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Game Thread 2023-24 Knicks @ Rockets (An Actual Center Opener, which is sort of a thing)

The Knicks head to Houston to take on the pretty bad Houston Rockets, who are playing without their star point guard, Fred VanVleet, in what is not exactly a “must win” game, but, at the same time, come on, the Knicks really have to win this game, right? You don’t want to head into the All-Star break on a losing streak (granted, the Knicks could avoid that by beating Orlando on Wednesday, as well, but you know what I mean).

Bojan has played the Rockets a lot when he was a member of the Jazz, so hopefully he has some flashbacks and lights them up!

Let’s go, Knicks!

227 replies on “Game Thread 2023-24 Knicks @ Rockets (An Actual Center Opener, which is sort of a thing)”

Seems to me the key to beating the Rockets is having the guy defending Jalen Green just constantly saying some shit like “you won’t get 40”

Double teaming Sengun for no reason leading to open 3pters is gonna annoy the shit out of me all night.

Some nights you have no interior D. Some nights you have no 3pt D. Appearantly, tonight we have neither.

The surest way to aggravate myself tonight is to watch this pre-season roster and ride the ups and downs like a regular game.

I’ve seen this script before we’re gonna be close at half and then we’re going to beat them to death with hammers and offensive rebounding in the second half

Ummm this lineup doesn’t work… quite frankly, none of them do if you 1) can’t get rebounds and /or 2) don’t have any rebounders

It’s early but I’m feeling the concern about the second unit identity shift. I think I heard Breen say “outworked” three times.

Knicks 3pt defense has gone to absolute shit.

Our rim protection sucks too

No shock that our defense sucks.

When I-Hart and OG return that should help the starters, but we traded bad bench offense for bad bench defense. When Mitch returns having a good defensive C in the middle will mitigate that a bit, but imo the enthusiasm about the trade from the so called “media experts” was likely highly misplaced.

Strat I think it has more to do with the absence of our multiple DPOY candidates than Quentin Grimes

If this keeps up I’m going to change the channel and stream “My Mother the Car”. It can’t be much worse.

These guys dribble way too much … sorry but Burks is dog shit… he’s nothing like he was and he wasn’t really anything special last stint anyway…
Bogdonavic doesn’t play defense and doesn’t rebound… he’s definitely gonna be the new Fournier sooner rather than later…

Strat I think it has more to do with the absence of our multiple DPOY candidates than Quentin Grimes

Obviously, but every defensive piece you are missing compounds into even bigger problems. 1+1=3. 1+1+1=7 We are missing our defensive C and TWO perimeter defenders. That’s a debacle. You can’t be weak in both areas. But that’s exactly what the trade did. It added to the short term defensive woes while solving the offensive problem and weakened the bench defense long term. Which is why I am way less enthused by the deal than the media experts that have been praising the deal.

This Josh Hart-Taj Gibson-Jericho Sims frontline is an abomination.

Thibs is going to have to mix these lineups up in the second half, get Bojan & Burks on the court with Brunson & Donte.

Maybe these past few games will work to our advantage: humbling the team after all the crazy post-trade buzz, making everyone underestimate our full-strength capability, and setting us to rampage after the all star break when everyone is healthy? 🤞🏻

Brooks is a punk and that should’ve been a flagrant.

If you are playing Taj at the 4 right after trading for Bogey, there’s something clearly wrong.

This lead at halftime should be way larger, I’m cautiously optimistic that we can fight our way back in if Brunson has anything in the tank.

It was terrible refereeing even before they called it an offensive foul!

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They need to kick this bitchy Rockets team’s ass in the second half.

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Possible quadruple double alert from Wembanyama, who has 23/11/5 and 9 blocks

Quick Notes:

– Taj Gib-Grandpa is cooked. Somehow we’ve won his minutes.

– Burks can’t dribble, neither can anyone else, but especially Burks

– Brunson’s worst half ever as a Knick?

– Sims is good 1-on-1, bad at team defense. Not the guy to go at

– Bojan didn’t look *that* bad on defense when I watched him

Philly’s win in Cleveland shouldn’t count because Maxey played 42 mins and Oubre played 41 mins.

Remember when people thought Sengun wouldn’t make it in the NBA because he was “unathletic”? Lmao

The Rockets defensive strategy is to foul multiple times on every possession

Just got here, but did Jalen get into Julius’s meds kit before the game?

No offense, but Dillon Brooks’ head looks like some large animal pudendum.

No subs this Q? Why?!

It’s madness. For a game against the fucking Rockets.

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This is one of the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen. Houston’s “D” is getting away with so much.

League-wide, all-year, refs have been poor

Thibs is gonna ride the starters all fourth quarter lol

The idea that you started the fourth with just a single substitution is madness.

