2021-22 Game Thread: Knicks Now Get to HOST The Magic. Hoo Boy, This is Gonna be Rough

The Knicks host the hapless Magic for the second half of a home and home after the Knicks annihilated the Magic in Orlando and now get to host them at MSG. It’s going to be rough (but good for the Knicks’ winning record).

Taj Gibson returns tonight, but Nerlens Noel is still out.

Man, what is there even to talk about before another drubbing? What can we do a poll on? Maybe something about the Knicks’ awful opponent?

First…

ARE THE KNICKS STILL ON PACE FOR 56 WINS? Yes, my prediction is looking excellent at the moment.

Let’s go, Knicks!

Now here’s the all-poll content…

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

248 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: Knicks Now Get to HOST The Magic. Hoo Boy, This is Gonna be Rough”

How in the world did Kevin Knox ever beat Miles Bridges at anything, even 3-on-3?

Chess maybe? Checkers? I don’t think it’s bridge, Miles has too many 🙂

Watching Bridges play like this is soooo painful…
And if his last two games are the new normal, Charlotte will be a pain in the ass all season long…
We’re going to tie them and the Bulls at 3-0…

And if his last two games are the new normal, Charlotte will be a pain in the ass all season long…

Which means the incinerated pick will un-incinerated!

Alan: Which means the incinerated pick will un-incinerated!

Make up your mind yo, is it in-incinerated or un-incinerated?

The East is back. BKN, MIL, ATL, PHI, NYK, MIA, BOS, IND, CHA, CHI, WAS all competitive teams. TOR, CLE can beat anyone on any given night. Only ORL and DET are truly terrible.

Make up your mind yo, is it in-incinerated or un-incinerated?

forever the academian…i saw that too and wondered 😛

i got to be honest, i appreciate the win, but that last game sucked…not that a want a whole lot of that celtic game stuff either but – i wonder if the guys are looking forward to tuesday as much as i am…

I consider the first 10 games kind of a pre-season. There will be improvement by this team over the next few weeks as the team gels better and players get into a rhythm. That’s scary. Scary good.

i got to be honest, i appreciate the win, but that last game sucked…not that a want a whole lot of that celtic game stuff either but – i wonder if the guys are looking forward to tuesday as much as i am…

Totally, I loved the win, but ooph, fugly game. That’s why I wrote “Hoo boy, this is gonna be rough,” as it will likely be another ugly beatdown.

geo:
holy cow max, are you up late or early 🙂

Late… I just made some coffee to help myself… 🙂

Voted Suggs on the poll. I was a bit sceptical when the Magic took him given the guards they already have, but he looks like a player and a win for the “take the BPA” at the draft strategy. If Anthony can get some consistency with his shot, they could be a real nice 1-2 backcourt punch.

Harden only has 9 FTA’s so far this season in 3 games. Glad the foul rules not gifting him anymore

See, the problem is Brian Cronin doesn’t believe in the Cronin Curse.

There is no Cronin Curse, there are just disappointing Knick teams! The good ones win even when I’m very positive about them (like the 2012-13 team).

about halfway through my sunday…been wonderful so far, did an adventure walk with the boys to the donut shop, played football for a while, went to the pool and 2 kids suddenly grew to four and then five…water’s a little cold this time of year…

was at lover’s point in monterey a couple of weeks ago…there are a couple of really small areas of beach there at the bottom of some stairs…as always, ton of folks kayaking and scuba-ing 🙂 out in the bay…saw this more mature/”seasoned” lady just take off her robe and go right on in to the water, like it wasn’t nothing…most folks in there are rocking dry and wet suits, it’s probably even really cold to the otters and seals hanging out there…

that lady was savage…

re: the Bridges debate, I wanted Mikal but I thought Miles would have been a decent pick where we were. He wasn’t a great college player but he was good and had a broad skillset and he obviously is a terrific athlete, as opposed to Kevin, who was good at being young or something.

When you account fir the injuries this Magic team has got to be right there with some of the worst teams of all time. I actually think most of their recent moves have been pretty smart, but boy will they be taking their medicine this season.

Long term I’m highest on Suggs, but voted for WCJ in the poll.

Honestly this “we only shoot threes” philosophy is a bit boring for my taste,
but the rules are the rules…

Mitch is always on the floor, it’s scary…

the Knicks shooting threes at this clip makes me happier than such a thing should

Seriously, the shot chart for this quarter is a thing of beauty. Out of 17 FGs I think there were two long twos (RJ and Randle, both misses)? Otherwise it’s been threes and shots in the paint. I can’t believe this is the Knicks.

I’m not surprised when Burks miss a three, I’m surprised when his line drives go in…

Maybe while Julius gets the hype it’s actually DRose who is our stealth best blayer…

I thought Rose had no chance to repeat as a 40%+ 3PT shooter. I was right, as obviously he’ll hit 50% this year.

