2021-22 Game Thread: Knicks @ Cavs

The Knicks head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers with a really great chance to get back to .500 against a shorthanded Cavaliers team that is missing two-fifths of its regular starting lineup, as Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen are both injured.

The Knicks will be down Mitchell Robinson (Nerlens Noel is luckily back so he’ll get the start), but luckily Kemba Walker is starting.

Knowing the Knicks as we do, I imagine we’ll see them win this one to get back to .500 to make things extra hilarious and guarantee that they’re going to go all out for that play-in game. But hey, that’s going to happen anyways, so let’s get some wins then!

Let’s go, Knicks!

294 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: Knicks @ Cavs”

This team is disappointing because is so unreliable but they had good games in the past (Dallas and Atlanta were nice wins) so it’s a winnable game.

Let’s Go Knicks!

I’m happy RJ attacks the rim so hard, I’ll be happier when he’ll starts hitting those shots…

I think that one time RJ was afraid to get blocked (which happens too often) and altered his shot just enough to miss.

That Obi move didn’t look like something a stiff who needs to play with prime Chris Paul to succeed could pull off

Milo and the Anonymities: just having a quiet moment of reflection and wondering why i’m not a member of america’s favorite sports book…

Until all of us subscribe it, they won’t stop showing the ad. 😛

We all know he’s a reliable three point shot away from being “something”…

Also, I don’t like IQ yo-yoing in and out of the paint too much but I love that he never stop his dribble…

For two good defensive teams, not a whole lot of D being played out there right now.

RJ Barret gets too much respect from the refs. He’s getting star calls now. lol

Cavs’ feed for me tonight,
they’re grilling the refs and laughing at Randle’s traveling TOs…

Two up and downs in less than a half of basketball for Randle. There are junior high school teams who haven’t had two up and downs, as teams, in the last 30 years.

Randle with that jumping in the air nonsense drives me insane. That’s 2 TOs tonight before even getting to the point where he does his usual forced garbage pass. How hard is to stay on your feet?

E, all merc’d out:
Two up and downs in less than a half of basketball for Randle.There are junior high school teams who haven’t had two up and downs, as teams, in the last 30 years.

LOL

Max: Cavs’ feed for me tonight,
they’re grilling the refs and laughing at Randle’s traveling TOs…

Me too. And at some point they said Taj was the best player of the game. 🙂

Z-man:
Why do Rondo and Rubio become Steph and Klay against us?

Because Frank isn’t guarding them? 😉

The downside is that even their makeshift starting lineup is better than the Knicks’ starting lineup.

The upside is that due to Wade and Love moving to the starting lineup, the Cavs’ bench is terrrrrible, so the Knicks will hopefully build up a bigger lead before both teams go to their main lineups.

pepper: rj never passes on the break…at least he made it…Fournier was like wtf?

Eyes on the ground, here i go to the basket

Nice pass from RJ. I can watch those all night.

Beautiful pass. Good job by Randle collecting the free throw miss, too!

Premise: plus/minus is a dumb stat.

Toppin plus 11 Randle minus 11. The score is tied.

Plus/minus is still a dumb stat. But sometimes…

Bruno Almeida:
0 minutes for Reddish… it’s like Thibs personally wants to annoy me.

Me too…
It’s a giant “fuck you” to the FO.
We talked for months about the (presumed) incinerated pick and now, if Reddish doesn’t play, we really gave it away for nothing…

It’s a “fuck you” to the FO, clearly. Can’t honestly be read any other way.

E, all merc’d out:
It’s a “fuck you” to the FO, clearly.Can’t honestly be read any other way.

Thibs: “There are known unknowns and there are unknown unknowns.”

Bruno Almeida:
0 minutes for Reddish… it’s like Thibs personally wants to annoy me.

I’ve been a big Thibs fan, but he’s starting to annoy the sh$t out of me too. I can see limiting his minutes until he gets more familiar with things, but he has to play. Thibs is a stubborn ass sometimes.

I would be content if RJ did nothing but shoot free throws this offseason

I like this start to the third much more than most starts to the third! And the Cavs bench hasn’t even come in yet! This is nice!

You’ve outscored them 5-2 this half, Thibs — there’s no need for a theatrical, spittle-flecked timeout.

The good news is RJ is getting to the FT line a lot. You already know the bad news.

Kemba’s with a bad start of the 3rd and let’s hope all this missed FTs will not come back to haunt us…

davis and randle spent the whole summer working out with kobe when randle was a rookie

You’ve outscored them 5-2 this half, Thibs — there’s no need for a theatrical, spittle-flecked timeout.

That was a super weird timeout.

Rose didn’t give up a 1st round pick to watch Cam warm the bench while the starters are sucking a$$.

Also, Noel doesn’t have the best hands, but they should really be looking at him more on the PnR, too. That RJ to Noel dunk was sweet. Do more of that.

