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2024-25 Game Thread: Knicks @ Raptors: They Can’t Stand On Guard Against These Knicks

The Knicks travel to a foreign country to take on a team of dinosaur enthusiasts on tonight’s episode of Thibs and the Gang.

Karl-Anthony Towns is back playing for the Knicks tonight, so you know what that means, bad news for the Raptors!

Let’s go, Knicks! 54 40 or fight wasn’t great, but 58-24 is great!

206 replies on “2024-25 Game Thread: Knicks @ Raptors: They Can’t Stand On Guard Against These Knicks”

RJ is the kind of mid, okayish guard that usually lights us up because we don’t defend very well. So I expect that he’ll have one of his efficient games. I mean, Malik Beasley looked like Pete Maravich out there against us last game

Tomorrow has potential to be the worst thread in the history of this website

counterpoint: djphan and zman once got so litigious jowles moved in with a law student

Knicks have to lead the league in deflections that turn into wide open 3s for the opponent.

The worst shooting teams in the league sure hit a lot of threes against us

I know we suck on defense but JFC teams seem to make everything against us no matter what type of shot it is.

Sims lost his job in his 9min played since Achiuwa returned

And it was about 6 minutes too long.

Should we all have anticipated the Precious Achiuwa Revenge Game?

Forget about Mikal’s extension, next summer we need cap space to re-sign Precious…

Che cazzo!? Non teniamo i suoi Bird Rights?

Bobo looks like me out there (I’m 5’11)

I’m guessing you mean Mogbo. He’s 6’6″ but has a 7’2″ wingspan. He has a better standing reach than 6’11” Filipowski and a couple other Cs drafted this year.

Words cannot convey just how happy I am to see Sims glued to the bench

@earlybird

No I mean in the sense that he repeatedly misses point-blank layups like I do—except I’m around a foot shorter than him.

@earlybird

No I mean in the sense that he repeatedly misses point-blank layups like I do—except I’m around a foot shorter than him.

Sounds like we share a skillset too

Every game I’m still flabbergasted by how fucking awful the Knicks defend the 3pt line.

My favorite moment, OG on Barnes who has the ball under the basket, Mikal starts to shade toward Barnes, OG barks out, “No help!”

That’s effing confidence.

Scottie Barnes has had a pretty disappointing career so far. I guess every year is supposed to be his breakout year and it just doesn’t happen.

Nice to see that RJ still has problems finishing at the rim

LOL who is that Raptor dressed like a cowboy?

I was wondering that too. They have TOR: D.J. Carton, Jamison Battle, Ulrich Chomche, Bruce Brown, Immanuel Quickley inactive

Olynyk drives on KAT without gaining a step on him but 2 guys still help leading to an open 3pter for Toronto. Its fucking maddening.

Anytime Precious or Sims dribble the basketball they should be immediately benched.

This is not a new thing, but it’s annoying how easy it is to bait the Knicks to overhelp from the corner 3.

Offensive rebs and 3s keeping Toronto in this game. Knicks shooting 60% compared to 41% for Toronto but only up 6.

This is not a new thing, but it’s annoying how easy it is to bait the Knicks to overhelp from the corner 3.

Thib’s protect the rim at all costs is a bitter Kool Aid the Knicks have internalized.

I remember the times when we were the best FT shooting team in history… as fast as someone said “if they keep this up, they’ll be the best in history” we fell like a rock.

The Knicks play basketball like some old guy that doesn’t like his job anymore, is close to retirement and that has way more money than he needs. They are mostly just going through the motions.

The Gotham app is worse than our god damn 3PT defense

I tried it this weekened and it kept blinking in and out.

The Knicks play basketball like some old guy that doesn’t like his job anymore, is close to retirement and that has way more money than he needs. They talk a good game but they are mostly just going through the motions.

Was that you spying on my rec game last week?

I think they all just know they’re so good, they aren’t really going to care until the playoffs.

By Post Author

Was that you spying on my rec game last week?

I was thinking of my last few years as a computer programmer. Office Space was like my life story. I was Peter Gibbons.

