Knicks Morning News (2017.11.23)

It was a quarter for the ages.

Steve Kerr, the head coach of the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, almost ended up as Phil Jackson’s first coach with the Knicks. The two are close, and Kerr defended his old Bulls boss for his disastrous Knicks tenure in comments reported by ESPN.

New York players respond to coach Jeff Hornacek’s displeasure by scoring 28 straight points in a decisive third quarter of a feel-good victory.

Kristaps Porzingis finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Hardaway scored 12 during a 28-0 third-quarter run at Madison Square Garden.

In a twist, national teams will have to qualify for FIBA’s World Cup without help from N.B.A. players, though the stars would play in the actual tournament.

The notion that Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t have enough offensive help on the Knicks’ roster was obliterated.

Kerr looks like the smartest person in NBA history for turning down Phil Jackson’s offer to coach the Knicks in 2014.

The Knicks had just completed a first half that was … gee, what’s the word? Oh, right. Lousy. So coach Jeff Hornacek let his gang know, collectively and individually. “We came in here, watched film and coach kind of got on me,” Courtney Lee said. “I really didn’t like what was being said.” And what…

Jarrett Jack is the Knicks’ starting point guard, quarterback, organizer and now host for a Thanksgiving party on the road. The team will make the best of Thanksgiving Day after a big 108-100 comeback victory over the Raptors on Wednesday. They won’t practice, but will fly to Atlanta ahead of Friday’s game versus the Hawks….

It was a favored expression of Pat Riley, one he used frequently to emphasize the importance of the dirty work of the NBA’s blue collar laborers. “Rebounds equal rings.” And it was an expression everyone in basketball knew. “I never heard that,” Knicks center Enes Kanter said. “Seriously. But I like that. A lot.” OK,…

There was no need for qualifiers now. The final seconds were bleeding off the clock, and Tim Hardaway Jr. was exhorting the sold-out crowd to shout ever stronger, roar ever louder. The other Knicks were flipping the ball around, the basketball equivalent of the victory formation. A few Raptors extended their hands. “This,” Hardaway said…

Now that’s a Thanksgiving run. The third-quarter numbers were historic. It was 28-0 in all — more like an NFL run than an NBA one. Yes, the Knicks scored a team record 28 straight points in a 108-100 victory over the Raptors on Wednesday night after playing one of the most ferocious quarters in franchise…

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a career-high 38 points, including 12 during a 28-0 run in the third quarter that sent the New York Knicks to a 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

MSG analyst and former Knick great Walt “Clyde” Frazier told WFAN’s Mike Francesa he believes the Knicks are capable of maintaining their early-season success.

Five days after getting dealt their worst loss of the season by the Toronto Raptors, the New York Knicks will welcome their northern visitors to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night for a rematch.

Superstar rapper JAY-Z chimed in with his own take on LeBron James’ “King of New York” comments while performing a concert in Cleveland.