Knicks 102, Spurs 98: “He’s using the WD-40 tonight!”
The Knicks courted disaster in the third quarter, letting a 3-point halftime lead turn into a 17-point deficit. Thankfully, some high-scoring antics from RJ Barrett and Alec Burks down the stretch saved the game, and pushed the Knicks to eight games over .500 in the key final stretch of the season.
I was prepared to be very, very angry after this game. Fortunately, the 2020-21 Knicks did things that this iteration of the team does, namely, not saying die.
The first half was largely a crap-fest. Neither team could make a shot. The first quarter, in particular, probably made James Naismith roll over in his grave — the Knicks scored 20 points on 30% shooting (0% from three) and the Spurs countered with 18 points on 26.9% shooting (16.7% from three). Halftime saw the Knicks take a 46-43 lead on a three by Alec Burks, capping a 14-point first half that he would actually top in the second:
Now on to the second half… the part that made me want to break my remote like Alan Hahn in his basement studio for the first 5:26 of the third quarter, and then a little bit of carryover afterwards. What’s the significance of 5:26, you might ask?
Five minutes and 26 seconds was the exact amount of time I was forced to watch the most low-energy, try-less, defenseless, sack of shit player that the Knicks employ try to personally piss away a game that could only be considered a must-win (they all are if the Knicks want to work their way back to the No. 4 seed, but more on that shortly).
I hate that I’m forced to hate Elfrid Payton, basketball player, as much as I do. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy off the court or anything. But on it, he’s consistently been the only player that doesn’t seem to give a shit that this team is playing for something this year. Maybe it’s because he’s only been on bad teams his whole career? The same could be largely be said for Julius Randle, Reggie Bullock, RJ Barrett, Frank Ntilikina, and others on this team, yet they all seem to understand that this year is not the year to come out and mail in every game like you just put in your two weeks’ notice.
At any rate: 5:26, and a -14. I have no idea what Thibs sees in Payton anymore, especially considering Frank came in this game and provided a really quality six minutes in the first half — including some lockdown D and a made three — but couldn’t even see the floor in the second half, let alone be given a long enough leash to let a 3-point lead turn into an 11-point deficit (and eventually a 17-point deficit, by the time the stink of his lethargic play and the Spurs’ red-hot start to the quarter wore off).
Luckily for everyone involved, Burks came in to replace Payton, and that’s when the fun began. On a night where Derrick Rose was sitting due to a “sprained ankle” (Thibs insinuated after the game that it might have been more of a rest game than anything), the Knicks were in desperate need of shot creation, which Burks provided in spades.
But before Burks got into his groove in the fourth, RJ Barrett went full Human Torch to end the third quarter:
Rowan would end the third quarter with 11 points… but he wasn’t done yet!
Those would be RJ’s last two buckets before he canned two game-sealing free throws late, but all in all, 19 points on 6-12 shooting (4-6 from three) for the youngest Knick in the second half, all part of a total stat line of 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for the night.
Then, like a chain smoker lighting his next smoke off the nearly-dead butt still in his lips, Burks ignited just as RJ’s time on fire was dwindling. Sandwiched between RJ’s last two triples, Burks canned one of his own that gave the Knicks the lead they they ultimately would never surrender again:
From that make through the end of the game, Burks was responsible for 14 of the Knicks’ 21 points. Burks was back like he never left, or as Clyde said on the broadcast, “He’s using the WD-40 tonight! No rust for Burks!” Have I mentioned lately that I love Clyde to death?
Amid Burks’ heroics, Randle delivered a key make down the stretch as well, putting the Knicks up four with just under a minute left, ultimately the dagger that would force the game into “win the game at the free throw line” territory slightly after, which Burks and Barrett did to send this one home.
Notes
— This game proved to be a must-win by about halftime. Both the Heat and the Hawks put a whooping on the Sixers and the Magic, respectively, to secure wins for themselves heading into this ultra-important home stretch of the season to avoid a date with the Bucks in the first round. As things stand right now, the Knicks are still in the sixth spot, tied with the Heat at 39-31 and a half game behind the Hawks at 40-31. The math to get the Knicks back to that fourth seed is pretty complex:
My basic understanding is this:
If all three finish with the same record, it goes Hawks-Heat-Knicks
If the Hawks finish with the best record and the Heat and Knicks are tied, it goes Hawks-Heat-Knicks again
If the Heat finish with the best record and the Hawks and Knicks are tied, it goes Heat-Knicks-Hawks
If the Knicks and Hawks finish tied and one game ahead of the Heat, the Hawks get the higher seed thanks to being a division winner and it goes Hawks-Knicks-Heat
Ditto the above, but with the Heat and Hawks switched
If the Knicks finish with the best record, who cares, they’re the fourth seed!
So to say that each game now is a must-win is an understatement, which brings me to my next point…
— Thibs really ran the wheels off the closing lineup again in this game. Barely any subs were made in the second half other than (thankfully) Payton and some swapping out of Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson. Randle and Bullock played the full 24 minutes. Barrett played 23:14. Burks played 18:34 straight from the time he entered the game for Payton in the third.
Between this game and the marathon second half/OT against the Lakers the other day (which, honestly, may have been the reason that Rose needed to sit this game), my inclination is to say that Thibs is grinding these guys to dust before the playoffs, which is bad. But when I thought about it, the play-in tournament is running from May 18-21, AKA next Tuesday through Friday. That means that once the Knicks’ regular season wraps up this Sunday, they’ll have at least five full days to rest before the playoffs start on Saturday. So, go ahead, Thibs, run these guys as much as you want. These two wins on Saturday and Sunday are absolutely critical if the Knicks want to potentially move up in the standings (though if, for whatever reason, they're already locked into the No. 6 seed by the time of Sunday’s game, maybe then give the guys a rest to avoid any potential injuries).
— Immanuel Quickley made his return in this game along with Burks, and the two guys couldn’t have had more divergent returns. Burks was a fireball, Quickley was that match that you strike too many times against the side of the box and just doesn’t fucking light. Quickley had zero points in 11 minutes on 0-4 shooting, and definitely seemed kind of uncomfortable and like he was getting his legs back. That’s OK. Maybe Burks can share some of the WD-40 with him next game.
— Randle didn’t have his best shooting game, but he made his living driving and dishing along the baseline. Look back again at how some of the most pivotal shots of the comeback were created:
Julius very nearly notched another triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. I’m past the point of really caring about his shooting percentages game to game. He’s going to have some nights where he shoots like tonight (7-21, but also 10-10 from the free throw line), and that’s fine, as long as he’s also affecting the game in other ways.
— Dejounte Murray targeted Elf over and over and over again when the Spurs went on their big run.
There are capable defenders rotting on the bench for the Knicks right now. There’s no reason that should be happening when you have a guy actively shitting away minutes at a time.
— One such guy? Frank Ntilikina, who got just 6:24 of playing time, but canned a three and played some good defense in those minutes. If Elf is just out there for “perimeter defense” and Randle/RJ are trusted for playmaking in the starting lineup… why not just start the great defender who can also hit the three?
Anyway, I’m going down an angry rabbit hole again. Time to just chill and enjoy the win. The Knicks are eight games over .500 with two games to go. They’re probably about to win at least 40 games in a 72-game season, which would be a 46-win pace normally. Life is still pretty good, even if some things about this season remain frustrating.
New York will close out the season with a pair of matinees on Saturday and Sunday, with two play-in teams visiting to try to figure out if they’ll be in the 7-8 grouping or the 9-10 grouping: the Hornets and the Celtics. Hopefully the Knicks keep playing with the fire we’ve come to know and love from them this year.
