2020-21 Game Thread: PLAYOFFS BOUND Knicks vs. Spurs

The Knicks head into their last three games of the regular season (but the season period, as they will be playing in the postseason. Woohoo!) with a big homestand. The Miami Heat play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, and while the Sixers are very close to nailing down the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, it is not yet a lock, so the Sixers still have something to play for, so the Heat could easily lose that game, in which case the Knicks would just have to win out their remaining games to lock in the #4 seed (as if the Knicks and Hawks end the season tied, the Knicks win the tiebreaker).

So winning these last three games is really important. If all they do is win out, they are clooooooose to controlling their destiny, as the Heat also play the Bucks, who will possibly still be fighting to win the #2 seed at the time. So the Bucks might be playing for something, as well.

However, the Spurs also need to win this game to make sure that they make the play-in game in the Western Conference, so that’s an issue, as well.

But whatever, just win this freakin’ game, okay, Knicks?

Let’s go, lock in that #4 seed, Knicks!

277 replies on “2020-21 Game Thread: PLAYOFFS BOUND Knicks vs. Spurs”

@NY_KnicksPR
Reggie Bullock, Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley are available and Derrick Rose (sprained left ankle) is out against San Antonio.

So the 2nd unit should be Quickley, Burks, Smokes, Obi and Taj. We could be a little short on firepower there.

I was feeling a little anxious, but we’re already in the playoffs, so i was thinking it didn’t make sense. But then i saw Jowles post on the other thread and it’s exactly because of this…

What a gap between the prospect of playing ATL at home for possibly 4 games and playing MIL with 3 home games. These next few nights are going to determine an awful lot for the playoff hopes. I’m guessing a five-game exit against MIL or a possible series win against ATL or MIA. Is this real life?

sounds like clyde and kenny may have taken a few too many nips of the pre-game playoff champagne toast…both slurring and stuttering early and often in the pre-game…nice

Rebecca, the CDC says you can take the mask off indoors

Randle with the classic 2020 spin move turnover but the Spurs muff the layup

Something has been in the air all year

It’s strange to post when the Knicks have clinched a playoff spot. I like strange!

DeRozan is a UFA and although I don’t like talking about next season, I’m watching him tonight because he’s a logical target for the Knicks. Is he an upgrade over Bullock and/or Burks?

Vomit inducing start,
The Plague is rotting under our eyes,
from mediocre, to bad, to unplayable…

Owen:
Rebecca, the CDC says you can take the mask off indoors

Actually, there are exceptions and this is one.

Someone put a lid on these rims

What is the exception GoNY? Still requiring them at Garden?

cybersoze: At first i thought it was a alleyoop to Noel 😀

And you were right, Barrett himself was surprised it went in… 🙂

GoNYGoNYGo – Gearing up for the playoffs: DeRozan is a UFA and although I don’t like talking about next season, I’m watching him tonight because he’s a logical target for the Knicks. Is he an upgrade over Bullock and/or Burks?

No, he isn’t. And he’s old. And he’ll command a much expensive contract.

Please don’t reverse jinx opposing players during a game bad mouthing them… 😉

CDC guidelines say fully vaccinated people must still wear a mask in health care settings, transportation hubs such as airports and stations, and public transportation. That includes planes, buses and trains traveling into, within or outside of the U.S. as part of a federal mask mandate that was extended to Sept. 13.

The agency also said fully vaccinated people must wear a mask or socially distance in places required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

It means fully vaccinated people may still need to wear a mask depending on where they live and where they go. Some business owners may follow CDC guidelines, but others may be more reluctant to lift their own rules on masking.

I can’t post links, for some reason, but this was copied from a USA Today article with the headline: “CDC lifts indoor mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people. What does it actually mean?”

you missed the part where they said you may not de mask if doing so would risk hyperventilation from at risk populations like geo

No need to bring the CDC guidelines, i think whatever Rebecca can take off is a plus. 😀
Oh wait, can i still say this kind of joke in the 20s?

It feels like the rims at MSG were replaced with the undersized rims they use at County Fair midway games. Neither side can hit a shot.

Clyde: “Knicks are shooting 27%, Kenny. Let me out there!” LOLOL

Smokes got his 6.8 seconds of good D in there. Will he come out for the second, or has he already exceeded his allowable playing time?

