The trade looked good. But it is not good enough.
It did not result in victory, but Derrick Rose reinforced the Knicks’ second unit in its debut on Tuesday, playing alongside debutant point guard Immanuel Quickley in the backcourt.
Coach Tom Thibodeau, however, chose not to close with Rose and the Knicks suffered a heartbreaking 98-96 defeat at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
Rose’s Knicks second debut was a great success, as he scored 14 points with three assists in 20 minutes. Rose registered a lock and theft after not having any shootaround training with her new club. He got 5 out of 9 – 2 out of 3 in the 3 point range.
Behind 98-96, the Knicks took a last breath, but RJ Barrett failed to convert a driving tray in the final seconds with Jimmy Butler on top of him.
The Knicks still need to get the chemistry right after Rose exchanges with the Pistons. They led 82-76 after three quarters, but failed to hold the Heat.
Quickley’s minutes were not affected as expected, but his shot was. Quickley was just 1 of 8 on the field before hitting a key floater with 40 seconds remaining to reduce the deficit to one point.
Julius Randle, coincidence or not, also never entered his All-Star pace, hitting 4 out of 18 to 12 points. Barrett (13 points), reserve at the end of the previous game against Miami, also did not have a particularly good game, despite having the chance to be the hero at the last second.
It was 94-94 when Randle fired an 18-foot open shot from the rear iron. Miami’s Tyler Herro, his hero from the NBA playoff bubble, drained a 3-point basket 1:04 from the end. After Quickley’s basket, Randle drove and missed an unbalanced jump on the right with six seconds left.
Rose was a little sloppy at the start of the fourth period, with a turn and a blocked reckless kick. This prompted Thibodeau to use the initial point guard Elfrid Payton to close, although Quickley entered the final minute.
“He just got here today,” said Thibodeau of Rose. “So, we’re still working on getting things sorted out. I felt that we needed people to know what we are doing. I didn’t want to put you in a situation like this. “
Payton also played well, scoring 18 points with four assists.
The Knicks, who lost both ends of the home and home game to drop to 11-15, will have to get the chemistry right.
Rose and Quickley joined the game together with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter, making it clear that Austin Rivers, who signed in November, was no longer part of the rotation.
With eight points less, the pair started to work very quickly. Rose found Quickley for a 3 point. Quickley found Rose for a 3 point. Rose did a steal, then directed the baseline and made a sensational pass to Burks for a 3-point corner.
Then he hit newcomer Obi Toppin in a pick-and-roll for the slam.
In the first 7:13 of Rose and Quickley as a defense reserve, the Knicks had a 25-5 run. Rose and Quickley had a + 20 and put the Knicks ahead by 12 points. Overall, the playmaker’s game was excellent on Tuesday, with Payton earning 12 points in the first half.
The Knicks were unable to stop the advantage, because the great Miami sniper Kelly Olynyk caught fire. He finished with 17 points in the first half, losing 5 out of 6 points out of 3, while Miami led 57-55.
Before the game, Thibodeau passed out with Rose, calling him still an “elite” player, adding: “He’s telling me that this is as healthy as it has been.