The Knicks host a couple of the Pacers tonight at the Garden for a COVID-tastic shitshow that will hopefully be another one of those “Thanks, COVID!” wins for the Knicks.
Let’s go, Knicks!
The Knicks host a couple of the Pacers tonight at the Garden for a COVID-tastic shitshow that will hopefully be another one of those “Thanks, COVID!” wins for the Knicks.
Let’s go, Knicks!
178 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: A Couple of the Pacers vs. A Goodly Amount of the Knicks”
Desmond Bane, the 30th pick last year, is basically already the player everybody here thought/wanted RJ Barrett to turn into. I guess draft age really isn’t as important as talent, huh?
Go NY Go NY Gooooo!
@Noble: you thought you were paying 2 dollars per Obi minute, and now it’ll cost like 3 times more. You should sue Thibs about this. LOL
Desmond Bane is making us sorely regret we picked IQ last year…
Pacers on a 5-games losing streak, 3-14 away, missing a lot of players.
We can’t lose this game but we’ll try our best… 🙂
nice turnover …julius
@Max: it’s only us europeans that still believe in the Knicks. 😉 😛
Ooo, two Julius turnovers in the first few minutes?
Makin’ the case…
rj…read KB today.
Just tuned in to catch two turnovers from Julius. Yikes.
Go Knicks!
Randle, the human turnover machine
LOL
I’m nearly fallen asleep but Randle’s consecutive turnovers were like buckets of ice water 🙂
Alec Burks is not a PG challenge
That’s why E is always trashing the whole team. To light a fire under them. 😀
Does Fournier have a move ( singular )
is that earl Boykins out there for indiana?
***Desmond Bane is making us sorely regret we picked IQ last year…***
Like Barrett, he’s got broad shoulders and a great physicality to him. The difference is, Bane uses it to score baskets.
Sykes better than any PG we got
The Kiefer Sykes game
Yikes it’s Sykes!
“Good defense from Fournier” !? Didn’t thought i’d hear this in my lifetime, but here we are. 😀
We should have started Deuce.
Sabonis trying to one up Randle and not in a good way… 🙂
Good to see Clyde back. But it’s still a hard Knicks life.
RJ saying who’s Desmond Bane?
Don’t give up on RJ, peeps.
Randle steals rebounds from other players. I hate that.
RJ!
I could definitely settle for an 80 piece from RJ
Randle’s whole game is an eyesore….it’s painful to watch him play
Ummmmmm 😉
RJ Barret sucks. We should trade him! lmao
This could be the game where RJ takes the role as our alpha male away from Julius Randle.
Guys, whenever we want RJ to play like an all-star, we must compare him to Frank! LOL
Yes, please.
Plus, Rebecca said Julius said he’s had a mental reset. Let’s hope so.
I saw Frank do this once too. In my dreams.
Well don’t we all look stupid
Great start for Barrett, why he can’t be so assertive every game?
Sykes years ago did play 6 games for Milano’s team and was cut, I’m happy he’s able to fulfill his dream.
LOL
Fournier really was fools gold
RJ has quietly improved his finishing at the rim to be just a bit below average.
I think his defense is pretty suspect, but if he gets his 3 point shooting back up he’ll be at least an okay offensive player
Quickley missing a wide open Grimes.
Wow that was a quick move to the rack on Lance by Barrett. Kid is explosive tonight
Randle is *mostly* playing like we want. The ball has definitely been in RJ’s hands more than usual.
Playing Taj for the first ten minutes of the game, folks, can’t get that with any other coach!
And Lance high fived him after the play.
RJ en route to a 76-point game. That would certainly lead to a chastened thread tomorrow…
RJ has looked better the last few games despite the horrendous TOs, he looked more explosive on drives since Randle has been out than I recall him ever looking.
Toppin glued to the bench the entire first quarter, we’re back at square one,
Thibs’ postgame comment wasn’t a bad choice of words…
Randle taking the end of quarter shot and making it!? Is Christmas again today? 😀
I could watch this lineup all night
Well this game does not make Myles Turner look good at all.
I didn’t get to read today’s thread. Was anybody less than nice to Rowan?
But i still want him, if the price is right.
What a spin move by RJ. He looks so comfortable. If this fucking team could just find some consistency they could go on a nice run in the East. There’s plenty of talent here. Just maddeningly inconsistent.
No. He was even compared to a Knicks great (Frank Ntilikina). LOL
I need me a McBride breakout.