“Both teams wishing they were swishing.”

What a dreadful quarter of basketball! Except for Julius, I guess.

Horrid first quarter, could we start playing basketball please?

Atlanta easily up on Orlando,
Phila’s sleepwalking in Miami, not good…

So far, Payton, Bullock, IQ, Burks & Frank have gotten playing time in the backcourt. Meanwhile, Randle & RJ played all 12 minutes of 1Q.

That’s the Barrett I know and love. Weave, pull it back out, pass, drive, dump it off for the dunk.

That suit Breen was wearing with Clyde was the shit.

I love Breen. Happy for him.

cybersoze: No, he isn’t. And he’s old. And he’ll command a much expensive contract.

Aside from 3PT% and DWS, DeRozan is clearly superior to Bullock. Burks and DeRozan have the same DWS.

DeRozan is 31. Bullock and Burks are both 29. He’s a clear upgrade but you are right, he will be more expensive. I think signing a player that played for Pop is also a plus.

Thibs not happy with that weak ass fly by defense from toppin on that drive…

Some portuguese trivia for you guys, that car they were advertising on one of the previous timeouts (Hyundai Kona) in Portugal has another name because here that name is the same as if in america it was called… Hyundai Pussy! LOL
What about that? 😛

Playing like this the Knicks will get swept by the Hawks let alone the Bucks.

With the way the Heat and Hawks are playing right now doesn’t look like it matters how the Knicks play these last 3 games they are finishing 6th regardless.

Bad showing tonight, no intensity, bonehead turnovers, horrible shooting…
Maybe they partied too much…

The Knicks are playing like a team without purpose.

Thank you Clyde for bringing up DeRozan’s status. I guess you can’t say something about nabbing another team’s player, but you could tell he wanted to say “Come to the Knicks”.

Max: Maybe they partied too much…

Exactly what i was thinking about. And DRose partied even more, so he’s on the injury list. 😛

TheClashFan:
A “we made the playoffs” hangover?

That’s what it feels like.

That was a wasted challenge

FRANK

The headband solves everything. His handle and shot clearly have been held back by sweat alone.

Meanwhile Hawks and Heat are taking care of business…

We need this game!

Is Frank N going to end the season with a higher 3 pt. % than free throw %?

one thing we’ve done well at lately is minimize turnovers…not so much this game…looks like this’ll be a four quarter game…

okay, they’re all four quarter games, but still…

Knicks will win this game and maybe even comfortably cause the Spurs might run out of gas in the 2nd half but the result in Miami right now is a real downer.

Saved by Burks, Taj and a timely three from Frank…

Randle cooled off and IQ was off the mark…
I was hoping RJ let his bag of bricks on the road but it looks like he took it back home….

I still have faith in Thibs’ ability to scorch them in the locker room…

We’re lucky to be in front at the half. The Knick starters need to change their socks or do something. Maybe some NoDoze?

We really, really need both Burks and Rose healthy at the same time, the ability to simply create a decent shot is massive for this team.

Need to avoid turnovers and play better D on the 2 SA centers

It was smart of Burks to decide to make almost all his shots. He should keep doing that.

Knicks will win this game and maybe even comfortably cause the Spurs might run out of gas in the 2nd half but the result in Miami right now is a real downer.

What the fuck is up with that shit?!

FRANK

The headband solves everything. His handle and shot clearly have been held back by sweat alone.

oh, that’s funny…

Lately RJ can’t make a layup to save his life and he isn’t gonna get bailed out by the refs so something needs to give.

I’m very surprised that RJ’s shooting so bad at the rim in the last few games.
His outside and inside shooting has gone in different directions…

So much for my theory that the Knicks were gonna win this game comfortably in the 2nd half, maybe they saw the Heat Philly score at halftime and just decided to not give a shit the rest of this game.

They’re playing with a sense if entitlement that is absolutely not deserved,
Thibs must be furious…

I’m literally transfixed watching Elf’s D. It’s the proverbial car crash in slow motion. Dies on every pick and then just wanders after the drive from behind. They’re just picking on him over and over, and scoring at will.

Perhaps they should try stopping the Spurs on the occasional possession.

