An Eventful Evening

While only one of the ex-Knicks played in last nights win against Minnesota, there was no shortage of drama before all was said and done.

Good morning! Well that was quite a night…

News & Notes

🏀 I’m going to handle the Donte / Rick Brunson stuff here, because it has nothing to do with the game itself, which we’ll recap in the next section.

Let’s start with a recap of what happened, or at least what we think happened.

After a timeout midway through the first quarter, the Wolves had the ball. Donte DiVincenzo drove the lane, got fouled, and converted a nice runner in the process. When he went to the free throw line, he yelled to the bench “can’t finish, right Thibs?”

When asked about this after the game, DiVincenzo said he was joking with his old head coach during this exchange, but that the next exchange - with assistant coach Rick Brunson - wasn’t a joke. Per Steve Popper, a reply from the bench (presumably from Rick) “escalated” the situation, which prompted DiVincenzo to twice yell “This is what happens when they let you run the show” (again, presumably towards Rick).

And that was that…until the game ended. That’s when this happened:

As you might expect, nobody had much to say about the postgame festivities afterwards. Thibs said he didn’t see it and chalked it up to “two competitive guys.” Wolves’ coach Chris Finch also used the “competitive guys” line and didn’t seem bothered. Donte said the postgame back and forth will be addressed privately and that he has “no comment” as of now.

I think about the only reasonable conclusion we can draw is that this is a DiVincenzo / Rick Brunson issue, and perhaps something that goes back to before this game or even the trade itself. As for what, precisely, DiVincenzo was referring to as the “this” that happens when “you run the team,” your guess is as good as mine. Feel free to drop your conspiracy theories in the comments section.

🏀 On a far more important note, the great Dr. Dick Barnett was enshrined in the Pro Basketball Hall of Family last night.

Congratulations, Doctor.

Game Recap: Knicks 115, Wolves 110

• New York’s offense was cold (30 percent from deep) and often clunky but was still effective, in part due to 34 trips to the line.

• DiVincenzo looked great running point for Minnesota, while Julius Randle remained in street clothes.

• OG Anunoby led the scoring punch early

• KAT was a beast on the boards, grabbing 16 in 29 minutes

• The starters again did not play in the fourth quarter

• Only 11 players saw the court: the starters, the five primary reserves, and Ariel Hukporti after Jericho Sims fouled out. No Tyler Kolek.

• Josh Hart has yet to score in the preseason and did not attempt a field goal, blatantly passing up several obvious opportunities.

Well that was certainly entertaining.

Another game, another win, and another opportunity to get excited about this team, even if several significant questions remain unanswered.

On the bright side, even if we didn’t get nearly as much beautiful basketball as we saw against the hapless Wizards, we were again reminded of the offensive firepower these Knicks can bring.

Early on, OG Anunoby was the beneficiary of the offense, first nailing two good looks from three when Naz Reid played off him to help on actions closer to the rim, and later when he took advantage of an open paint, duping the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the process:

Next up, it was Jalen Brunson taking advantage of the newly opened real estate:

Not that preseason stats a worth a hill of beans in this crazy world, but Brunson has 59 points on 34 shots through three games. It seems as if the new personnel is agreeing with him.

Finally, the man who responsible for changing the offensive dynamics of this team so drastically called his own number before the end of the first period:

On a night when the Knicks’ offense was far from its best, the number of solid looks they had both inside and behind the arc has to be seen as encouraging. Once the chemistry starts clicking and Josh Hart stops treating these outings like extended cardio, they should really be onto something. Towns in particular looks very comfortable, as he frequently drove on Gobert like a man trying to prove a point.

But of course there is more to dissect.

The defense, for one, had some good moments and some not so good moments. Thibs said after the game that “our defense is a little ahead from our offense,” and while that is a scary thought for the rest of the league, it doesn’t mean they can’t improve on the defensive end.

It’s preseason. This stuff will get ironed out. The execution will be more crisp when the results count. But with the opening two games of the regular seasonagainst perhaps the two best offenses in the league outside of their own, the Knicks will not have to wait long to be tested.

Speaking of tests, this was a good one for their rebounding against a super-sized front line of Gobert and Naz Reid, and New York passed with flying colors. Towns in particular was voracious in gobbling up boards. His 16 would have been one short of last year’s high water mark.

We also - maybe - got a little more info on how Tom Thibodeau plans to run bench units. As we saw earlier in the preseason, Jalen Brunson was the first starter out of the game in the first and third quarters. In the third, Thibs gave about three minutes of run to Deuce McBride (back after a one-game absence) and Landry Shamet with Mikal, OG and KAT, and that unit looked quite good. The five-man bench did struggle to score in the first half, but they looked spry on D (even if Sims fouled everything in sight).

I still feel like we haven’t seen anything close to the true regular season rotation, although the smart money says Bridges will play some time with four subs. This was a nice little two-man game between the former Suns teammates:

With Cam Payne also playing well, it sure seems like Tyler Kolek remains on the outside looking in. It’ll be interesting to see whether he gets any run in either of the remaining games, or whether Thibs will treat both as true dress rehearsals.

Until then, it’s “so far, so good.” It isn’t perfect, but then again, preseason isn’t supposed to be. Overall, against a quality opponent who came in with some fire under their butts, the Knicks held up alright.

That’ll have to do for now.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”