About Last Game...Minnesota Timberwolves
Knicks vs Timberwolves 3/20/2023
Wow…I didn’t think I’d ever see a Tom Thibodeau team play less defense. On Monday night, the New York Knicks were defeated, beat down by the Minnesota Timberwolves 140-134. There was absolutely no defense in this game. Taurean Prince hit eight three-pointers in a row. When was someone going to guard this man? And Julius Randle. If for nothing less, his teammates should have pulled together to make 57 points mean something! Here’s what Julius had to say about his play Monday night,
“Jalen (Brunson) got a defensive stop, we’re down three, it’s my job to come up with that rebound, 14 seconds left if we do that, we have a chance to win the game - or not win the game, but at least tie the game. So I didn’t get the job done.”
I don’t see what more he could have done. Except not boil over at the end. You didn’t have to do that, Julius.
The players
There is no game ball in a loss. But for your career high, record-breaking 57 points, Randle, you have the game ball. Randle broke Carmelo Anthony’s record for points in a quarter with 26 points in the third quarter. He shot 65.5% from the field, 57.1% from beyond the arc, and 84.6% from free. When you score 63 points in a game, you will break Melo’s record of 62 points in the Garden. That game will be a winner.
With those 57 points, Randle still had time to pull down four rebounds. Not his usual, but the man was busy scoring. For nothing.
Jalen Brunson. Brunson scored 23 points and had ten assists. He always takes accountability for his inactions. “I have to be better.” That is what he said in his postgame presser. No, Jalen. Your whole team has to be better on defense.
The team
This game was lost in the first quarter. When the Knicks came out flat, with no defense. They allowed the T-Wolves to best them at one point by 15, finally ending the quarter down by ten points.
Like a tsunami, threes were raining from the skies, and it was the T-Wolves. They were not missing. By the 2:42 mark in the first quarter, the score was 36/21, and the Knicks were down by 15.
By the end of the second quarter, Prince was five of five from beyond the arc. He must have been invisible to the Knicks because he had his way at the perimeter.
Down by nine at the end of the half, there was hope that the third quarter would belong to the Knicks.
Unfortunately, the T-Wolves continued their three-point onslaught, and when they weren’t hitting their threes, they got fouled at the three-point line. This game never belonged to the Knicks; they must find out why. If they get punched like this by the 36-37, 8th-seed Timberwolves, what will they do against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers?
My thoughts…
· I’ve heard that my “positivity” has given some on social media “the chuckles.” My positivity comes from many years of mediocrity and never seeing a team bound for a championship. Yes, I was there for the 90’s Knicks, and I still say that. This team is better than any Knicks team since the 1973 Championship team. That team got Earl “the Pearl” Monroe and was made complete. This team got Josh Hart, and despite what many of you believe, he made this team complete.
· To win 50 games, the Knicks would have to win every one of their remaining games. I know they could, but…if they can’t muster enough to defeat the T-Wolves…That Charlotte Hornets game was their trap game…they weren’t due another. And whether they win 50 games or not won’t stop them from meeting the Bucks in the ECF.
· Then again, maybe this is where the next coach steps in. Maybe there won’t be a trade of players, but finally, Tom Thibodeau. It is worth it if they don’t win 50, but they accomplish that.
Next on the schedule
Next up is a back-to-back in Florida on Wednesday, 3/22. The Miami Heat is up first; you know they are out for revenge. And if the Knicks are playing as they did on Monday night…they might get it. But I jest.
I believe in this team, and I think they will bounce back and win if not all, but most of their remaining games. Then on to the playoffs. This time with a team hungry to make up for the last time. The younger players, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin, remember that playoff series, which left a nasty taste in their mouths. They are hungry to prove something to themselves and the rest of the NBA. They’ve already won 42. They are already going to the playoffs…from there, we’ll see…maybe “shock the world?”