The excitement for the playoffs is dwindling pretty fast because I’m not looking forward at all to a series vs the Bucks.

How dumb of a foul is that by Murray? You guys are hot as fuck, why foul like that?

Pop with a very Thibs-like reaction for one blown play in a game where they’re hot as fuck.

I love Noel’s defense decision – “What if I just hit the other guy?”

Please remember me who’s on a back to back…

Re: The Plague
Once upon a time he was touted as a good defender,
then Zach Lowe showed everyone the truth and exposed his laziness and lack of smart.
Right now he’s probably the worst rotation player in the league,
just painful to watch.

That was an oddly simply trivia question. “Hmmm…maybe the three star Knicks of the last 20 years?”

Yeah, we should prepare ourselves mentally for a Giannis fueled obliteration very soon… it’s still much better than what I expected from this team, but it does show we still have a road ahead.

Giannis had a inspector gadget style dunk tonight, where he just extended his arm so he could dunk even though you thought he was 12 feet from the rim.

I am glad the Knicks properly recentered my expectations.

Bruno Almeida:
Yeah, we should prepare ourselves mentally for a Giannis fueled obliteration very soon… it’s still much better than what I expected from this team, but it does show we still have a road ahead.

Only hope is the Bucks have proven to be a pretty soft playoff team and figure Thibs with almost a full week to prepare will come up with a good defensive strategy to slow the Bucks down so I can maybe see the Knicks stretching the series to 6 or even 7 games but yeah I’m fully expecting a 5 game series at best which would be a bummer after such a fun season but shit still gonna have a blast watching an actual Knicks playoffs series.

ephus:
Call me crazy, but I think the Knicks will come back to lead (and perhaps win) this game.Unless Elf gets back in.

😉

That last Julius shot would’ve been sweet

While the rest of us lounged in a hot tub of self-pity, Ephus called it.

It’s really a strange coincidence that we go on a run as soon as The Plague hit the bench.

But maybe when a thing happens every single fucking game we could not call it a coincidence, right?

Thiiiiiibs! Don’t play him anymore!!!

There is no poker player that could survive the swings RJ has in games. It’s crazy.

Max:
It’s really a strange coincidence that we go on a run as soon as The Plague hit the bench.

But maybe when a thing happens every single fucking game we could not call it a coincidence, right?

Thiiiiiibs! Don’t play him anymore!!!

I think at this point, with the successful season, Elf is a superstition for Thibs.

Credit to RJ getting back into this one. His ability to will himself to get back into a game and not live in his head when he is down is impressive for someone his age.

BigBlueAL: Ditto Bullock and RJ.

Yeah, I was gonna say same. He can’t play this lineup the whole quarter. Better to sub them out earlier.

Well this is a welcome turnaround! The Spurs tired legs are showing, time to take advantage

Pressing out on all shooters leaves the Knicks vulnerable to offensive rebounds. That is usually not an issue against the Spurs, because Pop insists his players get back in transition. Since the a Knicks do not look to run, Pop is letting Eubanks crash the offensive glass.

Randle woke up as Duncan Robinson. His three point shooting is still crazy to me.

Thibs to Knick stars: “It’s time to get ready for the playoffs. You’re playing a minimum of 40 minutes tonight.”

ephus:
Pressing out on all shooters leaves the Knicks vulnerable to offensive rebounds.That is usually not an issue against the Spurs, because Pop insists his players get back in transition.Since the a Knicks do not look to run, Pop is letting Eubanks crash the offensive glass.

Exactly this. Shouldn’t some TV analyst be pointing it out?

EDIT: meaning thx, Ephus

Burks going to need off-season shoulder surgery from carrying these guys.

Thibs has to consider Burks/Rose as the PG rotation in the playoffs.

I guess Thibs can play Randle, RJ, and Bullock the whole quarter if Burks is gonna score all the points.

On the Yankee broadcast, where the score is 7-0 Tampa, Michael Kay just said that Canadian money smells like bacon.

Back tp hoops.

The Spurs are hilariously bricking shots instead of going to the basket. It’s a gift.

pepper:
noel is not impressing these days

Was just thinking that. He’s getting pushed around by the big Spurs, not getting any real challenges on D.

pepper:
noel is not impressing these days

Poetl, although not elite, is the type of big-bodied center that the Knicks don’t have an answer for.

