The drive for the automatic win on the way to the 10th seed and an eight-year contract extension for Thibs continues today with the Kyrie-less Nets!
Let’s do…SOMETHING!
The drive for the automatic win on the way to the 10th seed and an eight-year contract extension for Thibs continues today with the Kyrie-less Nets!
Let’s do…SOMETHING!
128 replies on “2021-22 Game Thread: The Fully Vaccinated Knicks vs. Well, You Know”
Play the kids (welcome back Obi!) and beat the fucking Nets!
Obadiah!
One minute in. Julius just blown by on D like he was standing still, so … still jet lagged, I guess.
EDIT: Is the mercy rule 15-0? I can’t remember.
This is the Knicks team we grew to know and hate in January and February
Same as it ever was…
I hope Fournier and Randle both go for 35 . Sell sell sell!
Sims just manhandled Drummond!
The difference between RJ Barrett and Julius Randle:
Friday:
6’6″ 214 lb Barrett tries to post or get to the rim EVERY chance he gets when 6’3″ 170 lb Ja Morant guards him
Today:
6’8″ 250 lb Randle takes a step-back 3 against 6’3″ 185 lb Goran Dragic
Though I continue to root for Randle, this is one of the biggest reasons why I Saif I couldn’t watch any more games this season. Though I’m watching today because I am wide awake after spending all day yesterday doing not much more than laying down and streaming shows in an attempt to recover from the ridiculously overwhelming and overloaded work week I just had lol
Is it my TV or is the Barclay’s hardcourt an unfortunately drab color?
Good Fournier in the house.
Which means next game he’ll go 2-12
Good duel of legendary olympians Kevin Durant and Evan Fournier
RJ must really work on his touch around the rim…
Yep. It’s a major part of the difference between his current unacceptable TS% and actually getting where he has to get.
It seems like he starts every game 0-4 or 1-5
Well that could have been much worse. Nice couple of defensive possessions there, led by a 36th pick and a 58th pick
I love this lineup…
Knicks from the future take the lead.
I try to avoid Xs and Os commentary because I tend to think every coach knows better, but you see Obi pull off a move like that and it really makes you think sticking him in the corners is dumb
The IQ revival continues
Is there any argument that Durant is the most unstoppable offensive player in NBA history?
They’re actually trying to get it to Mitch today. They’re just not very good at it.
Definitely not from me. IMO, greatest all around scorer ever.
There’s better passers, but if any modern player could put up 100 it’d be Durant
Ughh Randle
That block is going on Mitch’s mixtape
classic Randle losing the ball on the break…he is turrible
And that turnover on Randle’s one…
Robinson is a man possessed!
Wants that contract!
What is Drummond doing dribbling?
Mitch never should have fouled him there…
$$$$$
Feels like RJ hasn’t made a 3 in weeks
Get the damn rebound and stop staring at each other you idiots!
Nice work from the vets on that Nets’ OREB party…
We need a lankier defender than RJ. Cam would be so perfect… if only
With you there, Strat. Fournier watched the ball drop to the ground right in front of him and get picked up by a Net. Amazing.
Fournier specializes in doing lazy shit
Must be nice to be Drummond right now. He can just stand in place and get wide open dunks thanks to doubling KD and poor OReb rotations.
… thinking, “well the last time I stole it and passed to Julius who … so never mind” 😉
Embarrassing streak of missed shots for RJ…
I don’t give a damn if he’s just back, 4 minutes for Obi Toppin (plus-8):
FUCK TOM THIBODEAU
Very entertaining game…
And an ugly last play of the quarter…
I’d say $2.4 mill for Andre Drummond is pretty good value…
I just realize that, despite the siberian exile, Kemba Walker did play 11 more games than D-Rose…
Staying with it being Shit on Fournier Day. How about going 5-7 for 14 points at the half and being minus 11.
It’s the intangibles…
Sims and Mitch could be such a great C duo if anyone could run the PnR.
Also, not sure why Taj got 2 min there. My current theory is he ages half as slowly as other people so Thibs is developing him for when he hits his prime at 54. He may still be growing.
He’s trying to do too much. He still has these games where he wants to assert himself but sometimes it turns into a taking a lot of suspect shots (just like Randle). He has to learn that if they are defending you well or the shot is not there, just move the ball.
Still enjoying a chilled fumé blanc and my moules frites out here on the island.