There was a stretch there where we went up into a double digit lead, with beautiful unselfish passes and ball movement leading to the right shot each time, and then it just all went to sh*t.

Last season our games were a lot of fun, this season… not so much.

Because they don’t care…

I hope Brian is right and they’re sure they can flip the switch come playoffs time because, with few exceptions, they rarely show urgency or hunger.
A stark contrast with the last two years…

Jesus that was life imitating art with Brunson tripping on a fan’s foot (Curb reference)

If this team doesn’t gve a shit about basketball (it plays like it doesn’t way too often) then why should I give a shit and watch them.

Hard to care about this team. This is the least exciting “good” Knicks team I have ever seen. They can beat certain opponents on certain nights with talent alone but they often get outhustled and beaten by far lesser teams.

Not a hallmark of a coach that’s doing a good job. We punch below our weight.

Just tuning back in to read Brunson is hurt and the pitchforks are out on the board. Yikes.

Let’s just win this now going away to calm everyone down.

Another 0-2 at the line, disgusting…

Kat’s misses felt a bit like “ball don’t lie.”

Would be nice if we finally got a game we could definitively say we wouldn’t have won without Mikal Bridges

Is it just me or are OG and Precious the only Knicks players bothering to play defense?

Barrett’s 11-19 and I swear every shot he’s made was with his left at the rim, like nobody thinks Barrett can shoot with his left.

RJ surprising everyone by going left at the hoop. Gotta tip your cap. 🙃

I’m thinking Mikal for the win.

I’ve only been following the box score but it LOOKS like a good game… apparently not, though

Leon literally the puppeteer on that sequence. OG blocks RJ. Towns ices the game.

And you gotta love KAT pointing with pride to the “New York” on his jersey.

RJ’s box score is gonna look good but he’s done some incredibly dumb shit down the stretch.

Holy shit what a catch by KAT on that low pass.

I was thinking what previous Knicks center could have caught that. It’s been a while.

“RJ’s box score is gonna look good but he’s done some incredibly dumb shit down the stretch.”

He’s empty calories.

First time all season I’m like, go ahead, Thibs, leave the starters out there…

Yeah not gonna rag on RJ tonight, he played a very good game although his defense was pretty bad as usual.

Yeah, RJ was pretty excellent. Everyone made dumb plays on both sides, but we’re the ones who are supposed to be good.

Nice offensive game from Bridges. I think he has put his offensive struggles behind him.

I still hate this team’s inconsistent effort on defense.

We need a big rim protecting stretch PF at some point even if it’s not this year.

RJ has celarly taken a step forward on offense. I’d have to see more on defense, but he’s slowly reaching his potential.

Lucky for us Barnes got hurt.

This team with Barnes and Quick is a lot better than their record.

Yeah not gonna rag on RJ tonight, he played a very good game although his defense was pretty bad as usual.

Yeah, defense was his problem and still is. And what we needed from that position was defense (OG) so they’re happy and we’re happy (except E).

Damn, this starting offense is pretty balanced. Check out this distribution of FGA:

Bridges -14
OG – 14
Towns – 13
Brunson 13
Hart – 9

i am shocked they are calling the barnes injury an ankle; that looked way more foot than ankle

RJ’s had a “classic RJ” good offensive game, he had to do basically everything at the end because Barnes was out, his teammates didn’t help him much…

We’re saying “a win is a win” a little too often this year, no? 😉

That was the Mikal that is worth a number of unprotected picks. Not 5 maybe, but still.

It’s morning here and I’m at work and have work to do. But at the end I was just watching the game and not doing anything else. I thought it was a good win. Toronto ramped up their defense and we still found a way to score enough at the end to win.

“i am shocked they are calling the barnes injury an ankle; that looked way more foot than ankle”

Yeah, I thought the same thing…

great game, great win…

Bridges -14
OG – 14
Towns – 13
Brunson 13
Hart – 9

that FGA distribution seems like a winning formula, and pleasant basketball to watch…

And how did the NBA schedule one game tonight and it was us and Toronto on NBA TV?