Huge shot by Randle. He might not have made an official game-winner yet, but he’s had a lot of shots that essentially won games.

Early Bird: Bacon or Canadian Bacon?

Damn. I screwed it up. He said “Maple”, I must’ve been thinking about breakfast!

The Knicks still don’t play smart.

down 4 15 seconds, spurs are like nah we don’t need a 3 we love the 2, knicks: no really it’s the right move, here you go

For a guy that’s considered a plus defender around the league, Frank gets less respect from the refs than a 1st year rookie that curses the referees and gets techs regularly.

I am glad that DeRozan has apparently never practiced missing a free throw.

Really weird decision to miss intentionally there? Feels like it’s more likely you can foul quickly and get off a reasonable 3 with 5.7 seconds left than make that play work.

Wow, this was ugly but keep us in the hunt for the 4th seed.

MVP of the game: Ephus for calling the comeback in our darkest, Plaguest moment.

Then Burks, Taj (10 boards, 4 blocks, +13, has outplayed Noel for some time now) and second half RJ…

So if we win out are we guaranteed 4 or 5 seed?

No. They have to win out and for one of the Hawks or the Heat to lose a game.

I gotta admit I did not think we were coming back in this one and I turned it off. Very foolish of me!

Brian Cronin: No. They have to win out and the Heat lose a game.

If Knicks beat the Hornets Saturday afternoon gonna all come down to Heat at Bucks Saturday night.

man, I almost forgot how good Burks is.

Come back soon, Derrick. We need to do everything we can to make sure LaMelo doesn’t get 14 minutes against Elf!

Or Atlanta

Yeah, I forgot that he said #4 or #5. They can get the #5 with just an Atlanta loss, but they need Miami to lose to get the #4 seed.

Taj (10 boards, 4 blocks, +13, has outplayed Noel for some time now)

initially i was pretty skeptical of thibs favoring taj over noel in crunch time, but, yeah he’s right…

I wonder if we would have a few more games if Burks didn’t miss a bunch down the stretch. I’d have to think we would have won that last LA game for sure.

BigBlueAL: If Knicks beat the Hornets Saturday afternoon gonna all come down to Heat at Bucks Saturday night.

Depending on positioning, the Bucks may not even try in that game. We have to hope that game means something to them.

marechal:
Embiid was embarrassingly bad today.

I was really counting on Philly to win that one and make our path to the 4/5 seed easier. Miami just destroyed them tho

I think Noel may be hurting a little. If you remember, when Mitch was playing regularly, Noel was taking games off now and then for his knees, I have a funny feeling he’s playing through the pain down the stretch. He’s going to appreciate the time off and come back fresher for the playoffs.

d-mar:
Does Milwaukee have anything to play for Saturday?

They’re 1 game behind Brooklyn and have the tiebreaker

Supposedly Embiid was coming off the flu or something but with him there’s always an issue

These next 3 days are going to be intense.
Nothing is settled. We could play any of 5 teams in the playoffs. The 3 teams at the top can all end up 3rd. Miami and Atlanta are obviously in the mix.

DRed:
“Bucks are only one back of the Nets”

Yeah Nets have Bulls and Cavs left but at least the Bucks won’t mail it in

So have I done the math right, that we can only get the 4 seed or the 6? Is there any scenario where we end up 5th?

Early Bird: I was really counting on Philly to win that one and make our path to the 4/5 seed easier. Miami just destroyed them tho

Watched a bit of their game during timeouts and halftime, Sixers simply weren’t there, they played the game at preseason intensity.

Alan:
So have I done the math right, that we can only get the 4 seed or the 6? Is there any scenario where we end up 5th?

EDIT 2: I was right the first time, MIA & NYK win out. ATL loses to Hou somehow

I’m honestly not even confident the bucks will beat miami. heat are playing great.

I thought that we had lost in the 3rd quarter.
Miraculous comeback and effort.
When Burks is playing well we’re so much of a better team.
RJ should probably just stand in that corner.
I believe that Thibs is starting to feel the love for Frankie that all of us have felt for a long, long time.

