It’s not surprising that Joakim Noah once said: “Thibs is the coach I spent the most time with - workouts, hardest workouts of my life. ![]() Even when he was playing Luol Deng the most minutes in the league – so much so that he had to be hospitalized because of fatigue and receive a spinal tap, Thibs had players who would do anything for him. Veterans and even the young cats with what the kids call “dogs” in them, swear by Thibs. Of course, benching Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose, starting Quentin Grimes, and adding five to ten minutes on Immanuel Quickley’s minutes total doesn’t mean we all knew the Knicks would be playing this well, but it sure as hell is working. Real Knicks fans – and not the corporate shills who dream of calling games on MSG Network alongside Clyde Frazier – know that we’ve been asking for Thibs to currently do the game management he is finally doing. Even when he won Coach of the Year in his first season, he inexplicably played Elfrid Payton. He’s been much maligned in the past for good reason. This is a team with room for real growth. They play with obvious joy, exhibit empathy and encouragement to each other, and their team’s average age is just 24. There are no “Light Years” Warriors teams there are not even a “Big 3” Miami Heat team. In an era where there is more parity than ever, and no one is the true face of the league anymore, this Knicks team fits well into the collective ecosystem. Even ESPN is saying good things about them. Since that move, the Knicks are 30-14 and in prime position to go deep in the playoffs. Thibs went with a nine-man rotation benching Derrick Rose, Cam Reddish, and Evan Fournier. Then last December, they went full minimalist. It took a while for the Knicks to catch their groove. Julius Randle is having the best comeback since George Foreman, Jalen Brunson was already killing it in Dallas, but he’s become a revelation at MSG. The New York Knicks have won nine straight games, including most recently, a double-overtime victory in Boston. Thibs cursed in postgame press conferences.įlash forward to now. They were 37-45, and it was not a fun 37-45. You’d hear “same old Knicks” all around New York. Evan Fournier was a broken defensive possession waiting to happen. The COVID hangover season of 2020-2021, where the Knicks finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, might have sent shock waves throughout Manhattan, but they were short-lived. We can talk about hoops and the fact that the Knicks are currently fifth in the East with a 39-27 record. He’s the worst of the human population – a stain on the ideas of empathy and honesty. If there will be an afterlife for team owners, then James Dolan is definitely in Hell, arguing with Satan because Satan won’t let him perform his shitty music.īut this is not a piece about James Dolan and his nepotistic semi-criminality. Many older Knicks fans justifiably react intensely to the antics of James Dolan. Am I going to die before I see another championship?! My son is 24, is he going to see a championship?” I look at the roof, and I see the banner that says 1972-1973 NBA Champions. Becoming more self-righteous and defiant, Spike continued: “I love the Knicks. Tarantino was right when he said, in relation to Spike not seeing Django Unchained, “that little guy has to buy a ticket!”). He acts like a short kid who doesn’t get picked for dodgeball come recess. (To love Spike is to often laugh at his antics. It’s one of the many great First Take scenes.Īt that point, Spike was furious at Knicks owner James Dolan. In a show of exceptional theater, Spike brought the house down over the Knicks not letting him use an entrance. “It’s Garden spin!” he shouted, leaning forward in his chair. “I put my hands around my back and said “arrest me like you did my brother Charles Oakley,” said Spike, breathing histrionically. The director of some of America’s finest films had attempted to enter Madison Square Garden through the 33rd Street entrance, when a security guard allegedly wanted him to leave The Garden and re-enter. ![]() The night before, March 2nd, 2020, Spike and the Knicks organization got into a good ‘ol fashioned New York verbal tussle. He was steaming mad, to the point where smoke should’ve burned a hole in his $30 beanie. Smith and a foot away from Max Kellerman – for the ESPN morning show First Take. Spike Lee sat into his chair – across from Stephen A. Jayson Buford once beat John Starks 1-on-1 Support truly independent journalism by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon.
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