After a 287 days since their 2019-20 season finale (A 136-131 OT win over the Hawks), the Knicks took the floor led by a new coach in Tom Thibodeau, new franchise hopefuls in Obi Toppin, and Immanuel Quickley, and were starting a full year under a new regime led by GM Leon Rose.
Through 48 minutes of basketball, it was the Knicks who were “outpacing” the Indiana Pacers, as RJ Barret began his sophomore season with avenges, and with his “Barret Banks” at Bankers Life Field House, had the visiting Knicks in the lead 66-61 at the break, and transcending towards a season-opening win.
However, a second half surge by Indiana led by Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, and Malcon Brogdon, saw the Pacers outscore the Knicks 60-41 in the second half, build up a lead as big as 18, and never relinquished it, en route to a 121-107 season-opening win of their own.
Although the introductions to the first and 3rd quarters were parallel, with the Knicks taking a couple trips to “Turnover city”, especially in the first frame of the season turning the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes. But just when it seemed like they would fall into an hole, first RJ Barret, then Alec Burks who had 22 points off the bench in his Knicks debut, kept their team close.
However, down 71-65 late in the 3rd, another Pacers surge late in the third quarter, derived from box score totals of Domantas Sabonis’s game-high 32 points, and 13 rebounds, Victor Oladipo’s 22 points with 16 in the second half, and Myles Turner’s 21 points, completely changed the complexion of the contest.
Down 90-84 entering the fourth, the Knicks searched for that second wind, but the result was the same as fans in the stands, as they came up empty-handed.
Despite a late hot streak by Julius Randle(11 points), that kept the Knicks at a the “respectable deficit”, and a great all-around 26 point outing from Barrett, the Pacers were the ones who walked away victorious.
As for liabilities in this one, Obi Toppin(9 points in 24 minutes) , looked every bit the uncomfortable in his NBA debut for New York, while Mitchell Robinson was practically a no-show, with the junior Knick, only scoring three points, and grabbing six rebounds in 21 minutes. As for the other rookie Immanuel Quickly, he put up five points in 12 minutes, but left the game due to injury.
Either way you slice it, this was a “tale of two halves” for the Knicks, and it will likely be that way on normal nights for a franchise, that is still looking to lay the foundation, and core that with a few years of proper coaching, and development, can be an attractive place to play for years to come. But that’s for the another time, in the here and now, this team will experience growing pains, that they can take to improve in the future. Although “You are what your record says you are,” this season should focus on more than the wins ,and losses, rather the development of guys like Barret, Toppin, Quickly, Robinson, Reggie Bullock(11 points in this game) and how Tom Thibodeau ties it all together. This is no time for overreactions, and projections for their are still 71 games remaining, but perhaps what the Knicks gave us on Wednesday in Indiana, may become the norm, with “Moral victories” such as a “Hard-fought game” taking the cake, as much as we as Knicks fans may not want it.
This is no time to dwell on last nights loss, for Saturday night (12/26) is the home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers (1-0), with tip-off at 7:30PM, in front of a fan-less MSG.
PLAYS OF THE NIGHT:
EASTERN CONFERENCE;
The big story in the east tonight was this wild finish at TD garden, between the Bucks, and the Celtics. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO-toa_JPGI)
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Out West, this game-winning tip in made this team "Kings"for a night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY64xg9OFQc).
SCOREBOARD:
Rest of NBA scores below NBA on Twitter
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