Imagine that the Knicks would not be entirely at a disadvantage to join Sunday for the Blazers game, a team fresh because of the COVID-19 unpredictability.
The Knicks trailed by 25 points early in the third quarter before the young legs of rookie Immanuel Quickley brought the Knicks back within three points in the last minute.
The Knicks could not complete the return, but Quickley’s 31-point career high made it easier to swallow the 116-113 defeat in Portland – especially under the circumstances.
Quickley’s fourth quarter with 21 points and his strange ability to make breaches of the 3-point line made even Portland superstar Damian Lillard slap him – seemingly upset about his chickery.
Quickley said Lillard complained to him that it must have been a two-shot offense.
“It was a little back and forth,” Quickley said. “He’s one of my favorite players. Being able to chat with him back and forth is pretty cool. ‘
The evening began with Lillard, who finished with 39 points, but finished with Quickley, even with a loss.
“It’s impressive. Again, ” said Tom Thibodeau. “I think shooting is a great asset for our team. This is something we need. He gets better with every outing, puts pressure on people ”
Not to give the Knicks a full pass for their terrible first half that ultimately cost them the game, but the first two quarters against the outfitted Blazers Sunday night was a little more understandable, considering what COVID-19 did .
“Quite a big hole,” Thibodeau said. “We spent so much energy getting out of it and in the end we fell short.”
There comes a time when you wonder about the fairness and legitimacy of the ever-changing COVID-19 schedule.
The Blazers were in training for a week after both games against Memphis were canceled because the Grizzlies were in protocol.
One week off to prepare for the Knicks, who took the court for their third game in four nights in the Pacific time zone.
“Moreso this year with COVID, the schedule is against you and sometimes it’s for you,” Thibodeau said. ‘It usually balances out over the course of the year. We want the spiritual toughness to get through whatever we stand for. This was the situation they had been in for a long time. You deal with what lies ahead of you. We know we have to bring more to a match to win. ‘
At first, the Knicks looked western tired with no enthusiasm, no passion, and looked very different from Thibodeau’s club that started Thursday with a win in Golden State.
The Blazers? They looked like lions released from cages with top predator Lillard hitting his first eight strokes and having 25 points early in the third quarter.
“I would like to think we have fresh legs, but you never know,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game. “We got rest. Every time you get a few days without a game to work on the track and get some rest at the same time, it’s pretty valuable. “
When Alec Burks hit five three-pointers and Quickley did it all, the Knicks roared back. Quickley created three offenses with three points late in the fourth quarter.
They actually did it without RJ Barrett, who has a car that can never stop. But he only took one shot in the first two quarters. That’s not what Barrett was late for and has scored 21 points in the previous six heats. Thibodeau turned him on in the fourth quarter and he finished with eight points.
The Knicks, who were the league’s best defensive team, allowed the Blazers 70 points in the first half when they were 20 points behind. The Knicks looked mentally and physically worn out in that 70-50 half.
Quickley admitted that the holiday in Portland may have helped.
“You can see how they hit the ball,” Quickley said. “It’s the way the NBA is now.”
The Knicks’ malaise of the Sacramento game was transferred to the Northwest Pacific. Thibodeau admitted before the game that he had seen some signs of ‘fatigue’ with players not finishing their cuts or keeping the space.
“But I liked the fight,” Thibodeau said.
And the coach again liked the late fight against Portland, even losing in a second in a row that dropped the Knicks to 8-10.
When the four-game series ends Tuesday in Utah, the Knicks will have played 12 of their first 19 games on the road. Thibodeau talked about how it is beneficial to create bond.
But for now, the Knicks continue with a rookie leading the way.