Earlier today when Obi was being compared to Camby it should’ve been Mitch with the comparison to Camby.

Sounds like we’re turning into to Golden State Warriors East with all the threes. I have to figure out how to watch these games in Nashville. I just watch the espn gamecast on my phone. 🙁

this team has so many good basketball players it’s insane.

we have more good basketball players on this team than we had in the entire Phil Jackson and Steve Mills eras.

Hubert:
this team has so many good basketball players it’s insane.

we have more good basketball players on this team than we had in the entire Phil Jackson and Steve Mills eras.

Big 15 (17?)

Maybe we’ll be the fluke team that wins a championship without true “superstars”. It could happen!

Hubert:
this team has so many good basketball players it’s insane.

we have more good basketball players on this team than we had in the entire Phil Jackson and Steve Mills eras.

Aaron Afflalo and Derrick Williams would beg to differ

Big 15 (17?)

Big 13 plus Knox & Selden… 🙂

It was very satisfying to hear notorious Knicks basher Nate Duncan call us “the deepest team in the league”…

Max: Big 13 plus Knox & Selden… 🙂

It was very satisfying to hear notorious Knicks basher Nate Duncan call us “the deepest team in the league”…

At least 14 with Jericho

thenoblefacehumper:
The idea that Mitch to Nerlens isn’t a huge drop off not aging well

Um, what has Mitch done tonight that Nerlens didn’t do a million times while Mitch was out?

Knew Your Nicks:
Imagine Thibs on last timeout:
“Read the game you mfkrs!!!!”

Hard to believe the Randle iso was the idea coming out of that timeout.

Z-man: Um, what has Mitch done tonight that Nerlens didn’t do a million times while Mitch was out?

Catch the ball?

Um, what has Mitch done tonight that Nerlens didn’t do a million times while Mitch was out?

Well he is on pace to score 14 points in this game, which Nerlens didn’t do a million times, or even once, last season.

Honestly don’t mind that the game is tighter than it should be. Been entertaining and it’s cool to see the youngins on the Magic play well.

However let’s end this in the third please and thank you.

When Randle, Fournier and Kemba came back in, the offensive flow slowed down. Maybe Randle thinks he can take his man whenever he wants, but it’s messing with the ball movement and offensive energy.

Nerlens caught the same lobs Mitch catches. His problem was catching passes in the post. Maybe Noel bobbles that one dish from Rose, but maybe he has a couple of blocks by now.

Well, the last game was so boring that we decided to let them have some fun.

I can hear Thibs’ shouts from the locker room…

Also, based on the eye test, Randle is approaching his career high for total blocks in a season.

Hope Thibs is getting at the guys for not moving the ball, got way too stagnant to finish the quarter.

Nerlens caught the same lobs Mitch catches. His problem was catching passes in the post. Maybe Noel bobbles that one dish from Rose, but maybe he has a couple of blocks by now.

I mean there’s no way to measure this but by the eye test Nerlens isn’t anywhere near the lob threat Mitch is, and the fact that his season high in points was 13 seems like strong evidence of that

Looks like Rose did his thing. Just turned it on.

I voted Bamba. His numbers have always been solid and you can’t teach that kind of height, athleticism and coordination. Not sure he ever puts it all together but he might.

2nd Half should be game7mode.
It’s ok to fuck around in the first half but it’s not ok jeopardizing a W against Orlando during this season.

thenoblefacehumper: Well he is on pace to score 14 points in this game, which Nerlens didn’t do a million times, or even once, last season.

Career per points per 36 avg:

Robinson: 13.2
Noel: 12.2

Is that.a huge difference? Enough to make up for Noel being by far the better defensive player?

thenoblefacehumper: I mean there’s no way to measure this but by the eye test Nerlens isn’t anywhere near the lob threat Mitch is, and the fact that his season high in points was 13 seems like strong evidence of that

I also think Noel gets a lot of surprise blocks because he’s so slight. Mitch’s size stops a lot of players from even trying to get in the paint. (eye test)

caught the same lobs Mitch catches

nerlens finished 0.9 alley-oops per 36 last year. mitch was at 1.7, almost twice as high.

Is that.a huge difference? Enough to make up for Noel being by far the better defensive player?

Now do TS%. Also, not sure how relevant, say, Noel’s 2016-2017 season is anymore. What’s the evidence for Noel being “by far” the better defensive player?

nerlens finished 0.9 alley-oops per 36 last year. mitch was at 1.7, almost twice as high.

Ok so I was wrong and you can in fact measure this

Curtis Sliwa may yet get my vote if he announces he will have Jalen Suggs arrested immediately

I love Mitch but he can’t stay on the floor …. or rather he’s always on his ass on the floor. I hope this isn’t serious.

