The New York Knicks kicked off their season in San Antonio last evening. The team supported their new statement uniforms on the road against the Spurs.
The game was interesting to say the least. The Knicks started the game with lackadaisical defense as the Spurs jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. Their defense was sub-par as the Spurs were manhandling them on the glass for the entire game.
However, the Knicks were able to make things interesting going on multiple double-digit runs to get back into the game and take the lead. At one point, the Knicks were up 7 points in second half, having total control of the game.
But, as all Knicks fans know, that doesn’t last. The Spurs continued to dominate the boards and got to the basket seemingly at will. Their shooting was something else as well, as it seemed like every big shot went in.
Despite the awful rebounding, help defense and careless fouls and passes, the Knicks played better then expected. The refs were not on the Knicks side, they never are. The fouls were 32-12 in favor of the Knicks. Horrendous.
Point guard situationÂ
RJ Barrett and Allonzo Trier was the starting back-court with Barrett running point. He is not a true point guard, but coach David Fizdale had enough confidence in him to be the guy. This comes after Fizdale saying that none of the three true point guards on the roster earned the starting spot.
After an initial rocky start, the offense got grooving. Everyone was pushing the ball up the floor and it was paying dividends. Elfrid Payton helped greatly. Payton had a very strong showing running the offense when Trier when out. He ran the offense well and was able to push the tempo and his teammates followed. Payton’s performance, despite his fouling, made him the clear favorite for the starting point guard job.
Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina did not make things easier on themselves trying to get that job. Smith Jr. couldn’t contain Dejounte Murray or Bryn Forbes, as they ran circles around the rusty Smith Jr. His shot still needs loads of work. Ntilikina had careless passes which led to easy Spur baskets in big situations.
Despite the negatives, the New York Knicks play was captivating. Barrett, Julius Randle and Marcus Morris stole the show. Those three provided the Knicks with big time offense when needed. Kevin Knox, too, had huge back-to-back threes for the Knicks. Even though it’s only one game, his shot looks stronger then last season.
Randle, Barrett, Payton and Morris sparked the team to have a lot of energy and cohesiveness. The teams defense was ‘tenacious’ as Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier would say. They got steals when needed, leading to fast breaks led by Barrett and Payton. The rebounding was atrocious but they can work on that. Getting Mitchell Robinson will be a big boost.
However, the Knicks had a decent showing. A lot of positives and negatives but the Knicks played hard and like a team. It’s an encouraging start for this young squad.