The standings…
PHI 47-23 —
BKN 46-24 1
MLW 45-25 2
ATL 40-31 7.5
MIA 39-31 8
NYK 39-31 8

Alan:
So have I done the math right, that we can only get the 4 seed or the 6? Is there any scenario where we end up 5th?

Yes, a very improbable one, if Atlanta lose his last game with us and Miami running the table.

I thought MIA has the tie-breaker with us. If both MIA and NY win out, isn’t it Miami 4, NY 5, Bos 6?

Berman:

Thibodeau says Derrick Rose was out more for rest after road trip than a serious ankle sprain.

I didn’t realize the Hawks get 4 if they win out because they win their dumb division

The strange outcome is if there’s a 3-way tie between ATL-MIA-NY which would result in that order because ATL won their division and Miami owns the tie-breaker against us. But if the Knicks and Hawks tie, the Knicks get the tie-breaker against Atlanta which is head-to-head

Alan:
Berman:

Honestly, it smelled of that. He’s playing 40 minutes in the playoffs.

i mean it’s soooo obvious right, start rose, and use burks as a backup come playoffs…we can’t afford to give away 10 to 15 minutes with him on the court…sucks for elf but, who cares, that’s on him and his play…frank’s a better option…probably harper too…

Yeah at this point Rose has to start in the playoffs with Burks and IQ getting the rest of the PG mins.

From Mike Vorkunov:

“Elfrid Payton has had a positive +/- just three times in the last 14 games. The Knicks have gone 10-4 in those games. They’re consistently getting outscored by teams with Payton on the floor. Probably explains why Payton has played just 4 4th quarter minutes in the last 10 games.”

Bondy: “Given Elfrid Payton’s reduction in minutes, I asked Thibs whether he’d consider a lineup change this late in the season. He lauded the team’s depth and didn’t answer.”

I didn’t think there could be a bad ending to this season but if we win out and go down meekly to the Bucks all because no one boxed out Wes Matthews, it’s gonna hurt a little bit.

no doubt elf’s wardrobe is dope, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but, shit – we all wanna win though right…it ain’t personal thibs…

gotta leave the past in the past hubie, keep it moving forward…unless you don’t learn from the past and keep letting elfrid payton out on the court during game time…

we’ve got lamelo & kemba this weekend. we can’t give them a crack at Elf.

Thibs is coaching his ass off right now. We haven’t seen anything like it since Van Gundy. I love those late game situational substitutions and all the players are buying in. I’m starting to feel bad for Payton. He looks like he doesn’t even want to be out there anymore and he’s got to know that the Vildoza signing means the end of his Knicks career even as a backup. Thibs should just put him out of his misery. Rose, Burks, and Quickley are more than enough.

I think this team plus Mitch as constituted could win 50 games next year. Anyone else agree?

Elf serves only one purpose. He lulls our opponents into a false sense of security and then they are ours. It’s brilliant.

Quick Thibs heat-check-in:

From a borderline idiot and possible incompetent stooge to start the season (remember, we rained derision down on him), he’s almost doing everything right — including playing every game like it’s game 7. Because now it kind of is. I love his rotations, and his use of Frank is fascinating, 5-6 seconds at a time for defensive purposes — Secret Weapon Smokes.

Still bad: playing Elf for even a moment of time anymore, and I’m just not sure 45 minutes is a good way to manage Randle’s time (Barrett had 41 and Bullock 39). It was a short bench tonight, but still seems a bit much. Then again, we won. Barely.

A reporter asked Thibs after the game how he could explain how sharp Burks was after missing 11 of the last 13 games.

Thibs replied “Well, he’s had a lot of time to practice.” And then he smiled.

playing folks big minutes isn’t so bad this year considering there’s less games… rj and randle have pretty much been ridden like thoroughbreds but they’re young and in outstanding shape… what never made sense was leaving in the starters in a 20+ pt game late in the 4th…

i hope next year he eases off the pedal a tad because i do hope randle and rj are around for a few more years… and playing guys 40+ minutes in the regular season is not very necessary 90% of the time… hopefully we’ll have enough depth to do it….

I thought MIA has the tie-breaker with us. If both MIA and NY win out, isn’t it Miami 4, NY 5, Bos 6?

