Warriors 105, Knicks 96: Something made it inevitable
The Knicks once again found themselves playing backdrop to a history-making moment in a losing effort, this time having Stephen Curry break the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made record at Madison Square Garden.
The ball splashed through the net. Of course it did. Something made it inevitable – the moment and The Moment. The New York Knicks had spent the fourth quarter throwing haymakers back and forth with the Golden State Warriors, which is not generally a wise idea. But New York was shorthanded, and scrapping, and to their credit if they were destined to lose, they played as if unaware of that.
The moment came with 2:45 left in the fourth. The Knicks were down nine, bloodied but fighting, when Kevon Looney threw a pass to Draymond Green just behind the elbow 3 in front of Spike Lee. Julius Randle went for the steal, perhaps driven less by strategy or instinct than fate. He missed, because he had to, because it was inevitable that Green would drive to the basket, inevitable that Miles McBride would come help, inevitable that McBride’s assignment – Stephen Curry – would identify the precise instant Green had a step on Randle to dash back behind the arc, inevitable that Green would find him. No one’s assisted on more Curry 3-pointers than Green. On the night Steph set the record for most 3-pointers made, it was inevitable he’d make the backbreaker. When he caught the pass he eyed the hoop, which was all it took for Derrick Rose to feebly fly by. Two quick dribbles to his right and Curry let launch. McBride made a half-hearted run toward him. Kevin Knox, bless his heart, committed fully to the bit – every artwork needs its canvas, and doomed defenders are Steph’s primary medium.
The Moment was inevitable, has been since June 25, 2009, the night everyone in creation knew the Knicks hoped Curry would fall to them with their eighth pick in the draft, the night they were left to feel like Charlie Bucket when the last golden ticket went someone else’s way. Unlike Charlie, the Knicks wouldn’t get another chance.
Steph was built for New York and New York was built for Steph. If the greatest shooter of all-time would never play for the Knicks, he would at least have his coronation ceremony at Madison Square Garden. The crowd was abuzz from the jump, like it used to be back in the day. It’s a credit to Curry’s likability and to the apotheosis of the 3-pointer that a road player could set this kind of record against the Knicks when they’re scuffling and yet there seemed a unanimity of joy around Curry in the build-up and the accomplishment. Every canvas needs its museum, and MSG is, if nothing else, a museum of history. This century’s it’s been far more other people’s history than the Knicks’. Que será, será.
The win was inevitable. Golden State has the league’s best record and weren’t missing RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes due to COVID protocols and Kemba Walker due to whatever trade the Knicks clearly have lined up for the banished Bronx-born baller. The Knicks have the 21st-best record and were shorthanded. To their credit, they played better than a team that’s lost six of seven. Randle’s scoring in the second half forced the Warriors to play for 48 minutes; Knox had his second consecutive positive outing; McBride got the first significant minutes of his career and showed enough at both ends to warrant more playing time. Seedlings of hope, all. But Golden State is a force of nature. In the face of that, seedlings are mere “thoughts and prayers.”
The loss was inevitable. “How unerringly we find the paths that unmake us,” Mike Carey wrote. Since Curry landed in Oakland instead of Manhattan, the Warriors became a dynasty. They’ve won 19 playoff series during his career. Know how far back you have to count the Knicks winning that many?
Last season was an anomaly for both teams. After five straight trips to the Finals, Golden State missed the playoffs for the second straight season; after seven years with no postseason, the Knicks made it back last year. There is a theory that time is like a river, ever-flowing and fluid, but insistent – you can throw a rock in the river and make a ripple, but the flow always corrects itself; if you went back in time and changed something, you’d return to find history had somehow corrected itself to the present you’d always known. When you’re Curry and the Warriors, that sounds like a promise, a prophecy, a reason to hope. When you’re the Knicks and you’re fighting against the tide of the old normal, that theory sounds a lot like hopelessness.
But while Ls never feel good, last night was less about the Knicks losing than the Warriors winning. You can learn things about yourself in a fight, even – especially? – a fight you can’t win. There are no easy stretches in the Knicks’ upcoming schedule; when you’re 12-16 and outside the playoffs and the play-in, you’re the easy game on someone else’s schedule. Maybe despite losing, the Knicks didn’t lose the lesson. If they’re going to turn the season around, they need more than lessons; they need wins. Next game is tomorrow at Houston. Nothing inevitable about that game. The Knicks need to show up, play hard, and win. Fingers crossed.
