Official Game Thread: Hawks at Knicks

[lethalweapon3]

“Oh, these guys are SO about to get T’d up!”  -- Tony Brothers

 

Not much separated the New York Knicks from the Atlanta Hawks in the standings. Not back in November, when Jalen Brunson’s free-throw-distance jumper edged his team over the hosts, 116-114, for the second time in Atlanta. The victory pulled the Knicks even with the Hawks, at 6-5 on the young season.

“We’re still figuring it out,” Jalen Johnson said postgame, after his Hawks swiftly squandered an 101-94 lead in the fourth quarter. “I’m hoping it happens sooner than later.”

While later is arriving too late to do Landry Fields’ Hawks much good, Leon Rose wouldn’t allow the Knicks to wait for osmosis to take hold.

When last these teams met, Immanuel Quickley chipped in 20 points off the bench, offsetting R.J. Barrett’s absence due to a migraine. Julius Randle approached a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, the latter matching Brunson (6-for-10 3FGs) for the team-high. Mitchell Robinson made both painted ends of the hardwood his personal neighborhood, his 15 boards helping the Knickerbockers out-rebound the Hawks by 12.

None of the aforementioned Knicks will be on the playing surface when Johnson’s Hawks conclude their extended stay in the Big Apple today (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, MSG Network in NYC). Yet it matters not. Not unless something significant changes in the competitive gameplans for a Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks squad that, over three days, failed to accomplish what Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies did across the East River in Brooklyn last night.

Some of the Knicks’ absences are due to injury, in the cases of Randle (out, dislocated shoulder) and Robinson (likely out for season, ankle surgery) along with Brunson (questionable for today), who twisted his knee awkwardly and exited in the opening minute of Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

Some of the Knicks, from back in November, are not here at Madison Square Garden, anymore, because PBO/GMs like Rose would not settle for letting their teams wither on the vine all winter, in faint hopes of a springtime bloom. Quickley and Barrett were shuttled off to Toronto before the big ball could drop on New Year’s Eve, reeling in OG Anunoby, himself unable to play for now due to elbow surgery last month. That makes it four starters that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau would likely have run coast-to-coast for 40-plus minutes tonight.

Quentin Grimes and the albatross contract of Evan Fournier were dished to Detroit at the Deadline, netting New York veteran shooters Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. The back-roster upheaval and the front-roster injuries are survivable for New York (36-25) because Rose engineered the offseason moves, the past couple seasons and off-seasons, that render his NBA roster sustainable.

On the road, the Knicks had little problems holding off Atlanta’s visiting opponent tomorrow, the Cavs, on Sunday after Brunson went down. That’s because acquisitions like jack-of-all-trades, master-of-some Josh Hart (45 minutes, 19 rebounds, 13 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, acquired at 2022’s Deadline for Cam Reddish and 2023’s first-rounder), Donte DiVincenzo (team-high 28 points over 39 minutes, 6-for-14 3FGs, a 2023 free agent pickup), and Isaiah Hartenstein (8 assists and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes, a 2022 free agent signee) check into games with clear understanding as to how they are to individually step in, and step up.

New York took the time to develop players like 2021 second-rounders Miles McBride (47 minutes vs. CLE after Brunson’s exit, 5 assists, no TOs, 4-for-9 3FGs) and Jericho Sims (+17 plus/minus over 21 bench minutes as a sub for Hartenstein) for moment’s-notice scenarios such as what transpired on Sunday. Even as the starters soak up major floor time, Thibs didn’t wait until his key players got injured to toss the young backups out there, not to the Wolves, nor to any other beasts or birds of burden.

Bojangles didn’t need to get spicy from long-range (1-for-6 3FGs vs. CLE) to chip in with 20 bench points anyway, nor to keep the Knicks’ perimeter shooting extra crispy (41.0 3FG% as a team). That’s all a sign of good coaching, preparation, and development, to be sure. But Quin Snyder quietly recognizes that, relative to Thibs, he enters MSG with significantly lower-quality, stale, and undercooked items from the grocery bag that Fields and his predecessor brought to the table.

New Yorkers, and Clevelanders, have a pipsqueak pilot light to thank for getting Bunsens burning around offices in their NBA towns. Just thrilled to finally be reaching the postseason, the Knicks’ and Cavs’ rabid fanbases were left to look on in abject horror as Trae dispatched their teams with All-Star aplomb. At that point, good enough wasn’t good enough, and these teams’ managers didn’t stop at Brunson, or Donovan Mitchell, to sit back and admire their handiwork. The hero in the Cavs’ last big victory, Max Strus didn’t find his way to Northeast Ohio, from South Florida, as an accidental tourist.

We can pretend Atlanta (26-34), led by Clint Capela, will finish shots around the rim and put pressure on New York’s frontcourt to defend without getting into foul trouble tonight. That he, Bruno Fernando (3 of ATL’s 4 blocks in Saturday’s 114-102 loss @ BRK) and the Hawks’ frontline won’t get caught flat-footed in transition after chasing putbacks.