Rose didn’t give up a 1st round pick to watch Cam warm the bench while the starters are sucking a$$.

It’s really confounding. I don’t think it’s an eff you, per se, but it’s also inexplicable.

I want Randle to take it to the rim more but a direct challenge to Evan Mobley is not what I had in mind

Brian Cronin: It’s really confounding. I don’t think it’s an eff you, per se, but it’s also inexplicable.

especially when E4 giving the Knicks nada.

I don’t believe it’s possible for an NBA player to annoy me more than Randle. The Randle/Thibs exacta is raising my blood pressure tonight. How stupid do you have to be to stick with this loser?

When the “settle the team down play” out of timeout goes to ur star but ur star is so bad he just turns it over …

That back-in and then turnover by Randle was flat-out clownish. Thibodeau pampering and riding that loser is pathetic.

Someone should guard Love

Wouldn’t it make a lot of sense to try Randle at the 5 and give Reddish some burn?

I dont know BC but whatever they are doing isnt working.

Taj really channelled Oak and Mase on that foul

Maybe Thibs is stealth tanking. Too bad that’s not true because then I wouldn’t have to think he’s a stubborn idiot.

This feels like one of those games where “play the kids” is the very opposite of tanking, it’s our only chance

Is it possible that the b2b is rearing its ugly head?

Wouldn’t that make sitting Reddish even more odd, then?

This start of the fourth is huge, especially since Mobley and Love will likely have to sit soon.

We need a real PG so desperately. I think Quickly playing out of position is even hurting him.

Z-man:
Nice little run there…would have been nice if IQ hit that 3…

Are we allowed to have nostalgia for the nights when IQ was good for ~15 off the bench?

I’m admittedly out of my element talking about Xs and Os, but it feels like Obi is always in the corner on offense as opposed to being the screener. Seems suboptimal.

thenoblefacehumper:
I’m admittedly out of my element talking about Xs and Os, but it feels like Obi is always in the corner on offense as opposed to being the screener. Seems suboptimal.

They heard u

Yeah I dunno guys I think Obi Toppin has more offensive skills than JaVale McGee

at this point, grimes is gonna keep going up on our depth chart…let him keeping eating in to evian’s minutes…

thankfully the avengers end game movie is on some different channel, when the knicks start really pissing me off, i just flip the channel…

Max:
Kemba’s with a bad start of the 3rd and let’s hope all this missed FTs will not come back to haunt us…

Not really a problem…

thenoblefacehumper:
Yeah I dunno guys I think Obi Toppin has more offensive skills than JaVale McGee

All our young guys thinking, “Can’t we just run the sets our college coaches taught us?”

There’s no need for Kemba Walker or Julius Randle now that RJ is back in.

I’m loving these timely threes. They have a real chance in this one! Especially since Mobley is going to have to come out at some point, right?

The primary reason all these guys should play more is because I think it would help us win more games, but my god they are also just way more fun to watch than the starters.

this is my favorite grimes game so far. seems like he’s improving on defense pretty rapidly

thenoblefacehumper:
The primary reason all these guys should play more is because I think it would help us win more games, but my god they are also just way more fun to watch than the starters.

I agree on point #2

Just tuned in. Who is that in the booth with Breen?

i’ve been wondering the same all game…he’s like the least colorful color man i’ve ever heard…serious nap time hearing him on the game…what happened to pidto, or hell even wally…

That’s the kind of crafty move that will prevent RJ from getting blocked as much.

DRed:
This color guy is pretty boring but he’s better than Wally

Let’s face it, if it’s not Breen AND Clyde it’s the G league.

Brian Cronin:
Of course you have to get Obi out of the game now. Of course.

Thibsy made up his mind … he’d give those last 3 Obi points to Randle if he could

Obi +20
Randle -23

And it’s not all an accident or who they are playing with/against.

He gave up an offensive rebound to one of the games great all time rebounders too … just FYI

Getting close to officially declaring Grimes a feather in the Rose regime’s cap

Even a tired Mobley is impressive.

This is old school Garland and that’s very good for the Knicks!

Grimes is DEFINITELY better than Fournier when you consider both sides. He should be the starter soon. Fournier on the block.

see now, this kind of play will keep me from wondering exactly what the avengers are up to, although i do love that one scene where scott lang pees in his suit…

i don’t know, mixed on “smart” hulk…interesting it’s been so long since we’ve had a solo hulk movie…if they do anything – hoping for Future Imperfect…

can’t get a good image of the comic (i have a reprinted tradeback) – if you’re a hulk fan though it’s a must read…

Awful shot by RJ, thankfully he got bailed out. Then again they may have fouled intentionally…

Torn on that shot. Wasn’t terrible but kinda think you have to do better.

Mobley with another Knick-esque trip to the free throw line.