If all three teams win out, the Hawks get #4, the Heat get #5 and the Knicks get #6. The Knicks get #4 if Miami loses one game and they and Atlanta win out and they get #5 if they and Miami win out and Atlanta loses its remaining game.

If I have any complaint about Thibs is that we are doing too much isolation with Randle. It’s hard to know how much of that is Randle and how much is lack of imagination on Thib’s part, but I’ve been saying for a long time you win at basketball by focusing on defense first and then with strategic ball/player movement on offense. We have the first half down, but I think all the MIP, MVP etc.. talk has hurt Randle’s game. He’s thinking like a superstar. I find myself groaning at his shot selection more now than earlier in the season. It should be the opposite with a guys like Rose and Burks breaking out and Bullock generally shooting well from 3.

Impressive Comeback Win against a CoachedbythebestTeam.
Even if we finish 6th these games are crucial for team character building.

Payton sees the handwriting on the wall for next season. First the buzz was for Quickly and now Rose to start over him. That has to have been weighing on him all season. I think he really wanted to be part of this team long term, but it’s obvious how much better we are with Rose on the court and he knows it. Now we signed Vildoza. He’s knows he’s gone. These guys are human. It has to be demoralizing and difficult to get yourself prepared mentally to work and play hard when you know you are out and that they are looking to replace you.

That was one reason I hated the Mudiay, DSJr, Trey Burke revolving door. You are telling Frank he’s a PG but then you are bringing in someone to replace him every chance you get. That was terrible management. You either go all out to develop him as a PG or you move him off the ball (where he belongs and where he played in France anyway) and that’s it.

If Rose can handle 36 minutes a night, just make him the starter and put Payton out of his misery.

I think this team plus Mitch as constituted could win 50 games next year. Anyone else agree?

That’s not really a stretch at all.

This year’s team is playing at a 45-46 win pace over 82 games, 45.6 wins to be exact. And we’re a much better team now than we were earlier in the season, and we’ll be getting another year of development out of the young core. Even if Randle regresses a bit I think we’d a good bet to win around 50 with pretty much this same roster.

All season I felt like Miami and Boston were both way underperforming their talent. Miami eventually turned it around, but with Boston the covid and injury issues just never let up. Miami is still a notch below the best teams but they aren’t going to be an easy out for anyone. They took a high risk shot to get to the next level with Oladipo, but that worked out poorly. I don’t think they have much of a shot to win the title.

I think this team plus Mitch as constituted could win 50 games next year. Anyone else agree?

I agree also.

You can’t assume an injury free season for everyone. Someone else will probably miss time even if Mitch is fine. But we have enough young players to expect upside development and we have enough draft power and cap space to assume we are going to add another good player or two somehow,

Would Lillard be an upgrade at point guard over Elf?

I know we’d have to give up a ton to get him (and I’d draw the line at RJ) but he would be such a perfect fit for this team.

Probably a pipe dream tho…

And then Saric promptly misses three out of four free throws to blow the game for the Suns. Hilarious.

Payton sees the handwriting on the wall for next season.

it would seem to set some type of precedent to change your season long starting point guard with 2 games left in the season, or right at the beginning of a playoff series…

re-watching the game now – frank just hit his three – but, elf is like a bit of a thief of joy out on the court…RJ’s is pretty controlled (but engaged), reggie just looks serious and focused, randle’s pissed, noel looks like he’s in a fight – and elf just looks defeated, bad energy…

i know thibs is hearing it from at least wes 🙂

good luck guessing what alec burks is ever thinking or feeling…he’s scoring, but, you can see in the first half it’s taking him a minute to get up to game speed…

was cool to see leon, wes and perry handing julius the player of the month thing…who knows, maybe perry stays on next year…

Covington was, like, “Oh, you think you can miss some clutch free throws, Saric? Watch this.”

That was a tooooooooooooooooough foul call there on Norman Powell. They’re challenging it. Can they overturn it?

Brian Cronin:
And then Saric promptly misses three out of four free throws to blow the game for the Suns. Hilarious.

And they win anyway.

What does that Portland loss mean for the Lakers/Mavericks/Blazers? Hopefully it doesn’t clinch a playoff spot for the Mavs.

Stanley Johnson giving Frankophiles around the world hope tonight.

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