Knicks 116, Hawks 114: The invisible man
There was much to see in the Knicks gutsy win in Atlanta, but it was a lot of what we didn’t that made the difference
On their first possession of the second quarter in their 116-114 loss to the New York Knicks last night, the Atlanta Hawks had the ball where they want it: in the hands of Rayford Trae Young. Defended by Josh Hart, Young dipped into his bag of holding, busting out the usual shifts and shenanigans, none of which shook Hart. Instead the set ended with a Young fadeaway that ended in an airball and him fading out of bounds, away from the action, as the Knicks broke out in transition. The push ended with an Isaiah Hartenstein dunk and Jalen Johnson so lost on the play his back is to iHart as he’s filling the lane.
Nine of the 10 players in the game are visible in the action. The only one you can’t see is Young. The invisible man was the theme of this Knicks’ win. There were several.
The curious case of Young is how much his star has dimmed given his supernova 2021 playoffs, when he chastised Madison Square Garden, sent Ben Simmons’ identity back to the drawing board and put the fear of God into the eventual champion Bucks. The counting numbers are still there today, but he’s shooting career-worsts on threes (28%) and twos (40%). There’s no sense of the spark that once gave people outside the A-T-L something to associate with the city beside its airport and its baseball team’s and their fans’ chokehold on the title of “Most proudly & overtly racist in MLB.” In addition to last night being Young’s first game without a three this year, he missed seven of the eight shots he took against every Knick not named Immanuel. He even missed a couple of free throws, including one that would have tied the game in the final minute. Where’d he go?
Somewhere between Hakeem Olajuwon’s domination of the Knicks in the 1994 Finals and Roy Hibbert legally adopting Tyson Chandler in 2013, the history of opposing centers crushing the Knicks in the playoffs includes a chapter on Clint Capela, who took advantage of Mitchell Robinson’s absence in 2021 to plant his flag all over the paint on both ends. Every year since, his minutes have dropped, which makes sense given the presence of promising young center Onyeka Okongwu behind him. Still, this is a proud pivot, a viable veteran; last night Capela’s job was to neutralize Robinson. Mitch had 15 rebounds, including six offensive, and finished +8 in 30 minutes. In 26, Capela had eight and three; the only thing offensive about his boards were the absence of any. Zero offensive rebounds and a -21. Where’d he go?
The concern for New York at tip-off was their invisible man. RJ Barrett missed his second straight game due to migraines (as a looong-time migraine sufferer: no, if you’re wondering, you can’t just “fight your way through” a migraine; and RJ, if you’re reading this, cannabis worked wonders for me preventing the headaches). The Knicks came in winless in games Barrett’s missed entering last night; their shorthandedness lengthened after Quentin Grimes had to leave with what Tom Thibodeau said was a “bruised left hand.” This was especially sad given that Grimes was finally showing some aggression with his shot, taking 11 in 28:31 of playing time, only the fourth time in his career he’s taken that many in that short a run. But the players who’d help settle things were a pair of Knicks who were invisible the last time the Hawks mattered. The Hawks no longer do.
Mitchell Robinson’s praises keep being sung, but what else is there to do in light of his exploits? Music takes us to places we can only dream of; New York’s man in the middle does too. Unlike Young, where smaller numbers accurately reflect a smaller footprint, Walt Frazier would say Mitch’s numbers are “lying and belying” his actual impact. The Knicks entered the fourth quarter up six, but scored only seven points in the frame’s first seven minutes in falling behind seven. In the final five minutes, they scored 22 points. For the game’s final 5:20, the Hawks did not grab one. Single. Blessed. Rebound. Mitch sure did.
In the 2021 playoffs, Immanuel Quickley was invisible on the offensive end, putting up a 30/36/71 slash line in a hard-to-watch 15 minutes a game. Former Atlanta great Dominique Wilkins went so far as to slander IQ for being unable to guard Young one-on-one, a curious charge for three reasons:
In his prime, Dominique Wilkins couldn’t guard Brigham Young, who never played basketball and has been dead 146 years.
Other than last night, Quickley’s numbers defending Young have always been better than good
The way Young is trending, I’d be less concerned with who can’t guard him and more with what’s happening with the franchise’s so-called franchise player
After the Hawks took a 101-94 lead entering those final five minutes, the Knicks called time. When play resumed, IQ called game, dropping a quick nickel on the home team to spark a 7-0 run, including the kind of long-range three Trae used to make.
Quick also twice hit game-tying free throws and added the pair at the end that provided the final margin of victory. Also, a public-service message: a couple of years ago, society was hit with a pandemic that has persisted despite dying down some. If you or someone you know are still suffering from “Quickley’s not a point guard” syndrome, keep calm and know he’s all that and more.
We haven’t even mentioned Jalen Brunson, an invisible man when this seeming rivalry was born, still in Dallas then, but one whose fingerprints are all over showing its growing one-sidedness. 10 in the fourth for JB, including one key make after another in late-and-close sets as the game grew later and closer. With the Knicks just needing one inbound and a free throw to clinch the win, Brunson was called for a five-second violation. The Hawks had one more chance and found Dejounte Murray having gotten behind the defense en route to a potential wide-open 3-point attempt to tie the game. Brunson wisely fouled him from behind before he could get into his motion, limiting the Hawks to two free throws. Murray did what all NBA players who aren’t Luka Dončić do: made the first, missed the second on-purpose and entered the lane before his shot hit the rim. Knicks win! Knicks win!
The Knicks closed a tough game on the road with two starters out. They’re back above .500 and their next games are a road back-to-back Friday in Washington and Saturday at Charlotte. Will RJ be back? Is Grimes looking at a long absence? You get the feeling whatever the answers are, while they’ll matter, they won’t faze this team. The Thibodeau Knicks have shown over the years they can bounce back from adversity. The Hawks are yet to bounce back from success, stumbling about trying to regain the momentum that seemed within reach just a few years ago. Such is the tao of the invisible man: it’s impossible to know when one leaves the room, but once they’re gone you can feel it.