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The opening sequence of the quarter was a bad omen. Bojan missing two couldn’t be more wide-open 3’s didn’t help.

If we lose this is on Thibs. Terrible rotation/ game management. Someone needs to yell at him. Holy shit.

Is there some secret 3rd Bogdanovic we traded for that can’t shoot?

That’s the post of the night

That wasn’t even great D, that was just lazy ass passing by Houston.

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Great pass by Sengun after that awful brick on the previous possession.

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These Rockets can’t shoot at all. It’s kind of crazy. I know VanVleet is out, but dang, dudes, why didn’t they pick up anyone who can shoot?

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If we get beat by a barrage of Dillon Brooks threes I’m not gonna be able to sleep tonight.

Hart came to fucking play though!

This has turned into a good game!

It’s definitely entertaining, but this Rockets team is not good (and is missing VanVleet). They should be able to shut this Rockets team down.

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The Bosnian Bomber (is he Bosnian?)

Yes, but part of the large ethnic Croatian population in Herzegovina that identify more with Croatia. You know, Balkan stuff.

Jabari Smith is one of the lowest IQ player I’ve ever seen. My buddy, who is a Rockets fan, hates him so much.

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Why are they playing Sengun like he’s a fucking shot creator? It’s so stupid.

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I cannot believe that they single covered Brunson there. He’s fucking automatic! I loved seeing him shove it up Brooks’ ass there.

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Sengun has choked so much here in this last two minutes or so. They give him way too much responsibility. How did he lose that tip?

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I cannot believe that they single covered Brunson there. He’s fucking automatic! I loved seeing him shove it up Brooks’ ass there.

Brooks thought he was the guy. HE’S NOT THE GUY

stupid play by brunson…you can’t even get close on that …no need

Yeah, he’s so amazing, but that wasn’t smart.

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This is not the worst loss of the season. It is, no question, the stupidest loss of the season.

What’s the Trent Tucker Rule again

Can’t shoot the ball with less than three tenth of a seconds.

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We got jobbed that game but sort of deserved to lose. When Dillon Brooks goes 6-7 from 3, that says it all.

Definitely dumb by Brunson, but I have never seen something like that called in my life.

The refs really made their presence felt.

that ref had money on the game…is his last name Donaghy?

believe the line was rockets minus 1.5

That was not a foul guys. Ref with no 68 made so many bad calls all game. You can even tell he hesitated on the call. I’m stunned. So is Mike Breen who calls it as fair as anyone.

You just need to look at the free throw discrepency and that terrible non reverse call on the Taj foul to know that the Knicks were 5 v 6 tonight. Maybe the bettors needed some money back after losses in the Super Bowl.

Watch the 2 min report not even admit the mistake. Expect some fines tonight from Knicks coach/players. Everyone was hot when the game ended on court

Maybe those free throws saved us from a triple overtime game in which Brunson got injured after playing 54 mins.

One of the worst calls I’ve ever seen, though.

Marginal contact initiated by offensive player on a one handed hail marry shot…refs always swallow the whistle and let the players decide the game in over time. What was the free through foul disparity? Refs killed us all game and then finished us off.

As bad as the Knicks played in the first half, and as undermanned they are, they lost this game because of the referees. That last call was a joke. Brunson alone should have taken ten more free throws in this game. 33-12 freethrows in favor of the Rockets says it all. I can’t believe officiating was so incredibly lobsided. Those injured Knicks players can’t come back soon enough! Without them the Knicks are a lottery team, no matter how hard Thibs tries.

Also Holiday didn’t look for the foul afterwards!!! Hahn rightly says Holiday used his left arm to push Brunson off while in the air. Contact both ways. Should be no call. I’ll still zero in on ref no 68. So many bad calls.

Unbelievable. I can’t shake how bad it was all game.

I hope some Knick says something about officiating tonight even at the expense of a fine. They should let the league know. Officials were absolutely horrible tonight.

As shitty as I feel, I won’t accept that the refs jobbed us out of that game. We were outhustled during key stretches, Brooks and Holiday were clutch, and Thibs coached like shit. No excuses.

Maybe those free throws saved us from a triple overtime game in which Brunson got injured after playing 54 mins.

Agree, 100%. Love how our boys compete…the culture is legit. This was actually great building block come May.

Knicks tanking for the 5th seed

If they want to get to the ECF they should avoid the best team in the conference in round 2

Thibs made the necessary adjustments and the team fought back in the second half. We should have won this game. It’s on the refs. They were hunting as all game.

Thibs: “We had 12 free throws and they are a high foul team. That’s how it goes sometimes”. That says it all.

