, seen the Knicks in far direr straits. And yet – and maybe this is the 43 in me talking – this season has been such a taxing, titanic trial. The Knicks are 33-43 and 10 games under .500 against the East. It seems unlikely they’ll switch conferences anytime soon, so something else is gonna have to turn things around.
Maybe that’s Toppin taking on a bigger role. Or Quickley. Maybe RJ at 25 is something beyond our wildest dreams. I certainly don’t know. I just wrote over 1100 words on a game that didn’t deserve 100. I feel sick. Dirty. If you do, let me leave you with one moment of true beauty, albeit courtesy of the visitors.
