Knicks 101, Hawks 92: It was all worth it
Despite an incredibly sluggish start, the New York Knicks were able to even their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday with a 101-92 victory in Game 2.
Never a doubt.
Not one.
Nope.
Not even when the starting lineup was announced and Elfrid Payton was still featured.
Or when Julius Randle walked into halftime scoreless.
Never lost faith.
Nope.
Not at all.
And we were rewarded, with a monstrous comeback win by the New York Knicks, who evened out this first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks at one win apiece with a 101-92 victory.
It wasn’t easy, by any means. But this is the playoffs, and this is arguably the most evenly matched series in the NBA.
Nonetheless, the first half of this game was downright disgusting. I’m not going to spend much time on it, because there was quite literally nothing noteworthy.
Unless you count Payton playing a season-low five minutes. Because, per Basketball-Reference’s game logs, the only other time in his entire career that he played less minutes was in his second season with the Orlando Magic, when he injured his hamstring in a December matchup against the Brooklyn Nets in 2015. And, as was the case on Wednesday night, his team survived without him.
Before leaving the floor, Payton did help New York open up Game 2 with a 7-3 lead, which was promptly, and unsurprisingly, squandered.
When Derrick Rose was brought in to replace the Knicks’ starting point guard, the Hawks were up 14-7 with over half of the quarter left to play. They ended up taking the first period, 27-20, but regardless; that was the last we saw of Payton.
Hopefully it’s the last we see of him, period.
New York’s defensive intensity was certainly noticeable to start this one, as opposed to the sluggish and seemingly caught-off-guard performance we saw in Game 1. Nerlens Noel in particular was playing almost an entirely different game, strategically.
So the Knicks went into the second quarter ready to mount a comeback from the hole head coach Tom Thibodeau willingly dug them into. But it wasn’t meant to be.
New York simply couldn’t make their shots, and their defense on Trae continued to struggle. He walked into halftime with 20 points and four assists, and Atlanta with a 57-44 lead.
…then something magical happened.
As fans prepared what I can only assume were the strongest of cocktails, and readied themselves for a “second verse, same as the first” type half, a light bulb went off for Thibs.
“Why not start Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson in the second half?” He thought.
But, taking it a step further, the crazy son of a bitch actually went out there and did it. And the New York Knicks will forever be better because of it. Most fans will look at the 13-point quarter from Julius Randle that ensued and tie it to him finding his footing.
But you know who assisted that first shot he made in the second half? Derrick Rose.
And you know who followed him up with a bucket right after? Derrick Rose.
This continued, with everyone on the Knicks finding their 3-point shots. RJ Barrett even took (and made) one off the dribble, something we’ve seen only rarely this season.
New York ended up outscoring Atlanta 32 to 18 in the third quarter, resulting in the first lead of the game since things were 7-3 with Payton still on the floor. The Knicks walked into the final period, arguably their biggest of the season, with a 76-75 lead.
And they didn’t look back. Not once.
Alec Burks and Reggie Bullock found their shots, Obi Toppin was high flying, Taj Gibson played some stellar defense, and Rose simply could not be stopped.
And that’s how the New York Knicks won their first playoff game since 2013. It took six quarters and change, but the Knicks made their long-awaited arrival to the playoffs.
On to Atlanta.
Notes
I’ve run out of things to say about Obi Toppin. The kid is naturally gifted with the athleticism that was never going to see him fall out of this rotation. We all predicted he’d lose minutes in the playoffs, but at this point, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t average more minutes in the postseason than he did in the regular season. This year’s eighth overall pick finished the game with eight points, three rebounds, and a block.
Julius Randle and Reggie Bullock are forever linked. If one of them isn’t hitting shots, there’s a greater chance than not that the other one isn’t either. Thankfully, they both found their footing at this one, and at different points in the game, I should mention. Bullock hit two HUGE threes in the back half of the fourth quarter of this one. As Tom Thibodeau vivaciously relayed postgame, he remains the “unsung hero” of this season.
Randle took four free throws in this one, as opposed to just two in Game 1. Baby steps.
Give it up for Taj Gibson. Not only does he embody the entire spirit of this team, but he’s making it happen on the floor, in the playoffs, at age 35. Per Basketball-Reference/Stathead, the last person to put up his stat line (minimum of six points, seven rebounds, three steals, and a block) in a postseason game was LeBron James. And he’s only done that once. Other names on that list include Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, etc.
Nothing about Games 1 and 2 seem bound to repeat; New York’s poor shooting, Randle being largely MIA, Clint Capela being a lesser factor on offense, and of course, Payton playing at all. But that’s what the NBA playoffs is; constantly adjusting to the adjustments of a team that is adjusting to you. Give me Thibodeau over Nate McMillan all day, for what it’s worth.
Immanuel Quickley had some nice moments in this one, with an assist to Obi Toppin, and a floater off the feed from Derrick Rose. But it was largely a quiet night for him. I think he’ll have an “under the bright lights” moment in Atlanta.
Trae Young only shot four free throws in this one, as opposed to nine in Game 1. That was a necessary improvement for the Knicks with the next two at his home arena.
Rose is the youngest MVP in NBA history. Notice that I use “is,” and not “was.” So many people want to take that away from him after his streak of injuries. But you don’t get there without having a feel and knowledge for the game that helps you to enable and assert your will on the game. It looks different in 2021, but trust that Rose is the same player and same student of the game as he was ten years ago.
New York has got to get a big game from Julius Randle in one of Games 3 and 4, if not both. It’s overdue at this point. His third quarter was nice, helping to keep the team afloat and lead the comeback. But the Knicks need him to carry them home in one of these next two. Coming back to New York down 3-1 is simply not an option against this Hawks team.
We’ve witnessed a New York Knicks playoff win, in the year 2021, at Madison Square Garden.
It’s been said all season. But the disparity between where this team was a year ago, and where they are today, I don’t think it could be larger. That’s why Julius Randle was always the Most Improved Player, and Tom Thibodeau should be the Coach of the Year.
No one could have done this, like this, as the New York Knicks have done it.
To you, the reader, and most likely mutual fan, I say this:
All of the painful losses…
Every painful draft lottery drop…
All of the Kevin Knox jokes…
Every fake comeback…
All 1,349 of Ron Baker’s minutes…
Every outsourced superstar trade rumor that didn’t happen…
And hell, even the Kristaps Porzingis tenure…
It was all worth it.
To be in this moment now, after how far we’ve had to come to reach it — I don’t think any fanbase has it better right now. And I mean that, truly.
Knicks in 6, dammit.
