Imagine if the Knicks were not at a complete disadvantage when entering the Sunday contest against the Blazers, a new team because of the unpredictability of COVID-19.
The Knicks were left behind by 25 points at the start of the third quarter, before debutant Immanuel Quickley’s legs brought the Knicks back with three points in the final minute.
The Knicks failed to complete the recovery, but the 31-point record, Quickley’s career record, made the 116-113 loss in Portland easier to swallow – especially under the circumstances.
Quickley’s fourth time of 21 points and his fantastic ability to pluck fouls from the 3-point line caused Portland star Damian Lillard to yell at him – apparently upset about his cheating.
Quickley said Lillard complained to him that it should have been a two-shot foul.
“It was back and forth a little bit,” said Quickley. “He is one of my favorite players. To be able to chat with him back and forth, it’s really cool. ”
The night started with Lillard, who finished with 39 points, but ended with Quickley, even with defeat.
“It’s impressive. Once again, ”said Tom Thibodeau. “I think shooting is a great asset for our team. This is something we need. He gets better with every ride, he puts pressure on people ”
Not to give the Knicks a full pass for their horrible first half that ended up costing the game, but the first two quarters against the rested Blazers on Sunday night were a little more understandable considering what COVID-19 had caused.
“A very big hole,” said Thibodeau. “We spent a lot of energy trying to get out of this and in the end we fell short. ”
There comes a time when you ask yourself justice and legitimacy in relation to the constantly changing COVID-19 programming.
The Blazers were in training for a week after both games against Memphis were canceled because the Grizzlies were in protocol.
A week off to prepare for the Knicks, who stepped onto the court for their third game in four nights in the Pacific time zone.
“More this year, with COVID, the schedule is against you and sometimes it is in your favor,” said Thibodeau. “Generally, it gets balanced throughout the year. We want to have mental toughness to overcome everything that we are facing. This was the situation they were in for a long time. You deal with what’s in front of you. We know that we have to bring more to a game to win. ”
At first, the Knicks looked tired from the west, without enthusiasm, without passion, looking very different from the Thibodeau club, which started the trip with a victory at the Golden State on Thursday.
The Blazers? They looked like lions loose from cages with predator Lillard, who hit his first eight shots and scored 25 points at the start of the third period.
“I would like to think that we would have fresh legs, but you never know,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game. “We have a little rest. Whenever you have several days without a game to work on things on the court and at the same time rest, it is very valuable. ”
With Alec Burks hitting five points out of 3 and Quickley doing it all, the Knicks roared back. Quickley suffered two fouls of three kicks on three-point attempts at the end of the fourth period.
They did this essentially without RJ Barrett, who has an engine that never stops. But he only shot in the first two quarters. That’s not what Barrett has been up to lately, averaging 21 points in his previous six games. Thibodeau discarded him in the fourth period and he finished with eight points.
The Knicks, who had been the best defensive team in the league, allowed the Blazers 70 points in the first half, with a disadvantage of 20 points. The Knicks looked mentally and physically exhausted during that half of 70-50.
Quickley admitted that the Portland off week may have helped.
“You can see the way they were pushing the ball,” said Quickley. “This is how the NBA is now. ”
The Knicks’ malaise over the Sacramento game reached the Pacific Northwest. Thibodeau admitted before the game that he saw some signs of “fatigue” with the players not “finishing their cuts or maintaining the spacing”.
“But I enjoyed the fight,” said Thibodeau.
And the coach enjoyed the late fight against Portland again, even in a second straight loss that brought the Knicks down to 8-10.
When the four-game trip ends on Tuesday in Utah, the Knicks will have played 12 of their first 19 games on the road. Thibodeau talked about it being a benefit to create a bond.
But for now, the Knicks are holding on to a rookie leading the way.