Come on, second buzzer beater win of the season!!!

oh well, we lost…again…sorry, for my lack of joy…go knicks…sell the team, sell the players, sell the front office, trade all the fans…

i will not be sad…i will not be angry…it’s only a basketball game…

it’s simply more medication time…

Why is Grimes not in the game???

Edit: never mind, he was, and we probably should’ve looked for him instead of whatever the fuck that was.

Great last shot. smh

Do we ever ever ever get a good shot out of a timeout or late in the clock?

What the actual fuck was this inbound? Why was Randle calling for the ball so far away too?

This team finds new ways to dissppoint at an alarming rate.

Hard to argue for any of the starters save RJ after this game.

Noel had some nice boards and a nice assist, but yes, it would be even better having that off of the bench behind Mitch.

I don’t blame Randle for the last play. It was a terrible decision to inbound it to him there and he had no real options.

I do blame him for a lot of other things.

Quietly IQ went 1-10, Burks 0-4, Fournier 3-9, Randle 6-17.

RJ, Grimes and Obi with good games.

Zero minutes for Reddish. The fuck you grows louder.

What the actual fuck was this inbound? Why was Randle calling for the ball so far away too?

That was one of the craziest things I’ve seen from him this season, but honestly, no one else was going for the ball, so hard to knock him too much. The fact that the Cavs apparently absolutely destroyed whatever play they had drawn up is really embarrassing.

To echo: How can you draw up such a lame play??
edit:who is Thib’s offensive guru on the coaching staff?

FTs hurt, but that’s going to happen from time to time. Thibs lost this one. He’s a stubborn mule. Randle should never ever play critical minutes of any professional basketball game. His basketball IQ is negative. You especially need the exact opposite in critical situations with high pressure. He was terrible most of the night. I’m tried of watching this crap night after night after might.

I know it’s piling on, but Randle’s just not a winning player. The stupid double-team with the shot clock winding down that became a wide-open 3, the shitty chucked long 2, getting the ball to RJ late, the last shot, etc. He just does a lot of wrong, losing things. They would have been far better off just keeping Toppin in.

I mean, it’s 1.7 seconds. Its not that easy. But giving it to Randle 32 feet from the basket. There has to be a better option.

E, all merc’d out:
I know it’s piling on, but Randle’s just not a winning player.The stupid double-team, the shitty chucked long 2, getting the ball to RJ late, the last shot, etc.He just does a lot of wrong, losing things.

That double team … he has to , AT Worst, force jump ball there … it was actually decent timing but it’s a Must have situation .. grab the ball , guy

okay listen man, let’s just get one thing straight before we begin devouring one another – Future Imperfect (1992, Marvel’s Finest) is one hell of a great Hulk story…easy to pickup on amazon or ebay…

if you remember nothing else from this game, remember that 🙂

the penultimate play bothered me more than the terrible inbounds play. Randle just stood there pounding the ball over and over before handing the hot potato to Barrett. There was no motion, and Randle created no pressure, Just awful basketball.

DRed:
IQ was really awful tonight

Yeah, I’m terrified he’s a great kid playing himself out of the league by trying to be the band aid on our bloody lack of a true point guard. I love the guy but he played the entire fourth quarter dribbling around in circles and throwing up tired shit instead of running without the ball to his spot and hitting the game winning three. Thibs! This is not okay!

if we were hell bent on solving our missing pg problem, tyus jones might be an interesting option. i have no idea if he’s available but he’s behind a future (or current) all nba player and he’s a free agent this year, so they might end up losing him for nothing.

he’s not the true creator we are pining for, but he is a legitimate pg who also doubles as a solid defender. he has led the nba in ast to tov for something like the last four years — a very good risk reward decision maker.

We were only seeking the 3P to win the game, when probably a 2P would have been easy to get.

I’m going to extend my whining to Quickly. He took a LOT of stupid shots last year, but he was a rookie and they were mostly heat check type mistakes when he was on a roll. He’s taking unforced bad shots this year on nights when he can’t even hit the broad side of the barn. Shot selection matters a lot. I’m willing to give him a bit of pass for some bad nights because he’s not a PG and he may not be getting the same quality looks as when he’s playing off the ball, but you can’t throw up trash.

you know, now that i’m thinking on it, i actually got a couple of comic book boxes (they each fit about 100 “boarded and bagged”) full of Hulk comics, none of his stories really stick out to me though…

loved The End, melancholy and beautiful art…Marvel’s Ultimates series did a great job with bruce banner/hulk…they also did some short series with him, one involving a storyline with Wolverine (similar to the Maestro stuff), and another involving tony stark and The Leader…it’s been a while, but i think he also has a story in Ultimate Origins…

earlier stuff though, nothing really stands out…

ptmilo: if we were hell bent on solving our missing pg problem, tyus jones might be an interesting option. i have no idea if he’s available but he’s behind a future (or current) all nba player and he’s a free agent this year, so they might end up losing him for nothing.