Why was Brunson even out there on D?

No matter what, they shouldn’t have made that call. And it’s not only about that. Officials were calling it 80%-20 % home team all night. This is unacceptable!

Maybe the bettors needed some money back after losses in the Super Bowl.

This actually makes the most sense.

Between this call and the two extra games against Celts/Bucks, the Knicks are getting pretty screwed in terms of their seeding.

Thibs: “Turnovers were high. A lot of those I thought were fouls.”

100%. Houston got away with some many fouls that often led to fast break points. Did the Knicks go through droughts? Yes. Was Thibs stupid to not use any bench players in the 3rd? Yes.

But when you officiate a game like that, that messed with a flow of the game, of course you are gonna get an uneven performance.

No accountability from the refs either. I know that 2 min won’t say anything…

Thibs made the necessary adjustments and the team fought back in the second half.

Yeah that was actually a very well-managed game by Thibs. Good halftime adjustments. Used the starters for the whole 3Q but got them rest in the 4th. Had everyone fresh for the stretch run. Well played, Thibs.

I don’t understand the whole seeding anxiety.

You’re gonna have to beat Boston. If we’re good enough, we’ll be fine as the 4 seed or the 2

I’m convinced that Thibs is going to have Achiuwa back up Randle and hand Bogi playoff DNPs. Kid is playing his heart out.

No accountability from the refs either. I know that 2 min won’t say anything…

This game was not just about wrong calls in the last 120 seconds. Officiating was frustrating all game long!

Yeah that was actually a very well-managed game by Thibs. Good halftime adjustments.

Knicks took away the paint, secured defensive rebounds, got offensive rebounds, and so on. Only Brooks got away from us and made a few 3-point shots but he should have been in foul trouble from the fist half if not for, oh well, OFFICIATING!!!

that last 4 minutes or so of the 3rd when we couldn’t score at all felt like where the game was lost…

that and the refs hosing us throughout the game…

This is about as clear a case as they come of refs deciding a game. It’s really beyond the pale. That said, the only thing that truly matters about this game (besides seeding) is what state it left Divo’s hamstring in. If he’s out for any extended period of time, we’re toast, plain and simple.

Injured players can’t come back soon enough! It’s Mitch, I-Hart, Randle, and OG. Bring one of them back and we have a good chance of staying afloat. Without them, we either coast and end up in the play-in tournament or take our chances by playing the rest of the players heavy minutes at the expense of more injuries. That DDV hamstring issue tonight was very alarming.

I am a Real Madrid fan too and I seriously can’t take any more injuries from my teams!!!!

This could have been a good team but Thibs is going to ruin it by grinding every decent player we have into dust.

The more guys get hurt, the more he leans on the guys who aren’t hurt, until they too get hurt. Lather rinse repeat. This is not going to end well.

DDV played 41 of a possible 43 minutes before asking out of the game with a hamstring injury.

I hope everybody enjoyed January, because that was the peak of the Tom Thibodeau era. This team is never going to be healthy. He doesn’t get it.

I am a Real Madrid fan too and I seriously can’t take any more injuries from my teams!!!!

You may afford to miss two or three top players in a game that is played by eleven, but missing two or three starters in basketball is critical. Plus, there is no ‘salary cap’ in European football. Real Madrid can afford to have pretty much as many top-tier players on their bench as they wish.

I think I was right. We’ll run our players into the ground and pile up injuries faster than they can heal. This team will never be healthy.

Frankly, with the whistle we got tonight and the whistle Brunson usually gets, it seems like that’s the league’s desired outcome. Ultimately, that’s the reason he can’t ever be a 1A. If he got Jimmy Butler’s whistle it’d be a different story, but the way he got manhandled tonight made that Pacers game look well-officiated. Fuck this league and their sportsbetting bullshit.

Ed Malloy: “The contact occurred after the release of the ball. It was incidental, and, therefore, should not have been called.” Well?

I repeat, however, that it as not just the last call. Referring was lobsided all game long. What a shame!

Didn’t see it, but in reading about the call am wondering why the Knicks didn’t challenge the call? The refs said upon reviewing it after the game that it was an incorrect call. Did the Knicks burn their challenge on an earlier call? If that challenge hadn’t been used, could the outcome have been different, or is it six of one/half a dozen of the other?

Didn’t see it, but in reading about the call am wondering why the Knicks didn’t challenge the call? The refs said upon reviewing it after the game that it was an incorrect call. Did the Knicks burn their challenge on an earlier call? If that challenge hadn’t been used, could the outcome have been different, or is it six of one/half a dozen of the other?

They didn’t have a challenge left, no. Had they challenged it, would it have worked? It sure sounds like it, yes.

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