I love Mitch but he can’t stay on the floor …. or rather he’s always on his ass on the floor. I hope this isn’t serious.

I mean…a dude just ran right into him. Doesn’t seem like a case of being injury prone.

How many times has he fell on his rump this season? It seems like it’s been a dozen times!

Very lazy performance until now…

Mitch’s back and the bang with Suggs was unfortunate but he’s a ticking time bomb…

Go back to the 2nd unit. They moved the ball with energy and had the Magic on their heels.

The Knicks are sleepwalking tonight. I need to see some pressure on defense and ball movement on offense. Time for Thibs to turn the screws. Who’s hungry?

I have always like Carter Jr.

Rose is the cure for what ails the offense. He and Anthony kind of look similar out there.

No ball movement, cold hands from three,
we’re definitely playing down to the competition…

Noel led the NBA in DBPM. His TS% in the last 3 years was .608,, .711, and .638. His DBPM has been 3.3, 3.4, 3.5. Those are all better than Mitch’s best year, and way better than his last 3 years. If you want to argue that Mitch has more potential, sure. But for the past 3 years, and last year, they are pretty much the same player.

Credit to the Magic for making adjustments from Friday, but man it would be good if we could get out of second gear. Can’t afford to cruise against anyone.

Chris Herring wrote a good article about Joel Embiid falling all the time and it was basically because they coached him to do it

But for the past 3 years, and last year, they are pretty much the same player.

Mitch is probably going to score more points in this game than Noel has in the last two seasons

Randle is a mixed bag tonight maybe but overall he is so much better than when he arrived

There really is no comparison between peak Mitchell Robinson and peak Nerlens Noel.

DRed: Chris Herring wrote a good article about Joel Embiid falling all the time and it was basically because they coached him to do it

Why would they do that?

Well he’ll definitely score more than Killian Hayes…

I thought you had dropped this for good after it was unearthed that you had James Wiseman ahead of LaMelo. It remains dumb and annoying.

Love that block by Mitch, great awareness.

The thing about Randle is that it’s painful to watch him force shots and commit easy turnovers because his game has improved so much. Every game he’ll make a couple of great passes, today he’s playing great defense, getting to the line… he just needs to get these bad shots out of his system, with everything else he’s improved.

Randle has 23 points on 16 shots, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Pretty silly to be dumping on him tonight.

thenoblefacehumper: I thought you had dropped this for good after it was unearthed that you had James Wiseman ahead of LaMelo. It remains dumb and annoying.

Sorry buddy, our beef as about LaMelo vs,. Hayes, feel free to check the tape…

DudeInKnicksTown:
There really is no comparison between peak Mitchell Robinson and peak Nerlens Noel.

Yeah, but peak Noel is a legit NBA starter that comes in backing up the much better Mitch.

Depth!

Embiid smiles when asked about his frequent falls. “It was something I learned during my rehab when I was going through the foot injury, when I was trying to find ways to limit the impact on my body in 2014,” he says. “I was told that every time I feel like I’m in a situation where it’s going to be some type of extreme [weight] on my leg, I’ve got to dive or just roll onto the floor. So that’s why I do it.”

Embiid appears to have taken at least one other step to that end: When he dunks, he generally appears to hang on the rim for a split-second longer than he once did, perhaps to avoid putting too much strain on one leg or foot.

Although the specialists who have worked with Embiid declined to comment for this story, the craft of falling is one commonly taught in martial arts, from judo to jiu-jitsu. By artfully tumbling to the floor, rather than landing awkwardly on a foot, martial artists “distribute the force of impact over the widest area possible to disperse the force of the fall,” says Paul Schreiner, head instructor at Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu in New York City.

Put another way: By falling, rather than bracing for impact by placing his weight on a planted foot or hand, an athlete decreases the likelihood of sustaining a joint injury.

Randle had a block/strip on Cole Anthony earlier that wasn’t that incredible of a play but was something that Lakers Julius never would have made. He’s worked himself into becoming a pretty decent defensive player.

yo, Z-Man, there’s a game on. No one gives a fuck about anyone’s 2019 draft board.

The offense has gotten pretty stagnant but I still don’t have tons of grievances with the defense. The Magic kids are hitting shots.

Quickley’s shot is lost again…

This game has officially entered the Danger Zone.

Losing tonight will be a shame.

I’m liking Suggs game quite a bit, he’s super raw and has a lot of work to do, but his defense has been pretty damn good on Rose this quarter. The Magic have some really nice offensive sets, a lot of movement, they got reasons to be excited for the first time in forever.

I’ll accept the Embiid explanation. I can see that. Mitch takes bad falls.

The Knicks need to wake up.

