The Knicks don’t tend to look for sympathy anyway, so that could be a good thing Thursday night. Because if there’s one city and team that doesn’t want to hear about anyone’s injury troubles right now, it’s Philadelphia and the 76ers.
If there’s one fan base that knows what Knicks fans are feeling right now, it’s the Sixers supporters who were starting to tell themselves about the possibility of a great spring. Joel Embiid is playing great and aiming to win the MVP award for the second consecutive year, but what is going on? The level I was at every night before my knees went crazy.
The Sixers are 3-8 since Embiid was sidelined with a torn meniscus. They were effectively tied with the Bucks, the No. 2 seed in the East, at the time they lost their franchise player. They will enter Thursday’s game as the No. 4 seed, a half-game behind the Knicks.
So, no, Philadelphia doesn’t want to hear about how bad the Knicks are.
But that doesn’t mean the Knicks aren’t banging.
Even with Isaiah Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo and Bojan Bogdanovic scheduled to return when the Knicks and Sixers resume their season Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the Knicks are still incomplete. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel that way. We heard from OG Anunoby and Julius Randle over the last two days. It was the first time they spoke publicly since Jan. 27, after which both went into injury protocol.
While both men sounded optimistic about their return, Randle was still cautious to insist that he had not completely ruled out surgery on his damaged right shoulder, which could be reinforced in the coming weeks. It is a reminder that it is likely to arrive. It’s also a clue that the Knicks are still a weak and vulnerable team for the foreseeable future with a significant chunk of their schedule ahead.
“I’m feeling better and better and I want to be back as soon as possible,” Anunoby said on Tuesday.
“Every day, I’m getting stronger. I’m getting better, so I just have to take it one day at a time and keep in mind the things I need to do to stay healthy,” Randall said. said Wednesday.
Still, they’ll likely be watching in street clothes when the season begins anew on Thursday. The Knicks were able to survive the brief loss and won four of the first five games played without them. But with various members of Thursday’s returning roster plus Jalen Brunson missing one game, they lost their last four straight before the hiatus.
It adds up quickly. And losses can mount quickly. The East has been a mixed bag since the Celtics, with the Cavaliers, Bucks, Knicks, Sixers, Pacers, Heat, and Magic competing for position, all with similar records. . Two of those seven will move into the Eastern No. 2 and No. 3 spots within the next two months, making it an ideal Eastern position to avoid facing the Celtics until the Eastern Finals at the earliest.
One of them falls to 7 and requires a play-in.
And they all have lingering grief that will be tested as soon as the season resumes. For the Knicks (and Sixers), it’s the simplest and most common thing: health. Just as the Knicks proved they can win without Anunoby and Randle, the Sixers proved they can win without Embiid.
The difficulty level increases accordingly. And if the Knicks don’t have enough time to get back on their feet again, I wonder if this season is doomed to be remembered not for what could have been, but for what could have been. I’ll put it away.
The teams in the East are so close together that one bad week can make all the difference. The Sixers found that out when they fell from 2 points to 5 points. The same goes for the Knicks, who before their losing streak were within a half-game of the Cavs and had grown evenly with the Bucks, sitting comfortably with 15 games over .500.
After one bad week, they suddenly find themselves facing an immediate challenge for fourth place. On Saturday night, the Celtics arrive for their first regular-season finale at Madison Square Garden, but a tough test awaits them. A month ago, this game was rated as an attractive benchmark game. Then Randle’s shoulder started screaming, Anunoby’s elbow started screaming, and things took a little turn for the worse for the Knicks.
They do not seek anyone’s sympathy, but that is enough. Because no one is offering anything. Especially on Thursday night, fair citizens of Philadelphia.
