Honestly, the most notable thing Tom Thibodeau said in Sunday night’s postgame press conference was when he was asked for his thoughts on whether Jalen Brunson was fouled late in the game. A drive that wasn’t just a repeated four-word mantra.
Brunson made a layup, but appeared to be hip-checked by Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort on the play. So, in theory, the back-breaking jumper that Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made seconds later should have been a one-shot. Rather than giving OKC a 113-112 victory, the game was pushed to overtime.
“Write what you see,” Thibodeau said, over and over again.
and again.
And really, that’s all there is to it. Maybe other members of the NBA elite will get the call as well. Perhaps Brunson himself got that call in the first three months of the season, before the NBA ordered referees to raise the standard for fouls.
But most pertinent to this playoff-worthy night at Madison Square Garden was something else Thibodeau mentioned casually, almost parenthetically. He was specifically answering questions about the Knicks’ bench and their troubling habit of surrendering leads.
And he dropped this in there:
“We currently have three starting pitchers.”
And no, that’s not exactly breaking news. The Knicks have been without their entire starting frontcourt since Jan. 27, when Julius Randle separated his shoulder. OG Anunoby returned for three games a few weeks ago, but has returned to witness protection. Mitchell Robinson returned for a few games last week, but sprained his ankle Friday in San Antonio. The Knicks are used to this by now.
What’s unusual is that Thibodeau subtly lends voice to it. Most of the time, he dismissed this, such talk was buried in the Knicks’ next-man-up policy, and even within seconds of saying it out loud on Sunday, he followed up with his usual standby. did: “We’ve had enough.”
But the problem is:
What’s clear these days is the Knicks. please do not There is enough.
Oh, they have a lot to scatter the league’s give-up teams. But on Sunday against the Thunder — the first of eight of the Knicks’ final nine games against teams at least at the play-in level — the absences they’ve somehow managed to live with for so long suddenly hit home. This became a concrete problem.
For example, it would have been nice to have Anunoby guard SGA (6-foot-7, guard 6-foot-6) instead of 6-2 Deuce McBride. He could easily shoot over and hit the winning shot. . It would be great to have Randle start the second and fourth quarters as a reserve, filling the role he so deftly filled after the Anunoby trade to ensure the Knicks offense doesn’t completely slide off a cliff with Brunson out. That’s probably true.
Frankly, it would be great to have the Knicks’ top nine all together. everyone Randle would be Brunson’s wingman, Josh Hart would be an explosive sixth man, and McBride would be ideal as Brunson’s backup in place of Alec Burks. On and on. That’s what Knicks fans have been waiting for for the Cavalry to return.
Except this is the most important question of the Knicks season now:
Will the cavalry really come?
Thibodeau’s pregame updates on Randle and Anunoby weren’t exactly reassuring, with neither appearing close to playing yet, and his assessment of the situation was “we’re just going to deal with reality day by day.” It wasn’t.
That’s good advice. Following that, here are his three big realities for the Knicks:
1. They have eight games left. Seven of those games will be against teams that need a win as much as the Knicks, and the other one will be against the Nets, who want nothing more than to ruin the Knicks’ day.
2. The magic number for them to finish 6th or better in the East is just 5, which means a Knicks win and a Heat (or Pacers) loss. should Be achievable.
3. If the Knicks were all together, it wouldn’t really matter if they finished somewhere between 3rd and 6th. They would be in a great position even without their home court.
But they are not perfect. And it’s no wonder now that we’re wondering when or if that will happen. Josh Hart said after the game. We have to realize every game and at the end of this season that they’re not coming back and they’re going to be a pleasant surprise. ”
The runway is short, with only two weeks left in the season. Time has always been thought to be on the Knicks’ side. Not so much now. Until we know when the cavalry will return.
if It will come back.
