Knicks 102, Cavs 81: This guy is uncanny
The Knicks returned home reeling from their west coast trip, but came out strong against a familiar Cavs team. Then Immanuel Quickley happened, as the rookie took over yet another game and sealed a huge win for the Knicks at MSG.
You just don’t want it to end.
And hey, maybe it won’t. We’ve grown so accustomed to this euphoric feeling always being short lived, never slowing to a stop so we can take it all in, but rather leaving us with so much to be desired that it seems an outcome entirely outside the realm of possibility.
That’s what it’s meant to be a New York Knicks fan in recent years.
But all of a sudden, from an unanticipated source, light is beaming through the storm clouds.
Of course, I’m talking about rookie guard Immanuel Quickley, who scored 25 points in 24 minutes on Friday night to guide the Knicks to a 102-81 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York walked into this one having dropped three straight out on the west coast, in need of a win after giving up a 15-point lead to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. And their first moments in this one didn’t exactly inspire confidence that we’d see them on top in the end.
It took a corner 3-pointer from RJ Barrett to put the Knicks on the board, and even then, that didn’t come until there were less than eight minutes to go in the first quarter. Cleveland started the game out on an 11-3 run, but New York was quick(ley) to return the first punch.
That was largely a credit to Austin Rivers, who once again came in and started hot. The veteran guard tallied five points in 20 seconds, behind a 3-pointer and driving layup. Quickley, the second half to the backcourt dubbed “Quivers,” ultimately gave the Knicks the lead with this three:
The first period, one that both fanbases would likely prefer to never revisit, ended with just 36 points being scored between both parties. It wouldn’t last, though — at least not for the Knicks.
They opened the second quarter riding the momentum that earned them the lead in the first. Rookie forward Obi Toppin was feeling it too, despite his zero minutes recorded over the first 12. He came in to start the second and immediately bricked a three.
But it’s that willingness to shoot that we’ve seen only grow in recent games, and that confidence that lead to his first points being tallied — behind the 3-point line, of course.
Toppin gave the Knicks a four-point lead, but New York didn’t look back following the made basket. Barrett and fellow cornerstone Mitchell Robinson went to work, and didn’t find much resistance. One of Elfrid Payton’s lone highlights against Cleveland was this dish to New York’s starting big, who slammed it home emphatically, much to the approval of Obi.
Shortly thereafter, Barrett crossed the double-digit point threshold. He was the first player on either side to do so, and would go on to lead all scorers with 16 points at halftime.
That final 3-pointer gave the Knicks a 14-point lead over the Cavaliers going into the break. While 47 points may not seem all too impressive, you had to give credit to New York’s defense for pressuring Cleveland’s shooters and limiting their opponent to 33 points in the first 24 minutes of play.
To compare, the Knicks shot 48% from the field and 31% from deep to the Cavaliers’ 29% and 20%, respectively. That trend would continue on in the second half.
Just to make sure we were paying attention, New York made a few mistakes early on in the third quarter, allowing the Cavs to dig into the double-digit deficit. The Knicks opened the second half with a turnover, and after a couple buckets from Darius Garland, found themselves leading by only four points not even halfway into the period.
It wasn’t “the night” for the Knickerbockers’ starting five. But it’s hard to pinpoint any one night where all five members of the opening lineup gelled and performed as a unit. Still, with Barrett and offensive focal point Julius Randle on the floor, they were able to maintain their lead.
To my point about the starting unit, we likely all know where this story’s headed. Elfrid Payton played just 23 minutes on the night, and was brought out just minutes into the second half. Head coach Tom Thibodeau put in Immanuel Quickley, and thus sealed the win.
Ironically enough, the rookie was substituted in after Payton’s only bucket on the night, his only make in six field goal attempts. That’s either the minimum requirement in his blood pact with his head coach, or just a simple coincidence. For now, I’ll let you be the judge.
Quickley didn’t make his scoring stamp on this game until the fourth quarter, but rest assured, his fingerprints (as well as Randle’s, who had a quiet scoring night altogether) were all over this one in the third quarter. He played some inspiring defense for all of his 24 minutes, absolutely.