We can imagine that the other Bogdanovic (4-for-13 FGs, 1 assist, 4 TOs in team-high 35 minutes on Saturday @BRK) will assert himself as the greater scoring threat, that scoring at all for Atlanta in the run of play is possible without passes emanating directly from lead guards like Dejounte Murray (20 points, 11 of ATL’s 23 assists, 2 of ATL’s 4 team steals, 0 ref bumps on Saturday @ BRK) and rookie Kobe Bufkin (3 assists in 14 bench minutes; 8 other Hawks with 0-2 assists each; questionable for today, yes, another sore big toe).

After all, back home, we’ve been conditioned by Atlanta’s front office to modify our Play-In and Playoff T-shirts to read, “MAKE BELIEVE”.

With several well-calculated transactions, Rose has dispensed the contracts he needed to part with, and he steeled up the Knicks’ roster to enhance their chances, with most everyone healthy by April, for a meaningful playoff push. And he did so without even giving up a first-rounder this season. Now, the Knicks do lack a second-rounder next year, because, well… Atlanta’s basketball brain trust would do well to learn that there is a back half to the adage, “Nothing Ventured…”

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Former Hawks' two-way contractor Charlie Brown, now employed in the same capacity by the Knicks, was kind enough to give up his #44 jersey number to accommodate Bojan Bogdanovic's post-trade transition. With the last-place Westchester unit out of the running for G-League playoff contention, and with several starters sidelined, Brown, now bearing uni #4, and all of the Knicks' two-ways are with the main roster.

Getting upgraded from a two-way to a standard contract by the Knicks, back in October, wasn't enough to keep Dylan Windler from getting waived in mid-December, perhaps a casualty due to injuries and the need to ensure flexibility in the run-up to Trade Season. Windler now assumes Trent Forrest's two-way seat with Atlanta, with Forrest recently elevated to the top roster. Conversely, with G-League playoff positioning on the line, Windler joins AJ Griffin, Mo Gueye, and the other Hawks two-way players on duty with the Skyhawks.

Despite the win in Cleveland, New York has prevailed in only three of their past ten games, and hope to hold off division rival Philadelphia (0.5 GB), along with Orlando and Miami, for what is currently the 4-seed in the NBA East. Their homestand at MSG continues after today with the Magic arriving for a game Friday, then a pair of games versus the Sixers on Sunday and Tuesday.

Despite three losses in a row head-to-head, Atlanta maintains a 200-190 edge in the all-time series.

Going 1-for-5 in the first of the two games in Brooklyn, Bogi's Threak remains alive at 69 consecutive games. It is also nearly a year old, stretching back to St. Patty's Day last year. Bogdan hopes to make amends for his last visit to MSG, going 0-for-10 on 3FGs (3-for-16 overall from the field) during a 113-89 loss back in December 2022.

If the mime above looks familiar, that was the late, great, but as-yet-undiscovered Robin Williams, photographed in NYC's Central Park 50 years ago in 1974.

https://petapixel.com/2014/08/14/photographer-photographs-two-mimes-1974-realizes-35-years-later-one-robin-williams/

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Tough stuff for Buf...

...while in New York, Señor Shake jumps in the line.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

The Hawks project to have only 11 players available tonight in New York.

Murray, Bogdanovic, Bey, Johnson, Capela, Hunter, G. Mathews, Fernando, Forrest, W. Matthews, Windler (And Windler hasn't had a single practice).

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Thanks lw3! I still want to win despite some. We still have Trae in the roster. Win out.

 

Go Hawks!

[Nash]

Man, it's going to be difficult to win tonight. I didn’t expect them to lose both games to Brooklyn. I hope they show some pride and play team basketball. Win tonight would erase at least one loss against Brooklyn. 

Let's go Hawks!

[hawkman]

Mo G with 11 points in the first half in limited minutes for the Skyhawks. Is it too late to call him up for the Knicks game? 

[terrell]

OMG Capela made a layup...

[MaceCase]

Jalen keeping the jump pass alive

[Nash]

I get that CC is washed and worth nothing but we have some really dumb players on the team that constantly trying to feed the hopeless loser. He already missed 4 bunnies JC

[terrell]

JJ !!

[MaceCase]

DreMeloooooo

[MaceCase]

You just know Muscles Bogi is going up 

[terrell]

Catch the ball Bruno.. smh

[MaceCase]

My kingdom for a center with hands 

[terrell]

There you go Bruno

That's how you finish

[MaceCase]

There we go, Bruno! 

[terrell]

Held them to 18 points in the 1st...

Just let them keep shooting 3's.......

[bird_dirt]

Anyone who is watching this game with this available roster are true soldiers. Heroes, all six of you. You have stronger constitutions than me. 
I salute you

[terrell]

Offense flowed just as good or better with JJ running it,  as opposed to Murray...

We need to run the offense through Jalen more...

2 minutes ago, bird_dirt said:

Anyone who is watching this game with this available roster are true soldiers. Heroes, all six of you. You have stronger constitutions than me. 
I salute you

What else is there to do on a Tue night? lol

 

Edited March 6 by terrell