Lance Stepheson gonna spoil this RJ game isnt he
Going to watch as much as I can before the wife “make me?” Watch Emily in Paris
Annnd Thibs sucks
mitch and obi got 5 minutes…I hate thibs
Quickley is number 1 in the NBA in FT%? That’s great.
Guilty pleasure. Can’t wait for season 3
Randle is like a rally killing infield fly
Thibs is against fun lineups. We must play a “serious” game.
You got that right.
Quickley being first in FT% and Randle still takes tech shots over him
Well thank god Miles is gone. Three minutes was two minutes too many.
I love that help defense by Grimes.
Cmon RJ
I missed the first quarter so I feel free to criticize
barrett is a joke running a break…he never makes a good decision…
Can we have Thibs as the head coach but one of his assistants handles substitution patterns?
thibs buzz killed this half
Some nice passing, but 2 bricked 3s
Kid sucks.
Randle has made 3 good passes. Maybe his mindset is better
RJ making a hard right turn toward the mean…
ah…the patented Randle buzzer beater…
Who had Sykes in the No-name breakout pool?
“Fournier yet to score” :O
Now that was vintage Randle……..
Fitting end to half
Tied, and waiting for our usual 3rd quarter meltdown.
What are things I hear every game?
Indiana’s absent backcourt and wings:
Brogdon, LaVert, Duarte, Lamb, McConnell.
And we’re tied…
No, sometimes Fournier hits three quick shots out of the gate, then goes under the stands to smoke French cigarettes for the rest of the game.
thibs has no clue how to mix and match right now…we’re unnecessarily grinding out a win against this scrub team..
Play the kids, Thibs.
Can we just see RJ, Obi, Mitch, IQ and literally anyone besides Randle, please?
Lot of standing around to start the 3rd.WTF?
the burks…Fournier experiment should end asap
Julius: “RJ is stuck on 24 and playing like ass. I can get this!”
At least we’re avoiding the 3rd quarter meltdown
Turner flipped the switch this quarter. Too aggressive tho
Fournier getting beat like a rented mule…happens too often..
Yeah. And can we get a standing ovation when he scores the first bucket?
Most cohesive I’ve seen Randle and Barett in a long time.
RJ should learn how to pass. Having a “great” game with 0 assists.. It must suck to play with him and Randle …
quick…somebody remind thibs we have a bench
Of course RJ just gets one (assist)
ahhhhh…I can’t keep watching Fournier get beat off the dribble….I’m going insane
Fournier’s defense got worse and worse as the season goes along, now has reached abysmail ugliness…
How can you say this just as our aging, plodding starters are ready to gel?
Screw this 2-point, 3-rebound Myles Turner shit. Let’s trade Randle for Keifer Sykes.
Yeah, I’m generally an apologist for E4, but he’s tuning out.
To take timeouts in rage for missed defensive assignments and playing Fournier at the same time, doesn’t make sense.
***Like Barrett, he’s got broad shoulders and a great physicality to him. The difference is, Bane uses it to score baskets.
Ummmmmm ;-)***
I’m not sure what RJ did to elicit pandemonium here an hour ago, but whatever it was, I’m sure it preempts his entire body of work thus far.
Man, if NY had cleveland’s roster, we’d be is ecstasy right now. All the young talent, and they play well together. Mobley is sick. (Same goes for Memphis, of course. This game is fun to watch)
Of course. What are you trying to say? That one good quarter is a small sample size? 😛
thibs wants this win bad…Randle going for the whole half without coming out
😉 RJ was playing lightning quick and strong for Q1 then Randle said, “That’s not what we do here. I’m back.”
Don’t give up on RJ.
Put the ball in RJ’s hands.
RJ draws defenders with the magnetism of a supermassive black hole and then dishes to Mitch for the dunk.
So McBride has been exiled from the rotation with Kemba and Rose out? Oh my
RJ: “Thought I’d be stuck at 24 forever, didn’t you, fat boy. Eat my dust!”
(Yes, I’m having a fantasy hate-filled competition between RJ and Julius. Stuck watching the ESPN box feed at work…)
Please, keep it going. I’m going to make some popcorn. 😀
Bruno, Deuce has two less minutes (at three) than Obi has.
RJ isn’t the new Frank but Deuce may be.
I still hate Lance Stevenson.
I see… and I still don’t understand either case.
They are annoyingly close. Are we going to win this?
Yeah, not an explanation, just another crime noted.
Obi and IQ just ran the worst fast break ever.
god i hate thibs…
this one ain’t gonna make the nba channels’ marquee game of the week replay…
Defense! Defense! Defense!
Julius: “I’ve got your empty 30 in my sights, fish face!”