Part of not having a true go-to scorer is that somebody needs to take the shot. Unfortunately that means RJ or Randle end up doing something stupid most of the time.
I express myself badly,
I like that he’s assertive (but he must learn better when to shoot and when to pass, just like you said),
but sometimes he falls into stretches where he just seems to lose “sensibility” in his shot, banking bricks and launching airballs from close range….
I’ll give Evan credit, he’s got quick hands. It’s surprising how often he goes into a scrum on D and comes out with the ball.
Is there any doubt that if this game stays close the team without Kevin Durant will lose?
I agree. I’d just prefer that if they are going to throw up some trash it was because they tried moving the ball or some play that was defended well and it was late in the clock.
RJ ran the break better there, He usually tries to force something (occasionally draws the foul). This time he found Randle for an easy layup.
Can pt milo provide a statistic for heat check %?
I’m guessing 10%
Based on nothing but random speculation, I suspect Evan is surprised/shocked at how poor the Knicks offensive system is and (b/c contract) is often annoyed that guys aren’t simply setting him up better to knock down open jumpers. If that’s his attitude, it’s unfortunate, but I do feel like he sometimes checks out of games due to watching Julius just lose the ball in the key over and over and over and over and over. E4 is not the most physically gifted guy, so, if he’s checked out, his D is gonna suck. If he’s checked in, I think it’s passable in trade for 20 pts a game.
Getting “good effort, close loss” vibes from this one.
Bad stretch there…
Knicks have a bad case of the dropsies.
I think you are right, but I think a big part of that is that we have no PG or ball movement. We don’t even play at a good pace to try to get easier shots that way. And again, even the latter is that we have no PG pushing the pace. We actually have Randle bringing up the ball sometimes.
Feels like there’s been more of an emphasis on looking for Mitch the last week or so. Nice ATO play.
I love Mitch, I have his jersey, I’ll be bummed if we don’t bring him back.
Between Giannis, KD, and Jokic I tend to think whichever guy I watched last is the best player in the NBA
Doris turning the annoying level up to 11
I think Mitch’s first half block on Durant’s 3 ensures he will be back (assuming he wants to).
I like Deuce more when he’s got that mini-Sims looks going.
I know it’s all about ping pong balls, but I wanna beat these crap-huggers.
Bring back the Future Knicks to run them off the floor.
Man Deuce has a fugly jump shot
Then again what the hell do I know
If Toppin can hit that “open” corner 3 consistently, they’ll at least have to guard him out there. We can worry about him hitting shots when guarded or off the dribble next year.
You know — miss or make those — Obi prolly deserves 20 min a game and does not deserve those BS eye rolls from Thibs for every little mistake.
Claxton is eating RJ alive on D…
Bad shooting game for IQ, his game suffers so much when the shot’s off…
FUCK TOM THIBODEAU
RJ 6-18 today. Too many of those games this season
I remain uneasy about maxing RJ
We need ptmilo to cross reference how many of RJ’s bad shooting games come against teams that are … taller.
EDIT: RJ should offer to buy a foot or two of Ja’s four foot vertical.
I hate all the attention on Kyrie in the stands, but I am amused by the woman masked up next to him, like “This guy is a poisonous viral load.”
With Sims, there is really no reason for Taj to play. That’s a minimal “play the kids” thing Thibs could do and he doesn’t even do that.
That’s gotta be clear path.
I didn’t know Bernie Sanders was a Nets fan
c’est incroyable
Doris just rattled off a death’s-row about how absolutely horrible the Knicks are (29th or 30th) in a ton of 4th quarter stats.
Fournier should do the small fingers thing back, representing KD’s inferior TS% in this game
Nice quick move by RJ to exploit the mismatch
E4’s been sitting until now. Thibs was like “Who’s that guy we have who hits those, what are they called again, long jumpers?”
LOL. mint Knickerblogger. made my day.
thibs giving sims some nice run
Clutch Randle strikes again…
Randle is garbage…
He’s so painfully loose with his dribble
and that is why thibs should be gone…he’ll run that fucking two man game with the worst clutch player until the cows come home..and expect it to work
Sims seems like a pretty good back up center. Smart defender and his size clearly bothers some teams. Makes giving real money to Nerlens feel even dumber. Him and Mitch would be a fun platoon going forward.