I mean Max the Knicks have a nearly +7 point differential and lead the NBA in minutes with a 20+ point lead so as much as it has felt that way reality is Knicks for the most part have been extremely dominant in their wins.

And how did the NBA schedule one game tonight and it was us and Toronto on NBA TV?

They knew the sports would would be talking about the Soto deal and didn’t want to compete. Don’t blame them.

I do think Learning to Win is a thing. The Fugly games are all about that. Glad we’re learning.

Weird game. The defensive effort was so erratic and we were lucky they missed some gimmes early on. They lock down the last couple of minutes and we win.

This team is so different with KAT on the floor. The offense is so good. But we gotta stop these missed free throws and turnovers from the captain!!!

“We’re saying “a win is a win” a little too often this year, no? 😉”

It’s a new world. The young teams are coming for us like they haven’t in years. We are no longer the hungry up-and-comers. We are the hunted ones.

Two plays stand out to me down the stretch:

– Bridges’ corner three (lesson: move the ball, good shots will come)

– KAT’s layup ATO (lesson: if they double JB make them pay)

It was a strange game but, despite the frustration, the need to play until the end was a good thing, it’s the only way to learn…

On that kat layup..Brunson’s pass was not easy to handle…kat scooped it up no problem…finally a big man with good hands..

The key moment of the game was Brunson’s 4pt play with the shot clock expiring. If he misses and doesn’t get fouled, winning would have been very tough.

Are we not gonna talk about how often Brunson plays through injuries?

He is one tough little bastard

The graphic on the postgame said we are 8-1 after a loss. Not sure what that means, but it’s clearly not a bad thing….

I don’t know who that Toronto color guy is…he’s like Kevin loughery and Bill Rafferty on steroids

Also think OG knew exactly what he needed to do on RJ’s last shot off the inbound.

— the trade — his former team — his “lockdown” reputation —

OG just said, “Nope,” and delivered the block.

KAT deserves credit too for that OG block cause he stopped RJ at the rim which gave OG time to recover and block the shot.

Round Two:

After engaging in a spirited bidding war for prized free agent Juan Soto, the New York Mets and New York Yankees are among the teams vying for the best starting pitcher available via trade, Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, sources briefed on the talks say.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox are among the other teams interested in Crochet, but the Mets and Yankees were the most aggressive suitors as of Monday, according to two sources briefed on the White Sox’s discussions. No deal with any club was considered close.

Yup, BBA. Saw that and totally agree. Team D. Gonna make the guys very happy when they watch it back.

Tonight sort of encapsulated RJ vs. OG debate at peak RJ and typical OG. I’m old school and think OG won the day with his defense. But RJ was no slouch.

so what was the reason the raptors didn’t want to hold on to OG?

was it just a matter of price and their team timeline…they got two rotation pieces for him, maybe thought RJ + IQ at their salary was better than OG + whomever at that same salary…

not sure, but they still don’t have a point guard, having experienced that particular situation as a knicks’ fan – that’s a big issue towards winning…

good in theory to pass the ball around, works best though to have a guy who can run an offense at the end of the game…

jalen himself has accounted for a lot of wins since he’s got here…now with KAT, we should be able to get at least a half decent fga during crunch time situations…

just got to figure out how to stop others from scoring…

precious looks okay so far…really wish huk and kolek could see the floor for a few minutes in each half, sprinkle in dadiet for defense/shooting every few games…

deuce is really becoming something else…

edit: that’s hilarious BBA…

Yeah, RJ was pretty excellent. Everyone made dumb plays on both sides, but we’re the ones who are supposed to be good.

Yeah, that’s my big takeaway from the game.

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i am shocked they are calling the barnes injury an ankle; that looked way more foot than ankle

I thought it was his arch.

This ATL game now looms large. Big night at MSG.

would still love to see jalen sit a game…it’s only december, we’re in 4th and the three teams right behind us are all playing well…

and one of those 3 we play next game…

8 more games to end the year, thankfully the last 2 in dc against the wizards…

give cameron the start…thibs can go with 7 against the hawks…heck, if we lose the game wednesday we’d get a good bit of rest before our game against the timberwolves on the 19th…

KAT deserves credit too for that OG block cause he stopped RJ at the rim which gave OG time to recover and block the shot.