(ESPN link down: having to watch NYT play-by-play…)
“Hugging and mugging.”
Is that a new one from Clyde?
Fournier in the deep freeze…thibs letting iq go…
Last year Julius seemed so rootable as an underdog. This year I just hate watching him. Maybe it’s me.
It’s not just you.
Perhaps because Evan has as many personal fouls as rebounds, assists, and shots made combined?
No 🙂
Randle is looking better. Let’s hope he’s getting back to last year’s form.
Let’s see if it’s just shooting luck…
Quickley not helping much.
iso Randle…ugh
Randle simply cant take it when his opponent plays him tough… hes getting mad at sabonis for playing hard every second… he could learn a thing or two from him
I really like our defense tonight. Between that and RJ and Randle, this looks like last year’s team.
RJ: “I won! I won! …er, I mean we won!”
Finally a home win.
Julius needed those few games off after his recent suck.
Not bad. Some signs that we might be getting better. To confirm in the next games.
Is Rick Carslie a good coach anymore? He wore out his welcome in Dallas and honestly this Pacers team is talented enough to be .500. Granted they’ve had COVID/injuries issues but which team hasn’t?
This is what the Knicks team is suppose to be: Randle/RJ, with a few support scorers. But they can’t string it together consistently enough. Also Fournier is this year’s Plague: Starter in name only, rides the pine in crunch time. If he ain’t shooting well, he is kinda of worthless as he’s proven to do little else.
A win is better than a loss!
Fournier is due for some games off as well.
Best Randle’s game in a while, great first quarter for RJ (and good game overall).
42 minutes for JR, 39 for Randle.
Summer 2021 didn’t exist.
We basically need to run the table in the next seven home games (until january 23rd) to stay in the run, after that the schedule becomes hard.
Unexpectedly fun game! Randle was pretty much his 2020-2021 self to a tee—mostly made the right plays and thus rewarded himself with some dopey shots, which he actually hit.
Also, the idea that Mitch’s presence is easily replicable is not looking so hot. We should extend the man.
KJG and pepper bashing Randle at every opportunity when he puts up 30 and 16 and goes 12-20. Nice.
Yeah, if we played Julius 9 minutes and Obi 39 minutes, we probably win by 40.
pleez..one good game and you’re blowing smoke up Randles butt…save the victory lap when we clinch the 10th seed…zman
I’m not blowing anything up anyone’s ass. Just acknowledging that he had a very good game. Seems like you’te not capable of being objective about things like that, the hatred runs deep…
Lame ass shit right here. I’ve made it clear I think the best version of this team involves Julius Randle playing well. The problem is this season he usually does not play well, so on the average 2021-2022 night we’re better off with Obi.
Obviously, I hope he continues to play well and that changes but this is one of the dumbest victory laps I’ve ever seen on here.
You know, it’s funny, we make fun of both plus-minus as a stat, and of Thibs’ rotations and substitutions and minutes. But this game tracked like all Thibs does on the sideline is track plus-minus during the game.
Quickley didn’t seem to do much at all but he was plus 12 (tied with Randle) and got to close the game.
Fournier, minus 1 and was banished.
Obi and Miles both minus 2 in their 9 and 3 minutes and were exiled.
I bash because he could and should be so much better … and I and pretty much everyone else doesn’t like his attitude no matter how great his numbers are. The best Julius is the one with near double digit assists 12+ rebounds and few turnovers.
It’s also weak shit when Julius is mouthing off at Sabonis like he’s offended his opponent is playing tough … randle only doubles down on shit like that when he’s playing well too … fake tough. Otherwise he’s only a tough guy with the zebras … he’s not a likable basketball player but I root for Knicks victories so if he plays well so be it …
Funny, I think your insistance that the team would have a better record if Obi switched places with Julius is one of the all-time dumbest positions ever taken on this board. But I’ll defer to pretty much any decent NBA coach who ever lived, as I’m pretty sure every one of them would fall down laughing at that proposition.
But that’s besides the point. Your lame backhanded compliment, as well as KJG’s and pepper’s schtik pretty much sums up how deeply dug in you are. The guy puts up an all-star caliber game and it was too much to say “hey, nice job tonight!’ and leave it at that. Really silly stuff.
The Pacers are 15th in the NBA in SRS and have a positive point differential. They also have a cartoonishly bad record in close games. Maybe some of that is on Carlisle or the players (or both) but they have also probably been very unlucky.
I guess RJ is capable of playing good basketball when he’s not dehydrated, nauseous, weak or just recovered from Covid and weak, easily gassed, and out of the gym for awhile.
