Less than fans on Friday at Madison Square Garden, Kliberland, Clubbering, Kleberbing, 119-83, a beautiful offensive display of Emmanuel Quickley’s choice, and Kliberland, Kliberland, and Kwikbering on Friday, gave the Nixe Cavaliers a beating. Kevin Knox.
At one point in New York there were 49 leads, an almost 50-point lead, which seems impossible for the Knicks, but, here we are. With the victory, the Knicks end the 3-1 bias, and for the first time in a few years, there seems to be tangible hope. Sure, the Knicks played for the Cavs tonight without Andre Drummond and Kevin Love, and yes, the Knicks, like the Knicks, are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this year. But as Stanley Hudson would say, put it on your buttons.
Surprisingly, if not for the rash that caused some of our precious nicks to be injured, perhaps the bias on such a high note would not have ended.
Injury Report vs Caves: Out – Berks (personal causes), Kid Gilchrist (illness), Natilikina (sore left Achilles), Noel (sore left knee), Patton (sore left hamstring), Rivers (right groin in throat), Smith. (Throat left quad) and spell (sore in right knee).
– NY_KNIXPR (@NY_NKIPR) December 18, 2020
Despite being outside the commission of all point guards, Quickley was given the opportunity to start with the point guard, and he picked up quickly where he had won the team’s previous 100-93 match against Cleveland. From the jump, it was clear that Quickley felt confident. He tested the paint, moved the ball and sank his first three shots, including two thrashings, giving the Knicks up 17-5 in a few minutes into the game.
It wasn’t just Quickly, though. Ryan Barrett displayed his simple mid-range game while continuing to prove adept at reaching the line … only he throws his free throw at this predecessor, who is too much to try to save him and deal with him Makes a different monster. Meanwhile, the reggae bull was on fire, Michelle Robinson was playing a good game while avoiding playing fliers and Julius Randall was making dishes instead of circling himself.
But Jared Harper went into action, earning his first prison minute as a backup point guard and immediately nailed the four-point game. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were 41-18 up.
The second quarter was more similar, except that it was Knox who led the charge. There’s been a lot of discussion about how Tom Thibodeau wants Knox to take smart shots, and he did just that tonight. Knox’s every jumper came within the stream of offense, and by the middle of the third he had already hit three of the three-pointers. He was sprinkling in the pool like your annoying brother who stays scattered even after you agree to the conflict.
At halftime, the Knicks’ management was 72૨–35, and for the first time at the dog’s age it felt appropriate to feel confident they wouldn’t let Cleveland back into the game. For the record, Quickley had 15 points and 4 steels in the half, and Knox had 12 points from 4-6 on the field.
In the third quarter, nothing changed again. The Cavs’ tank was still empty when the Knicks had a new set of eager young legs to show their worthiness. Barrett and Robinson continue to display the best chemistry seen on TV after Breaking Bad.
Quickly’s 20th night episode came to a head, if you’re wondering if the Slams are part of his arsenal.
With more than a minute to go to third place, Knox gave the Knicks a 101-54 lead at 6:36 p.m. Walt Clyde Frazier said the shots for the former Kentucky Wildcat were “falling like rain”, which could be anyone on the Knicks these days, but you know it’s thanks to Knox because of the magic of context.
In the fourth quarter, the rest of the bench got to play, meaning we got a chance to see Ignas Brazdekis, Miles Powell and Bryce Brown. In most fights, the losing team ends up cutting the lead in the end and the final score usually doesn’t look as bad as the rest of the game. Here, while the Knicks had the above 49-point lead, they still won by 36, which is really significant.
Notes:
> So this is what it feels like when the team you take root in is playing really well. It’s fun when it’s fun to watch your favorite basketball team.
> As noted earlier, for the most part, Knox only took shots in the rhythm of the offense. Late in the evening his patience paid off.
> Turns out Michelle Robinson can only handle the responsibility of starting the penalty. Blockness Monster finished on the floor in 27 minutes with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Most importantly, he did not make a single mistake.
> Barrett was 5-5 on a free throw. Total 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steels. That sounds great.
> OB Toppin played well (6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists on 2-5 shooting, but 2 turnovers), and is expected to be an up-and-down season, hopefully with more promise than disappointment. Toppin continued to drive the line and was getting very close to the outer lane before starting the wild pass which was really quite accurate.
If OB Toppin can run the baseline and find a pass like this on a regular basis, it makes me feel so good about the Knicks taking it at 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/TFKwqmZwZF
– Daniel Lininger (@w_n_linger) December 17, 2020
> Brazdeikis oozes capacity. In 17 minutes, he had 1 point (0-2 shooting), 5 boards, 2 assists and a block. That statistic won’t blow you away, but he’s just a confident fellow who can handle the ball and pass right. Here’s hoping he gets a role this season.
> Randall was the version of Randall we all wish we could see on a regular basis. He had 11 points and 8 assists in just 24 minutes of action, and was very focused on passing when he passed perfectly.
> The MVP at night was Emmanuel Quickley, who scored 22 points in 7-12 shootings, including a 3-5 from -5. He also posted 5 assists and 5 thefts.
G. Van Halen briefly summed it up on behalf of Nix fans everywhere: ‘I like IQ and Barrett backcourt. It’s beautiful ‘
The Knicks will begin the regular season in Indiana against the Pacers on Wednesday, December 23 at 7 p.m. Who knows what the initial lineup will look like? Certainly not us. For now, let’s just enjoy this wonderful victory.