100%

I’m not sure I love OG’s shot selection from 3 lately. He takes a couple every game I don’t like. I know Thibs is pushing him to be more aggressive, but I don’t think he’s found the right balance yet.

RJ just not a winning player

I think he had a great game.

This was me mostly being a hater, but RJ was alright. 30 points on 24 shots is fine.

I realize two thirds of the Knicks never played with RJ, but really, just let him drive left? I know they didn’t just let him, but they kind of did, too.

I stand on my “I hated this game.” Glad we won, but I feel like I should wash my eyes out. With battery acid. And as has been mentioned, the box score looks like most everyone played well. It’s like Z-Man said when I asked him about Mikal a day or two ago, sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s when you do it.

Much of this game everyone BUT Mikal wasn’t doing things when they were supposed to. Until the end, of course, when they did.

It’s and 82 game season. You aren’t winning every game in the most beautiful and asthetically pleasing fashion, while blowing teams out. Even mediocre teams. Seasons always goes in waves, up and down. Shooting, energy, etc. the good teams still win and win a lot. And turn on the extra gear come playoff time. Stay healthy, be in the top 4 in the East, and put it all together and you make a run. That’s basketball. Some of you’all nitpick every game like you have never seen an 82 game season before. I enjoy every win.

Regarding RJ, he’s a strong kid. Even going left heavily guarded (by big boy OG), he can bully his way to the hoop. The refs were allowing a good amount of contact tonight. Knicks still got to the line often and just missed their free throws. That happens sometimes. Knicks are 15-9. The Mets have Soto. life is pretty freaking good in my world right now. I’m just enjoying this. My 10 year old son and 13 year old daughter are pretty into it as well. And when Brunson hit that 4 point play and KAT hit that 3. We went nuts in our house tonight. Enjoying these moments with my kids, well that’s what it’s all about. It’s a long season, enjoy the ride.

llcoolbp,

Sounds you are in a great place. Enjoy it. It all goes by way too fast. One day you’ll wake up, realize you are starting to get old, you will miss the family and good friends that are already gone and probably wish you had a Time Machine and could make a few changes.

In some ways my life couldn’t be better. I’m retired, have more money than I know what to do with, am mostly healthy, but I’m also caring for a 90 year old mother and special needs brother. Between doctors, insurance, aids, hospitals, rehab, medications, making sure there’s enough prepared food etc… I’m burnt to a crisp. I love them, but one man can only do so much. There are days I don’t have a meal until late at night because I literally don’t have time to eat. I can’t make it through a night without a few drinks anymore. I Can’t sleep through the night because I am too stressed.

I don’t know why I’m venting like this. I guess I just needed to. It’s that and all the alcohol I consumed. All I can say is enjoy every minute you can, because no matter how well you plan, life throws you some surprises.

All I’d like to add to whatever else was written on this game thread is that there were no other games to watch today and I chose the other game.

The standings say we’re pretty good, the Pythag record says we’re even better than that, and guys are putting up good boxscore lines. But there is something about this team that is somehow unsatisfying, and I feel that way about it fairly often.

Maybe I’m just not used to bludgeoning teams with high eFG% assaults like we usually do when we win. This didn’t even seem like that great of a performance, yet there we are again, racking up a .616 eFG%.

I dunno, maybe I’ll get used to this. I have long wanted a team that could throw the ball into the basket, and now I have it, but it’s like it comes with some kind of Monkey’s Paw curse or something.

Yeah, I was similarly trying to convey my odd dissatisfaction with this very good team to my girlfriend earlier this evening. All I could come up with was some vague “vibe” thing that we had with the grit of DDV and Julius last year that seems to have been lost. We gave up “feel” for what is a better team on paper, but which doesn’t feel quite as cool to root for.

That said, KAT is hella easy to root for.

The team looks like it did during the bad years, making stupid mistake after stupid mistake combined with shitty defense. This isn’t like the good teams of the last few years that Thibs had running like clockwork. This team wins purely on talent. Thankfully, it has a shit load of talent.

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