{"id":144126,"date":"2020-12-30T07:04:20","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T04:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/a-funny-thing-happened-for-the-knicks-on-this-night\/"},"modified":"2020-12-30T07:04:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T04:04:20","slug":"a-funny-thing-happened-for-the-knicks-on-this-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-funny-thing-happened-for-the-knicks-on-this-night\/","title":{"rendered":"#A funny thing happened for the Knicks on this night"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#A funny thing happ<\/a>ened for the Knicks on this night<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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It was Charles Barkley, years ago, who gave the perfect description for the first few weeks of an NBA season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be tough,\u201d Sir Charles bemoaned, \u201cbecause the [lousy] teams don\u2019t realize that they\u2019re [lousy] yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so it was that the Cleveland Cavaliers were 3-0 heading into their game<\/a> with the Knicks Tuesday night, after spending most of the last nine months hearing and reading about them being the clear dregs of the NBA. But the Cavs knocked off the Hornets and the Pistons, then creamed the 76ers by 24 points in a game that left NBA jaws just as agape as when they saw that Knicks-Bucks score the other night.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to set it up this way, to understand and appreciate the fresh step of progress the Knicks pulled off Tuesday night. Based on 20 years of testimony, this was a perfect-storm setup for Knicks calamity at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, a familiar formula:<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s unexpected sip of prosperity against Milwaukee;<\/p>\n

Plus (+) one undermanned opponent lying in wait;<\/p>\n

Plus (+) the banged-up Knicks, reduced to an eight-man rotation;<\/p>\n

Equals (=) catastrophe. Bank on it. We\u2019ve seen this movie for years.<\/p>\n

Except a funny thing happened on the way to the standard-issue ending: the Knicks backed up their Bucks masterpiece with one that wasn\u2019t quite as elegant but every bit as satisfying. This 95-86 win not only evened the Knicks\u2019 mark at 2-2 \u2014 and laugh if you must, but every day the Knicks spend at or near .500 this year is a win \u2014 but provided something of the lunch-pail blueprint the Knicks hope to employ this year.<\/p>\n

\"Julius
Julius Randle battles the Cavaliers tonight.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTop to bottom,\u201d Julius Randle said, \u201cwe\u2019re competing. We\u2019re competing every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Place Randle at the very top, and so far he is the very best basketball story in New York City even with the stardust twins quartered in Brooklyn. Randle spent his summer running, shedding some excess poundage, working on his game \u2014 and, more importantly, completely buying into the version of himself and the vision of himself that new coach Tom Thibodeau had crafted for him.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small sample size, sure, but Randle, after 192 minutes of season, is a completely transformed player. Where his shot selection was once enough to make fans wince, now he almost passes up too many <\/em>open looks. Where he would melt in the face of double-teams he now fearlessly welcomes them.<\/p>\n

Tuesday he was 28 points and 12 rebounds and 11 assists \u2014 and, for a little spice, also nine turnovers \u2014 and he has quickly become the engine that drives this team, that makes Thibodeau\u2019s Xs and Os and his motivational mantras work. He makes them real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel he\u2019s more focused now,\u201d Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said. \u201cHe\u2019s coming and coming strong. In the summertime all the hours he put in is paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n

The encouraging thing is that the Knicks won, and won going away, and won without forfeiting the lead once over the game\u2019s final 40 minutes without playing anything close to a perfect game. There were 26 turnovers, and 24 Cavs points off them, so many of them careless and unforced. They missed eight free throws. They begged the Cavs to make it a game six different times.<\/p>\n

And never let it happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked our energy,\u201d Thibodeau said. \u201cOur defense is a work in progress and not where it needs to be. But even when we\u2019re making mistakes we\u2019re flying around and challenging shots. It makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

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