Who would thought you could casually ignore bad games when a player is clearly less than 100% fit and ready (besides me of course). Seriously, no shock. He still has a long way to go, but he’ll get there.
The problem is moving on from Randle and Fournier and getting something worthwhile back.
Look, Randle is clearly a more versatile player than Obi. In most lineups the team is better with Randle playing. But imo, if we had a solid scorer at the PG position to pick up the scoring slack, that would allow Obi on the court to be his lower usage more efficient higher energy self and add more value than fade away turnover prone bad decisions choking Randle.
This comment was made about the player with the single worst efficiency differential in the entire NBA.
Here were my comments on Randle tonight:
“Randle is *mostly* playing like we want.”
“Randle was pretty much his 2020-2021 self to a tee—mostly made the right plays and thus rewarded himself with some dopey shots, which he actually hit.”
I guess…people can judge for themselves whether I was some unduly harsh critic?
Anyway, it’s too bad Nerlens didn’t play instead of Mitch tonight. We would’ve mercy ruled them!
Randle looked great tonight. He let the game come to him. And I think a key game stat was that we out rebounded the Pacers 51 to 35 (almost the opposite of the Toronto game). Mitch and Randle being back had a lot to do with that.
You can die on that hill for as long as you like. It will obviously never be proven unless Julius blows out his ACL because no coach would ever be dumb enough to not know the difference between a guy who is capable of being a #1 option and a sophomore role player who has probably never made it onto an opposing coach’s dry erase board. What Thibs (unnecessarily but candidly) said about backup quarterbacks is so applicable here.
How about saving that for the next time I take a gratuitous swipe at Mitch after he plays an all-star level game in a Knicks win?
Oh dear
I’m just happy that the Knicks won on my birthday.
Oh, and Laker fans admitting their team sucks… a wonderful start to this new year 🙂
***Your lame backhanded compliment, as well as KJG’s and pepper’s schtik pretty much sums up how deeply dug in you are. The guy puts up an all-star caliber game and it was too much to say “hey, nice job tonight!’ and leave it at that. Really silly stuff.***
Z-Man has been into individual congratulations for players doing well against depleted teams lately. Last week it was “congratulate Ntilikina for his good game!”. Now this. Games are good and all, but we’ve all been doing this long enough to know that single games don’t mean shit. We are a large-sample peoples.
Happy birthday Cdiggy!!! (I’ll put you in the mental Rolodex for some unsolicited birthday cheer for next year:)
happy birthday, CDiggy!! one of the few posters I have met in real life, and a great guy.
oh look, the Minister of Accountability is back.
Guys, if Z-Man tells you your take was dumb, just pull a Z-Man and act like you never said it.
I am lucky enough to be friends with CDiggy in real life, and he is indeed a prince of a guy.
Happy Birthday Cdiggy!
A time zone delayed Happy Birthday Cdiggy!
Randle smells
Sorry, if I have nothing nice to say I won’t say it at all.
Tough, but fair, KJG.
And happy belated birthday, cdiggy!
Not sure how much we can take out of a win where the Pacers were so undermanned, but it’s definitely better to see Randle and RJ play well — and in the same game, no less — than for them not to. Until Rose gets back, everyone else on this roster is a complementary piece, and we’ll go as far as those two take us. If they can both get their heads together at the same time, we’ll still have to scratch and claw for a play-in berth, but the rest of the season would be more fun to watch than most of what we’ve had to witness.
Belated happy birthday C-Diggy. Knicks gave you a nice gift.
Sorry off topic again as this Pacers squad really wasn’t good, so things are pretty much all up in the air.
Here comes a bit of issue I have with Arcane is that it’s pretty much marketed as a game thing in every way. However, I as a person familiar with the game, felt that I’d rather just forget anything I know about the game characters when I watched it. I am at a disadvantage even, because I was spoiled by a bit of destinations. It’s like watching Game of Thrones as a book reader, but worse, because half of the characters in the show is not even in the video game. And by emphasizing the game adaption part, it turns people away. The show’s slow start did not help things either. If the graphics and production quality are not enough to hold viewers until episode 3, when things start to happen, then it’s goodbye. In comparison, Invincible got things interesting right at episode 1.
And yet from another timezone… Happy belated B’Day, CDiggy! <:o) Let's hope the Knicks were waiting for your birthday to kickstart the good part of the season! 😉
I don’t think Arcane requires any pre-existing knowledge.
I used to play League and of all the people I knew who played, almost none of them read any of the bios or knew anything about the characters that would help them understand the show better. Most the characters in the show aren’t even in the game.
Also, happy birthday cdiggy!