Yeah, I should have done it on day 1 when Hali went 1-5 for 2 points in 29 minutes

Again, wasn’t targeting you at all…we all discussed this today myself included. Why so snippy tonight?

I’m very disappointed by Barrett’s game tonight.

Also, Fournier is laying his first egg…

I’m liking Suggs game quite a bit, he’s super raw and has a lot of work to do, but his defense has been pretty damn good on Rose this quarter. The Magic have some really nice offensive sets, a lot of movement, they got reasons to be excited for the first time in forever.

He seems like the full package, and Wagner has been super impressive too.

Terrence Ross one of those players that plays like garbage for 3 quarters then kills you in the 4th

thenoblefacehumper: Again, wasn’t targeting you at all…we all discussed this today myself included. Why so snippy tonight?

All lighr-hearted…I jus think “The idea that Mitch to Nerlens isn’t a huge drop off not aging well” is a preposterous (and indefensible by the stats) statement.

Terrence Ross is like too typical of a Knick killer for me to even believe this. Writers got lazy.

well deserved loss…iso Randle is alive and well…sleepy rj is still an issue and kemba is milquetoast…and iq is lost…thibs has some work to do…

Ross killed us last year in a game in Orlando and even the year before at the Garden if I remember correctly…

It was a long time that I felt so optimistic before a Knicks game. I was wrong.
We can’t take any game for granted, every time this team feels entitled it gets his ass kicked.
Thibs must be furious.

We have had a few good looks miss. We went away from the offense for good chunk of the second half though.

Shitty shitty loss but you have to give the Magic credit. They played a good game.

Someone said it before the game, very tough to beat a team twice in a row, even a shitty team.

ptmilo:
rose and especially randle look exhausted

Clyde also just mentioned “tired legs.”
This might be why you don’t play your regulars up until the final few minutes when you’re up by 30 in the preceeding game.

Randle, Barrett and Fournier a combined 13-49.

Team 15-23 on FTs.

We were destroyed in the 4th.

Embarrassing.

Ugghh… they stunk it up in that 4th quarter. Couldn’t get a 3 to drop, and Terrence Ross went en fuego on em.

Barrett Burks and Fournier combined 11-38

You aren’t beating any team shooting like that

I mean, 2-1 is still better than how the Lakers have started 😉

I felt before the game that the Knicks would have to maybe grind this one out more, but man…

Oh well, next game.

annoying loss but not the end of the world. when things go bad, it seems like we really just pray for derrick rose to bail us out. hopefully this a wake up call…. for Brian.

Magic didn’t hit 3s either, Knicks lost because they hit less 2s.

Obi is useless if opponents stop the break

Hahaha, love the callback…

It would have been nice to be 3-0 for the first time in 60 years. But whatever.

Rose was excellent and the rest of our bench went 4-19 for 11 points. That’s where we lost right there.

Call me skeptical on this one but this Loss was visible from outerspace many min before the end.
I’m not convinced that Thibs and knicks players played to win this one but i may be wrong…
If i were a gambler tho I’d bet my house on a knicks W
Stranger things have happened tho so i stop my conspiracy theories

Early Bird:
We did not lose these games last year

If you’re talking about the later part of the season then yeah, because we quite literally lost to the Orlando Magic at the beginning of last season too, and also to the Cavs, Thunder, Wizards, Bulls, etc etc before the last 20 games or so when things got turned around.

It’s a wake up call loss, yeah, it shows the team still had issues, but we all knew the team still had issues. Orlando played well, we shot poorly, the defensive effort waned down hard in the 4th and they punished us. It happens, if anything Thibs has shown he’s very good at making sure this team doesn’t linger on bad losses and gets back up quickly.

obi getting dunked on by Wagner was the lowest of many lowlights…

I know Randle says all the right things but he still seems to believe he needs to take games over and thibs appears to encourage it with the offensive sets…

Also worried about Quickley. Hopefully he gets it together because hes been off shooting wise since SL. Give Grimes his minutes if hes gonna play like this

If there was a positive to take out of this game, it’s that the Knicks did get a lot of open looks that they just bricked. They won’t shoot this bad from deep very often.

The real negative here was that the defense looked like it was always a step behind. They didn’t have an answer for Cole Anthony, which is pretty troubling. They couldn’t get stops worth a shit in the fourth quarter.

Here’s a positive spin on the game last night: we had gone 6-0 and we’re probably starting to get a little bit full of ourselves and overconfident. It’s better to find out that you’re not as good as you think you are prior to playing against your “real “opponents than it is to go into those games overconfident. I think this loss will better prepare us to playThe Sixers and the bulls than if we had another easy win.

On the other hand, I am finding myself in the rare position of agreeing with E about what I’m seeing from Kemba. He looks like a massive defensive liability, and not that great on the offensive end either. If that doesn’t improve, Thibs is going to be in a tough position.

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