I suggested this some threads ago, but i don’t know if they want to disrupt what is going so well.

ptmilo:
if we were hell bent on solving our missing pg problem, tyus jones might be an interesting option.i have no idea if he’s available but he’s behind a future (or current) all nba player and he’s a free agent this year, so they might end up losing him for nothing.

he’s not the true creator we are pining for, but he is a legitimate pg who also doubles as a solid defender.he has led the nba in ast to tov for something like the last four years — a very good risk reward decision maker.

Question remains: Would Thibs even play him. SMH.

ptmilo:
if we were hell bent on solving our missing pg problem, tyus jones might be an interesting option.i have no idea if he’s available but he’s behind a future (or current) all nba player and he’s a free agent this year, so they might end up losing him for nothing.

he’s not the true creator we are pining for, but he is a legitimate pg who also doubles as a solid defender.he has led the nba in ast to tov for something like the last four years — a very good risk reward decision maker.

I like him, but I don’t think he’s good enough to be the long term solution and I doubt he’d be available unless we gave up too much for a terrific backup. They have a nice thing going there.

Yeah, not a moral victory per se but entertaining at least. The RJ shot is questionable, didn’t need a 3 but Julius made a nice pass to set him up for a clean look…at least he didn’t play hero ball.

Grimes can obviously help this team….and if Obi can shoot 3’s like that he can help too.

We really need DRose back….soon!

Z-man:
Yeah, not a moral victory per se but entertaining at least. The RJ shot is questionable, didn’t need a 3 but Julius made a nice pass to set him up for a clean look…at least he didn’t play hero ball.

Grimes can obviously help this team….and if Obi can shoot 3’s like that he can help too.

We really need DRose back….soon!

We’d be winning a lot more games if we had Rose.

cybersoze:
We were only seeking the 3P to win the game, when probably a 2P would have been easy to get.

The penultimate play only required a 2 to win as well … it’s unreal …

With his catchphrases in press conferences, Thibs sometimes reminds me of Michael Scott (or David Brent, if you wish).

Last play wasn’t on Randle. It’s on everybody who couldn’t break free from coverage and/or Thibs for drawing up a shitty play.

But when you don’t hit FTs you end up in those situations. RJ has been great since Randle sat out those 2 games for Covid, but he still can’t hit FTs.

KB Apprentice:
With his catchphrases in press conferences, Thibs sometimes reminds me of Michael Scott (or David Brent, if you wish).

David Brent please… 🙂

Sounds like people are coming around to my view of Grimes 🙂

They need to move Fournier because Grimes should be starting.

Last play wasn’t on Randle. It’s on everybody who couldn’t break free from coverage and/or Thibs for drawing up a shitty play.

Could it really be that the Cavs predicted all of their movement for them to all be totally locked up?

Do we think Leon had a real conversation with Thibs about getting Reddish … or Thibs was probably like yes sure let’s bring him in see what we’ve got with zero intention of seeing what we’ve got

Brian Cronin: Could it really be that the Cavs predicted all of their movement for them to all be totally locked up?

Most intuitive defenders on the planet …

I think the FO isnt done dealing so they will naturally free up time for Cam via trade. So Thibs will be forced to play him anyways

Question remains: Would Thibs even play him.

We have a rotation.

(That one’s up there with the East is big.)

@FredKatz
RJ Barrett shot 5-for-10 from the free-throw line tonight.

“That’s 10 points,” he tells reporters in Cleveland. “We lose by two…I can’t be out there letting the team down missing that many free throws…I’m gonna fix that.”

Love has been killing it all year. I wouldn’t be disheartened from losing to him. His OBPM was over 6 before the game.

Early Bird: If RJ keeps track we only need 16.5!!!

those duke degrees ain’t what they used to…oh wait…he never got one..nevermind..

Early Bird: If RJ keeps track we only need 16.5!!!

Hahaha.

Math skill notwithstanding — eye-test-wise — there was a lot to like about RJ’s game tonight. Finishing better. Seeking the double team and making quick passes out of it. More, please.

Yeah, I really enjoyed RJ tonight overall in the skilled areas. The free throw shooting obviously was awful, but, well, we can’t have everything, I guess.

I just wish RJ played a bit more above the rim. He’s got old man game which is well and good but the explosion is lacking. Great effort from him.

I don’t know, there are guys to root for.

I think it’s safe to say Grimes is my new favorite Knick. I hope he’s around for a while.

i know it’s not a flippant subject, but, doing a little research on different head shrinking things, came across this one and got momentarily excited: Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy – for a moment i thought there might be some juice and small power tools involved…damn…

They was givin’ me 10000 watts a day, ya know, and I’m hot to trot. The next woman that takes me on is gonna light up like a Christmas tree and pay off in silver dollars

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