(And don’t worry, he made sure to credit his head coach when speaking with the media after Friday night’s win.)
But IQ’s efforts in the third quarter were especially inspiring given that his shot wasn’t falling…
…yet. He closed the period with a dunk and a three in the final seconds.
That final 3-pointer, one that sent feelings through me that I haven’t felt in so long — as a fan of any sport, not just basketball — was all the Knicks needed. They walked into the final quarter with a healthy 17-point lead over Cleveland, and it never got any closer.
Quickley opened the quarter as hot as he had closed the last — with a 3-point attempt that made little sense for anyone else who’d touched the floor on Friday. But, of course, it went in.
He would go on to score 11 more points in the fourth quarter, tallying 25 total on the night, and once again making the decision to start Payton over him look downright injudicious.
As our very own Jeffrey Bellone so aptly relayed in that last tweet, the last of those buckets earned a rare compliment from Clyde that wasn’t formed within a rhyme scheme. A part of me wants to think he simply didn’t have anything to prepare for this kind of moment, given the quality of basketball he’s been all but forced to watch up front and in person over the last few years.
But another part of me thinks that, like all of us, he’s realizing in real time that this kid is special.
Notes
Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel were out-rebounded by Cleveland’s bigs by a total of 24 to 10. That’s not great, and a trend that if continues, will impact the loss category far more than the win. New York made it out tonight by way of strong guard play, but don’t think the center position isn’t something the team is monitoring.
He didn’t get a whole lotta run, but I enjoyed Obi’s minutes tonight. He finished with just five points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block in 13 minutes. Fans have been back and forth with their opinions about his future (his having played just 125 minutes so far aside), but I think we’re seeing encouraging signs, albeit at a low frequency from the eighth overall pick.
I’m constantly amazed at how Julius Randle impacts winning, especially on his off nights. He finished with just 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and a steal and block apiece in the win, but is just as much to credit as anyone for the outcome. Not only is he an All-Star, but perhaps with the right personnel he can be the best player on a winning basketball team. How’s that for sticker shock?
Then there’s RJ Barrett, for whom, I’m running out of words even faster than Immanuel Quickley. He finished Friday night with 24 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He was the driving force of their first half resurgence, and helped to keep the ship afloat in the third quarter when the Cavaliers pushed hard against the defense.
We got a Taj Gibson sighting! He played just 39 seconds in the first half, but thanks to three early fouls by Nerlens Noel, we got to do a wellness check on a fan favorite (OK, maybe it’s mostly me).
Austin Rivers is proving invaluable, even through his struggles. After a short stretch where he shot the ball worse than I might on any given night, he’s bounced back with two strong performances against both the Jazz and Cavaliers.
This is a damn good win. I mean, it checks almost every box. Cleveland is a GOOD team, and an Eastern Conference rival. They’ve won nine games and lost 10, but have registered two wins over a healthy, put together Brooklyn Nets team in the last week and a half. You don’t get those without having some spunk, as well as some competent execution (albeit maybe just in crunch time) on the defensive end of the basketball.
The Knicks, after this victory, improve to a nine-win, 11-loss record on the season. That’s good for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
No longer will we grumble about luck. No longer will we treat moments like these as if they aren’t here to stay, not even for a second. The Knicks are back to winning, even if not at an entirely consistent rate. Thibodeau and his staff have enforced the staples of the game, most importantly on defense, onto a young roster that’s shocking both its fans and the world, daily.
As for Immanuel Quickley, well, I think Clyde said it best: this guy is uncanny.
His gravity and swagger on the floor is something the likes of which we haven’t seen much, if at all, recently. Carmelo Anthony had his moments, but rarely did they come in a clutch, winning fashion such as this. Then again, isn’t everything about this season uncanny?
Or is what we’re seeing actually a viable path for this team’s future? Behind Tom Thibodeau, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and of course, Immanuel Quickley, it’s hard not to believe the latter.
