It all started a week ago. The Knicks were playing the Cavs, and I was curious to see two dumpster fires in action. Instead, I fell in love.
The Knicks were playing the rarest style of hoops out there today: good old fashioned team basketball. Copious ball movement. Heavy doses of the pick and roll. Crashing the glass. Defending the rim. How was this possible?
I watched that win, portions of their shellacking of Milwaukee, and their victories over Indiana and Atlanta. It has been an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience. Thibodeau has them playing solid ball, and watching him rage on the sideline never fails to entertain. Mike Breen gets to let loose and indulge in homerism in a way he can’t while chaperoning played-out curmudgeons on national TV. Walt Frazier is a national treasure. His vocabulary and catch phrases are as amazing as ever, and his commentary is insightful, with just the right amount of back-in-the-day nostalgia and wistfulness. More on Clyde later. The jerseys are sublime. They’ve been on a road trip, so we haven’t even gotten to experience the magical stage that is Madison Square Garden. Basketball-wise, here’s what’s stood out to me:
Julius Randle is the key to everything, obviously. He’s averaging 21, 10, and 7. He’s playing hard on defense. He is an amazing rebounder, and he’s been unleashed to lead the break in transition. For my money, there’s nothing better than a big man grabbing the board and running with it. Letting Randle make plays with his passing opens the floor for everyone else. Sure, he turns it over, but so do all playmakers. It comes with the territory. He’s not going to shoot the three as well as he has, but shooting it keeps the defense honest. He was ice cold from deep against the Hawks tonight, but he kept chucking, and the team benefited.
Randle’s playmaking has him not just coexisting with, but thriving next to Mitchell Robinson. Robinson looks like a space-age combination of Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion. He’s a classic pick-and-roll dive man, an elite garbage man, and has length and athleticism that few can match. He dunks everything, swats three-pointers, affects every shot he’s near, and is playing within himself, and within the flow of the game.
With a little space to operate, RJ Barrett is starting to show something. He doesn’t look great from downtown yet, but his elbow jumper is a thing of beauty. He had put up a quiet 26-11-5 tonight. When he’s playing decisively and with confidence he’s dangerous and looks promising.
Reggie Bullock is spacing the floor and playing defense. Yep.
Elfird Payton is driving and penetrating, and shooting the corner three enough to keep people honest. His defense and wacky jumperless game is a pleasant change of pace.
Kevin Knox has looked way off, but he found the range tonight. Sympathizing with his struggles feels oh so real at times. You can see the pain after every miss. We’re rooting for you, Kevin!
Nerlens Noel basically plays the exact same way as Robinson, just with less flair, which is sort of fun.
Austin Rivers looks as competent and feisty as ever. I’m sure the incompetence and pettiness will come out at some point, but it’s been fun to see him cast as a wise, crunch-time vet on this squad.
I would love to see some of Frank Ntilikina, but I’m also thankful to be spared Dennis Smith Jr., so I’ll demur on that minor complaint.
Besides, in the point guard department, the Knicks may have found their guy: Immanuel Quickley. He’s looked tremendous. First of all, the floater. What a delight. He’s got the size and speed you look for in a lead guard, and he has a wonderful off-beat pace to his game. There will be rookie mistakes, and having him back up Payton seems like the right thing to do as long as Thibs is ready to roll with him when he has the hot hand like tonight.
The big question mark: Obi Toppin. Thibs is certainly playing to type with a super tight rotation and heavy minutes for starters, so some effective minutes from Toppin could be critical moving forward. I delighted in hating on the pick when they took him, but there’s something to knowing where your bread is buttered. Leon Rose is a CAA guy. Obi Toppin is a CAA guy. We all know how this game gets played. Look no further than what LeBron and Klutch have accomplished in LA. A Kentavious Caldwell-Pope overpay here, an Anthony Davis trade there. CAA happens to represent many fine basketball players, including Zion Williamson. Just saying. As far as I’m concerned, anything Obi Toppin can provide this year is gravy. I look forward to his return.
But still, how good would Tyrese Haliburton look on this team? He has the look of an all-time great glue guy already. If he wants to take the next step to stardom he needs to study some tape of John Stockton (for efficiency and not-so-secret dirtiness) and Sabrina Ionescu (for assertiveness and ruthless Terminator-style decision making.) We can only dream of what might have been...
I naively thought that I was getting in on this bandwagon before it blew up, but obviously I knew too little of Knicks fans and Knicks Twitter. I may not have earned it, but with my Seattle SuperSonics still long gone, I’ll enjoy this ride as long as it keeps rolling.
In exchange, my gift to Knicks fans, old and new, is this Walt “Clyde” Frazier Bingo Card:
Obviously, Bingo cards aren’t meant to be used again and again, so feel free to create your own with the list below and this free online Bingo card generator.
“Precocious neophyte”
“Tenacious D”
“Dishing and swishing”
“Posting and toasting”
“Matador D”
“Wheeling and dealing”
“Shaking and baking”
“Quantum leap”
“Using and abusing”
“Hacking and whacking”
“Slicing and dicing”
“Resounding rebounding”
“Dramatic, emphatic”
“Foray”
“Cohesion”
“Lackadaisical”
“Harassing”
“Feasting”
“Knick of time”
“Percolate”
“Spinning and winning”
“Feline quickness”
“Swooping and hooping”
“Dubious call”
“Bedeviling”
Until next time, go Knicks!
