Knicks 126, Hawks 120: Many hands, light work
Positive play from seemingly every Knick who played helped New York to its first win of the season
Shortly before the pandemic hit, one brutally, bitterly cold winter’s day, I spent hours tucked into a warm and toasty Chinese restaurant I’d accidentally discovered. My love language is Chinese take-out, the dive-ier the better. But Crepe and Go was a legit sit-down restaurant, the food and ambiance closer to home cooking than takeout. It took a while into the pandemic for me to stop by again, when I learned it’d been destroyed in a fire.
A couple days ago I learned they re-opened in a new location, so last night I ordered delivery. My taste buds had a flashback, the good kind. While I ate I watched the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 126-120 in Atlanta, a win that carried that same fun flashback quality. Especially seeing all the differences between now and 2021, when the two teams met in the playoffs. Fire destroys, but it also brings renewal.
Maybe it was the good grub, but I had a warm, easygoing feeling the whole game. I never doubted the Knicks would win. Hitting 10 threes in the opening half has a way of raising confidence.
Another reason for the good vibes: almost everyone on the Knicks did something demonstrably well. After a tough opening night against the deep shooting of Boston’s Kristaps Porziņģis, Mitchell Robinson pro’ly perked up knowing his next matchup was a rim-runner more likely to sprout three new heads than to shoot outside the paint. 38 largely effective minutes from Mount Mitch, including 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocks. He even hit three of four free throws.
There are some Knicks fans who don’t think Julius Randle can be part of a brighter future, which is fair. There are others who, even if Randle invented a cheap and infinitely sustainable energy source, one that eliminated hunger and deprivation around the world, would focus on every bad decision or lazy closeout he makes. I was only filtering positivity last night, so my takeaway was after two games Randle has 23 rebounds, 16 assists (against just three turnovers) and six 3-pointers. If you remember him in Atlanta in the spring of 2021, he looked completely lost and confused. Like when henchmen know Batman is nearby, but they aren’t sure where, exactly, so they just shoot scared in every direction?
But time after time last night you saw Randle post up, get down into the lane, draw extra defenders and – and this was critical, and beautiful – stay patient and allow the defense to get into its scrambling before he calmly and decisively made good passes out of the double-teams. The Knicks led much of the game; every time the Hawks pulled close, the Knicks had an answer. Often from deep. Several times thanks to Randle’s playmaking.
RJ Barrett is infamous for slow starts, to games, to seasons, some (not me) would say to his career. The player we’ve seen the first two games would be a franchise game-changer if they’re not a mirage. Barrett’s decision-making has been worthy of MoMA, his defense has been remarkable – in a good way – and it’s all looked sustainable. He may not continue to hit 60% of his twos and threes, or 80% of his free throws, but the more confidence he builds in other areas, the more confidence he brings to his shooting. And the more he’s able to impact the game in other ways, the more of an overall threat he becomes and the better the Knicks become.
The biggest difference between Knicks/Hawks now versus 2021 is what’s changed with Trae Young, which aren’t his numbers: the self-proclaimed “King of New York” has averaged 27 points and 10 assists a game while shooting 36% from deep the past two years. There are several NBA owners who would willingly wipe out entire indigenous populations to land a guy who puts up those numbers. But two years ago the Knicks had no one who could guard Young, really. Now Quentin Grimes goes from facing Jayson Tatum in one game to Young in the next. Young shot a ghastly 4-of-16 and had little to no luck trying that crap where he dribbles within six inches of the defender’s shadow, then hurls his body so violently you’d think some demon just took possession. Last night, Young’s demon was Grimes.
Two years ago Young was the difference maker in this matchup, the best player on the floor for either team. That honor is now Jalen Brunson’s. 31 and five dimes for the people’s king, including eight from downtown, leading the Knicks on a night they made 19 threes through three quarters; even with a relative cooling off in the fourth, they ended up +24 in 3-point differential. Brunson’s ability time after time to so seemingly simply get to a spot behind the arc and just pull up and splash is as big a difference as any between the Knicks now and the Knicks the last time they were following up a postseason appearance. Two years ago, they didn’t pose a question other teams had no answer for. Today, they do.
Donte DiVincenzo was a spark off the bench, scoring 16 points in 20 minutes, while Immanuel Quickley chipped in with six rebounds and six assists. Add Isaiah Hartenstein’s production to Mitch’s and the Knick pivots posted a striking 15 and 15 along with five steals and five blocks. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead – and I hesitate to describe Taj Gibson in the past tense, given that he’s a free agent and the Knicks might end up needing a backup 4 at some point this season – but Taj and Nerlens Noel, who were tremendous value per dollar in 2021, are simply not on the level of the Mitchenstein Monster.
So there you have it: just a fun, oddly tension-free win in Atlanta. The Hawks have become that one jock from high school who seemed to shrink as soon as graduation ended. They haven’t done anything of note since reaching the 2021 conference finals. Remember when it was Lloyd Pierce’s fault, and Nate McMillan was the answer? And how quickly he became the problem, so now Quin Snyder’s the answer? Good luck with all that!
The Knicks were left with a million questions after that playoff defeat. Their first answer was a defensive backcourt of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, proving the limitations of “first thought = best thought.” But New York has continued to grow while remaining in position to better position their future. Sometimes you struggle and it sparks growth. Sometimes – like with Atlanta – you struggle and all you get is the sadness of more struggling. Not every restaurant that fails bounces back. Not every basketball team does, either, but thankfully these Knickerbockers continue to do so. Next time is tonight at New Orleans. Peace.
