It might be Obi’s revenge.
Approximately one year after he had a heated argument with Tom Thibodeau in Miami and was traded to Indiana for Peanuts, Obi Toppin returned to MSG as a player the Knicks could use due to his declining physical strength and became a free agent. I got a chance to eliminate my former team before.
The 26-year-old forward was a strong presence off the Pacers’ bench, efficiently averaging 11 points on 60.5 percent shooting while intermittent leg-to-leg breakaway jams in the series.
Toppin, once a Knicks fan favorite for his Orange and Blue moves, has been met with mild boos for most of his appearances this series at MSG.
As it turned out, the three-year term and subsequent dissolution were not entirely harmonious.
Toppin, who was drafted No. 8 by the Knicks in 2020, four spots ahead of Indiana teammate Tyrese Haliburton, was supposed to represent the team’s future power forward.
Instead, Julius Randle was unexpectedly selected as an All-Star, and Toppin was demoted to inconsistent reserve minutes.
A heated argument between Toppin and Thibodeau reached a boiling point after Game 4 of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals in Miami.
The reason for this was that Toppin had long been dissatisfied with his role.
After acquiring several future second-round picks, Toppin was hoping for more stability with the Pacers.
He also had a chance to increase his value as a restricted free agent in 2024.
“It’s nothing personal,” Toppin told the Post several months after the trade. “It’s just the business side of things. Of course there were times when I was upset, but you have to get over it.
“It’s definitely very difficult,” Toppin added of the mistake that led to Thibodeau quickly ejecting him from the game.
“For me, it’s easier when you’re in a match or a live game to say you can mess up something and improve from there than it is during practice. If you don’t play, you can’t get over your mistakes. , and cannot learn.”
Toppin was also removed from the Pacers’ starting lineup during the regular season, but he still posted career highs in minutes (21.1), points (10.3), field goal percentage (57.3 percent) and rebounds (3.9).
More relevant to the Knicks’ current challenges is that Toppin has been healthy for 82 games.
He’s part of a bench that outscored New York’s players by a wide margin in the series.
The Knicks are so undermanned, especially with Randle out, plus Josh Hart and OG Anunoby listed as questionable, that Toppin likely would have played heavily if he had stuck around.
He’s trying to eliminate the Knicks instead.
