Anyone who lives and dies with the Knicks can remember that Amar’e Stoudemire smiled his new $ 100 million smile and declared, “The Knicks are back.”
The Knicks were not then, and 11 years later they were not back.
But after so many quick breaks to grief over the years, to Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson and the triangle attack, to David Fizdale, to the Kristaps Porzingis flare-up, Tom Thibodeau called time out on misery and on the eve of the All-Star breaks, Knicks fans are not relieved this time that the season is half over.
They can start believing again.
Their Knicks, 114-104 winners of the Pistons, are on their way back. Their Knicks are 19-18, the youngest they have been over 0.500 in eight years. Their Knicks are a team again.
“It just feels like something good is happening,” Julius Randle wrote in the Players’ Tribune.
Something good happens when a star coach like Thibodeau shows up and gets his star player to buy in and everyone else follows.
The multi-faceted, tireless Randle (27 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists) is the first Knicks All-Star since Porzingis and Thibodeau’s leading locker room lieutenant. ‘MVP’, the mini-Garden crowd roared during and after the match.
Randle fell in love with New York and New York for him.
“He’s an excellent worker and sets an excellent example for the team,” Thibodeau said, “and the impact on the win was great. It’s not his individual stats, it’s what he does for the team, and it gets contagious. ”
Something good happens when Barrett (21 points), a rising star in his second year, is a threat from downtown if he does not retreat downhill to the ring and regain the swing he displayed at Duke.
“His preparation gives him a lot of confidence,” Thibodeau said.
Something good happened when Elfrid Payton (20 points), back from a bald thigh muscle that cost him four games, was the best point guard on the floor, even though Frank Ntilikina drilled three tries in the second quarter.
Thibodeau is the best thing that ever happened.
Best Knicks coach since Jeff Van Gundy.
Tom Great.
“Culture is how you do everything,” Thibodeau said. “It’s not one thing, it’s how you do everything.”
Thibodeau may not turn the Knicks into heavyweight contenders overnight, but the signs of budding professionalism and a commitment to D-FENSE are unmistakable.
“It feels like we have a collective goal,” Randle wrote.
And a hunger. “We are not satisfied at all,” Barrett said.
Thibodeau convinced players who shouted at a leader and teacher that you should earn the right to win. He really likes to coach these players. They like to get better one day at a time.
“I think we’re all engaged,” Barrett said. “We all think of the same goal, and we all work towards it.”
The Knicks are no longer a laughing stock.
“We are giving the script about the reputation of our entire franchise,” Randle wrote.
The legendary Marv Albert, son of Brooklyn and Basket No. 1 on Manhattan Beach, was the voice of the Knicks when they won their NBA championships in 1970 and ’73. Red Holzman’s Willis Reed-Clyde Frazier teams remain the gold standard. This is how the Knicks fans are trying to scratch a 48-year itch.
“They appreciate good defense and appreciate good passing,” Albert said. ‘That era was so popular because of the way they would swing the ball, which Golden State did during their championship years. Steve Kerr believed in it, and so did [Spurs coach Gregg] Popovich. Those Knick teams were very smart. Red basically had five coaches on the floor. ”
The Pat Riley-Van Gundy Knicks were also smart, but their identity was toughness and stubbornness.
“Which is also appreciated by Knick fans,” Albert said. ‘It’s funny when another team comes into the Garden and defeats the Knicks, fans complain. But then the Knicks [Anthony] Mason and [Charles] Oakley and that group, they were going to kill guys – the game was so different – and that was applauded, of course. ”
Mike Woodson is the last Knicks coach to win a playoff game. Thibodeau will be the next one. That may not happen this season. The second half schedule is cruel.
“There are some good things we have done, of course some things we need to improve on,” Thibodeau said.
Of course there is. Never forget, the man is not happy unless he is miserable.
“The challenge will be great,” Thibodeau said, “so it should bring out the best in us, but just don’t change our approach, focus on improvement every day.”
Once Leon Rose and West West and Scott Perry get him more horses, there is every reason to believe that Thibodeau will lead them to water and make them drink. Our Marc Berman asked what he would do during the break and Thibodeau cracked: “Turks and Caicos.” Even there, without a team to coach, he will not be happy if he is not miserable.