It was as if 11 months of enthusiastic zeal had been unleashed in one night in the garden.
A lively, loud crowd of 2,000 cheered the Knicks, yelled at the Warriors and yelled at the referees on Tuesday night. Eventually, the season’s first Garden crowd – which a team spokesman called a sell-out – could do just as much and the Warriors’ talent won.
Golden State beat the Knicks in the second half to secure a 114-106 victory. Stephen Curry rained 37 points and Draymond Green was across the track in a defensive gem.
Green made newborn All-Star Julius Randle struggle off the field as he piled up 11 assistants, two steals and one block. Randle finished with 25 points on the 8 of 21 shooting and is left with 17.5 seconds after picking up his second techniques.
Indeed, the Knicks were frustrated thereafter, with coach Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose each tackling the problem with the lack of calls going the Knicks’ way, which allowed them to shoot just 39 percent.
“Sometimes you call, sometimes you don’t,” Thibodeau said. ‘It seemed like there was a lot of contact at our stations and that we could not get the calls. We have to deal with it, yes. ‘
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett had a rough night, and he shot 1 of 9 for four points and missed a key free kick with 1:26 left.
“We obviously did not play well,” Thibodeau said. “They played really well. [Curry’s] shooting is a lot of their offenses and Draymond is great at making decisions so it stretches you pretty well. ‘
The crowd was at its earliest when Barrett was asked for a foul on the management of Kelly Oubre with 59.8 seconds left.
Thibodeau lost the challenge, and made the hectic Garden more faithful. By losing the challenge, Thibodeau also showed the light.
“I did not think there was an offense,” Thibodeau said. “Of course they felt differently. It was kind of my point of view, if it was a transgression, there were others who made mistakes that were not mentioned. It can not be one way and that is what you are looking for. You are just looking for consistency. ‘
The evening looked like it was going to be special when Randle took the microphone before going to a song from ‘MVP’, thanked the essential workers and roared, ‘Let’s go Knicks!’
“From the jump you could see they were excited about Ju,” Rose said. ‘You forget the kind of energy you get and reflect when you’re fans in the building. We hope things continue to improve and will allow more and more fans. You can see that the city is excited and waiting to come after a few games. ‘
But then Randle’s night ended on a sour note with his late ejection because he slapped.
“It was hard,” Randle said. “I think it was really unsolicited. But I just leave it there. But I’m not going to let him prescribe how the night goes. I’m more upset about how we lost the game. I feel like I could have done better. ‘
During the launch of the players, the Warriors were loudly yelled at, as when one of their players went to the dirty line.
“There were fans who hated it, which was great,” Curry said. “There’s no better feeling – I do not care if it’s 19,000 or 2,000. You like to silence a road crowd. ‘
After Green fired two straight deep shots, the fans on the blue seats began chanting ‘Draaay-mooond.’ It all feels refreshing after almost two months of a sterile garden environment with computer-generated noise.
The avid fans, who missed the first 14 games, were scattered throughout the arena, many in new Immanuel Quickley or Randle jerseys. Unfortunately, Quickley suffered a restful night (1 for 5, three points).
At court sit 20 fans who are socially distanced, including former Giant star Justin Tuck.
Team President Leon Rose and his lieutenants were put on trial for the match without crowds, but were moved behind the baseline on Tuesday.
The frustration of the second half – and the referees – also got Rose and senior VP William Wesley. The Warriors started the second half on a 22-6 run.
After Elfrid Payton was asked for questionable offense after stripping Curry, Rose bumped his feet and furiously bolted Wesley from his seat while walking in disgust.
The two top Knicks officials have indeed become trapped in the newly cleared atmosphere. Meanwhile, Knicks owner James Dolan was not in his new 100-level seat – probably hidden in a suite.