This was a game we lose 99 times out of 100 over the past twenty years.
TT is an interesting man.
It would appear that his response to the Toronto loss really fired up the Knicks on a level of...trust.
Remember, how in his news conference Thibs took note of the good takeaways from that game, things that we did well. and how there was much for us to build on--as we were getting open looks through the kind of sharing and ball movement he preached, and that if you had a good shot, you had to take it, and that shots we were missing WOULD GO IN if we just stayed the course.
Thibs took a diastrous performance, shrugged it of, and turned it into a teachable moment.
THAT'S COACHING.
He is transforming the culture. MY GOD.
He has raised the bar exceptionally high, and of all the plays last night, one that was particularly gratifying for me was a tenacious block by Kevin Knox, who hit all three of his shots in giving RJ's a breather on a night when he didn't have his legs under him, and only [ONLY] played 32 minutes, and Kevin played 16. RJ neverthless had 5 boards, 3 steals, and a bllock. In Quickley's 6 minute cameo, he had 2 assists.
And while Thibs' trust and transformation in all-star Julius Randle has been the most obvious, Kiid's dubious told-you-so sneering about IQ notwithstanding, Thibs' influence on Elfrid Payton has been significant. Elfrid took his threepoint clankers when he was open, as per Thibs' no-guitl philosophy, otherwise, competely outplayed Mike Conley, and was 10-15 with all of those sweet forays into the paint, plus 8 assists and only 1 turnover in a team leading 42 minutes.
Thus Obi and Quickley have a palpable gold standard for what is expected of them, and how high the bar is, with Julius and Elfrid. THIS IS A GOOD THING. Not a redundacy, and raises the bar for vets and puppies alike.
Thibs always liked vets, and short rotations, so in an odd way, the spate of injuries that we and most of the NBA have experienced, has been oddly beneficient to Thibs.
Noels, Burks and Obi (and perhaps Frank and Omari) can see their pathway to growth AND minutes in the dedication and discipline of Austin Rivers, who famously enraged his poor wife, missing him off of a long road trip when on his Tuesday day off, much to her chagrin, he made his way to the gym for extra shooting and conditioning, being reward with minutes by Thibs, and likewise responding with one of the great performances in Knicks history [SERIOUSLY].
Hahn spoke of how he felt that Austin was misused, a bad fit in Houston, as he needs to have the ball in his hand to do his thing, and both Harden and Westbrook were so ball dominant.
Well, Austin Rivers raised the bar for Knicks fans and himself, and has backed it up. Tyreese Haliburton? God bless. Great kid, real talent. DJ, Rondo, Teague. Solid vets, but....man, did Rose ever pull a rabbit our of his hat with Austin--great pickup, great contract.
Elfrid & RJ. Austin & Quick. Potentially Frank & Burks. And sundry combos thererof, not excluding Reggie Bullock, who also played a solid two-way game last night.
We have won on the road, we have defended our home turf.
We have beaten playoff teams the likes of Milwaukee, Atlanta, Indiana and Utah. Hell, we were in the game against Toronto, up until we could not overcome our nightmarish shooting in the second half.
PS: Randle Haters? How DO You LIKE Our All Star Now? 23.1/12/7.4. Want to focus on his 4.9 turnovers? Of course you do. Gimme a break. As Hahn indicated, whether he is a path to another all-star aquisition for a long term keeper, a WIN-WIN for the Knicks. Hahn referenced how in Knicks history, Walt Bellamy was a great player, a Hall of Famer, who was not an optimum fit with Willis, and the trade for Dave DeBusshere was transformative. Different situation now, with Mitchell who scored 9, with 13 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks and only 2 fouls in 41 [FOURTY ONE] minutes. At this point, I do believe Thibs would count himself pleased with Julius AND Mitchell, and not inclined to offer them up on the trading block. Julius has responded to Thibs' challenge by arriving in the best shape of his life, taking the mantle of leadership Thibs conferred on him, on and off the floor, playing like an All-Star and leading like a Captain. And last night we saw similar leadership by Elfrid and Austin. DAMN.
PPS: OKC, Denver, Charlotte and Brooklyn beckon over the next week. Some serious challenges.
PPPS: Go Knicks.
Poll
