Garden fans weren't the only ones who marveled at OG Anunoby's unique defensive exploits in Thursday's win over the Hornets.
His Knicks teammates basically chanted “OG, OG” after the game in which Anunoby recorded four steals and had a highlight scene in which he denied two shots on the perimeter on the same Charlotte possession. was.
“It's crazy,” Mikal Bridges said after the Knicks' fourth straight win entering Saturday's home game against the Pistons. “He's been an OG since he's been in the league. I've been watching him, really. That’s dangerous.”
The mild-mannered Anunoby even flashed a big smile after consecutive blocks on KJ Simpson and Cody Martin from the defensive half-court corner into the stands.
After the game, Tom Thibodeau joked that Anunoby, who also scored 25 points in the win, showed a rare show of emotion, saying, “He's being checked by a doctor right now.''
“The plays he performed were [making]only he can make it. He’s everywhere,” Thibodeau said. “He's flying around. He's physical and when he does, he covers so much ground. With his timing, you can't throw the ball over him. He's great. Challenging shots. He's a guy with great, great instincts. He had a great game.
“I think plays like that unite a team and inspire them. You can feel it. When a guy puts in a great effort, it's an encouragement for everyone. It pushes you forward. There's a lot of energy coming out of that. Blocked shots, diving on the floor, coming up with steals, and that's actually what really got us going. He exploded on some dribble handoffs. We got some easy baskets and we moved on.”
Those two blocks represented the kind of memorable sequence that should stand out, and that voters shouldn't forget, when it comes time to select the league's All-Defensive team at the end of the regular season.
Karl-Anthony Towns has heard that the 6-foot-7 forward has been selected for that honor only once in the past seven seasons in the NBA, when he was named to the second team with the Raptors in 2022-23. He looked like he couldn't believe it.
“All-Defensive Team is in his future, so we'll make up for it,” Towns said. “I think everyone in this locker room knows the talent that OG has.
“I think he's one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Defensively, offensively, he impacts the game. This is a great opportunity for him to show the world the talent that we all see here in the Mecca of New York.” I am very happy to have had this moment.”
On the other side of the floor, Anunoby, 27, is averaging career highs in points (17.7 per game) and minutes played (36.4) while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
Thibodeau also typically pits Anunoby against the opposing team's top players defensively, a role he clearly enjoys.
“It was just finding the opponent, watching film, and then remembering when we played them before, watching the game, seeing what they wanted to do, trying to make them uncomfortable. ” Anunoby said. “[They are] All great players. ”
“It's fun to watch their film before you watch them. Every player is fun to watch. It's fun to watch them grow and get better every year, and then you know who the players are. You can see how good they are even if you do it. And it's fun to stop them and make it as difficult as possible.”
Anunoby added that he has “never before” recorded multiple blocks in one possession like he did Thursday night against the Hornets. He said he was smiling on court because he was “excited.”
Still, when asked if he had any statistical goals or hopes of winning individual honors, Anunoby turned the conversation back to the team.
“I definitely have personal goals, but I know it all comes from winning,” he said. “So winning is the main goal.”
