See, this is why Knicks fans can dream a little. It looks like this. OG Anunoby has been away for so long on two separate occasions that it’s easy to forget why his addition was such a big moment for this team.
I believe that for the first 14 games, when the Knicks looked like a completely different team, when Madison Square Garden was transforming into an acoustically insane venue that harkens back to 1994 or 1973, it was a figment of this city’s imagination. It was easy.
But it wasn’t a mirage. It was true.
And on Tuesday night, we were reminded of exactly what they have when Anunoby is part of the rotation. Jalen Brunson was a monster on offense as usual, dropping another 45 points and adding eight assists as the Knicks defeated the Bulls 128-117, avenging Friday night’s loss at United Center and advancing to the playoffs. We are getting closer and closer to qualifying.
Anunoby scored 24 points and was plus-12 in 35 minutes. He hit layups, dunks, and 3-pointers, especially early on, to propel the Knicks toward an important victory. He went on to make three more threes.
But where Anunoby is most dangerous, and where the Knicks potentially have the most trouble in the playoffs, is on the other side of the floor. Tom Thibodeau kept him in the game a little too long in the first half, but he did it long enough to draw his fourth foul and from there he had to temper his aggressiveness, especially against DeMar DeRozan. Ta.
From then on, his mission was to “stay out of the way and don’t foul.”
But the first half…
Well, he was everywhere. He guarded DeRozan well and occasionally moved on to Coby White. he was helping out. He frustrated the Bulls on every possession. He was a defensive nuisance the Knicks hadn’t had in decades.
Even better, he doesn’t seem bothered by the nagging elbow pain that forced him to take two long stints away from the team. The Knicks are still an injured team and Julius Randle won’t be back, so that’s likely to be the case for the rest of the season.
But they feel a little more complete now. And they are once again starting to resemble the team that captured the Garden’s imagination during the first 27 days of January. They went 12-2 that time, not only beating good teams, but demolishing them.
“It felt good. I was trying to be aggressive,” Anunoby said. “When the team came out, we wanted to get off to a good start, and we got it. As the game went on, I made some plays trying to find me, and I was trying to be aggressive. did.”
When Anunoby returned from elbow surgery on March 12th and made a cameo appearance in three games, he was great and played his usual defense (and unsurprisingly, the Knicks won all three games). won). However, he seemed to consistently prefer to launch his elbows, and he subsequently developed tendinopathy.
He looked fine when he returned for Friday’s game in Chicago, and his defense was great as usual in Sunday’s big win at Milwaukee, but he missed 8 of 10 shots and was still a little off. It looked rusty. There was no rust on Tuesday.
“We brought our ‘A’ game,” Brunson said.
Branson certainly did. So did Anunoby, who served as one of Branson’s main wingmen.
“I’m getting better and better every game,” Anunoby said. “I’m not thinking about anything. [the elbow] already. “
And not only does he take the Knicks’ defense to another level, he’s also a perfect fit with the other four members of the Knicks’ starting five, all of whom take pride in making the extra pass. , if you play, they can all reward you. I’m willing to move without the ball. Brunson, Isaiah Hartenstein, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo – they all had assists on feeds to Anunoby.
“They’re great passers,” Anunoby said of his teammates. “Every time I see them trying to exit the screen, I try to get into their line of sight or cut or spot them. And they usually find me.”
Everything about the January game that required the Knicks to be taken seriously as an elite member of the Eastern powerhouse (non-Boston Division) was great, and Tuesday night’s game was beautiful too.
“We play to win every game,” Anunoby said. “We’re not worried about anyone else. We’re just trying to win every game.”
With him in the lineup, the team is now 17-3. They may not win every game. But it’s coming soon.