I’d rather have Nerlens Noel running the point than putting the ball in Randle’s hands in crunch time
Our go-to guy is Randle and their’s is KD…that’s pretty even, right?
Julius realizing he only had two turnovers, well below his 3.5 average. Needed to pad that stat.
But that was a nice move.
This is very reminiscent of the last game at Barclays (one I was at). Which if I recall was the inaugural Burks as PG game.
Someone has to make a supercut of that crap Julius shit. It will be too long for anyone to watch, but it must be made.
sims is showing well…taj should not see the floor for the rest of the season
We either don’t score here or if we do, KD wins it at the buzzer
Wow did we draw up the play for Mitch there? Almost worked too
that about sums up this season in a nutshell
We always find new ways to lose games…
+1. Last game was a bit rougher for Sims (as I vaguely recall). Glad to see such a strong bounce back.
Fournier had him open. He just didn’t make the good pass.
The Knicks always excel at late game execution
Yes, definitely dribble inside the arc, particularly with no timeouts left. Well-given foul by the nets.
RJ only misses foul shots when he’s trying to make them
That’s the one you have to miss RJ!
You think?
Tommy Beer
@TommyBeer
Turns out it hurts Not having a PG to facilitate the offense late in games
That was the kind of smart foul I’ve literally never seen us take in my life
Barrett’s gotta spend some time this summer practicing missing his free throws…
RJ is so bad at free throws he made one he was trying to miss. lmao
Is 8 points on 3-5 shooting with 4 rebounds in 8 minutes good?
And he was Plus-7
FUCK TOM THIBODEAU
AND THEN FIRE HIM TOO
Fournier never looks before he passes, he just throws the ball where a player is supposed to be. It’s a problem because you end up with possessions like that inbounds pass where he throws it right to the other team. Completely incapable of making a live read.
Missed this one…looks like a tough loss.
But, my alma mater won the SEC Tournament for the first time in 43 years! Tough to say what was more satisfying: winning today or sending Big Blue Nation back home yesterday.
Deuce is the new Frank, except so far Frank is a better scorer. LOL
Deuce makes little to no contribution in the boxscore, but somehow he’s always a plus for the game and the more he plays the better we do.
He outplayed Mitch today.
Sims looked good, though.
Umm, Derrick Rose says hello. This is probably another game we would have won if he was playing.
The Sims Mitch plus minus delta is pretty crazy
Sims has great mobility for a guy his size. At the end of the game he was doubling KD and then retreating to pick up his own man without missing a beat. He did it repeatedly.
Robinson had a lot of trouble with Drummond. Sims was often on the floor when Drummond was not
Suns trying to get to 200 on the Lakers. 48 in the first quarter.
Enjoyable.
***Deuce is the new Frank, except so far Frank is a better scorer. LOL***
If Frank was a second round pick, no one would care that he wasn’t good enough to play in the NBA. He’d be just another Andy Rautins, Cleanthony Early, or Lavor Postell. It was the lottery status, and the plethora of good player picked after him that make the Frank pill terrible to swallow.
I’m completely not worried about Deuce’s absence of box score stats. He never sees the ball. His one shot per game (and really that’s about it, including today) is almost always some last-second out-of-rhythm forced effort before the clock runs out.
He has looked like hot garbage when he shoots, but imagine running around for 11 minutes not touching the ball and then suddenly a play totally breaks down and you’re the closest person to the guy with the ball with a couple seconds left.
um…nope…if kyrie plays and curry and aldridge…we lose by 20 whether rose is in the lineup or not…
Drummond had a -1 on the night so I don’t think this tracks.
On popcorn machine, Sims played almost the full 4th quarter, including a 5min stint against Drummond. Drummond was -5 in those minutes.
In 1:38 at the end of the 2nd Drummond was -1 against Sims.
In Drummond’s 3rd Q stint entirely against Mitch, Drummond was -4 in 5.5min
But Mitch in a longer stint was -7, so he was -11 against Claxton in about 4.5min.
There’s other lineups but they’re a pain to suss out the specifics.
To whatever extent plus-minus matters, and it doesn’t really matter at all, it’s not specifically because of Andre Drummond that Mitch ended up with a bad number
Early bird, you have persuaded me. I don’t know why Mitch had just a bad plus minus and Sims such a good one then.
That Sims is coming on so well makes the pill of losing Mitch just a bit easier to swallow. But if we lose him for nothing… ugh.