Imagine that the Knicks weren’t completely at a disadvantage when entering Sunday’s competition against the Blazers, a cool team due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19.
The Knicks trailed by 25 points early in the third quarter before rookie Immanuel Quickley’s young legs recovered the Knicks to three points in the final minute.
The Knicks couldn’t complete the comeback, but the 31 points in Quickley’s run made that 116-113 loss to Portland easier to swallow, especially in the circumstances.
Quickley’s 21-point fourth quarter and his strange ability to take fouls from the 3-point line even meant Portland superstar Damian Lillard, seemingly annoyed by his mockery.
Quickley said Lillard complained to him that it should have been a two-shot foul.
“It was a little back and forth,” Quickley said. “He is one of my favorite players. Being able to talk to him back and forth is a lot of fun. “
The night started with Lillard, who finished with 39 points, but finished with Quickley, even in a loss.
“It is amazing. Again, “said Tom Thibodeau.” I think shooting is a great asset for our team. That’s something we need. It gets better with every outing, it puts pressure on people. “
Not to give the Knicks a full pass for their horrible first half that finally cost them the game, but the first two quarters against the rested Blazers on Sunday night were a little more understandable considering what COVID had done -19.
“Pretty big hole,” Thibodeau said. “We spent so much energy trying to get out of it and in the end we fell short.”
There comes a time when you wonder about justice and legitimacy with regard to the changing schedule of COVID-19.
The Blazers were training a week after both games against Memphis were canceled because the Grizzlies were in protocol.
A free week to prepare for the Knicks, who took to the track for their third game in four nights in the Pacific time zone.
“Moreso this year with COVID, the schedule goes against you and sometimes it’s for you,” Thibodeau said. “There is usually a balance throughout the year. We want to have the mental toughness to overcome anything we face. This was the situation they had been out of for a long time. Deal with what you have in front of you. We know we have to contribute more to a game to win. “
At the start, the Knicks looked tired from the west with no enthusiasm or passion, similar to the Thibodeau club that started the trip with a win at Golden State on Thursday.
The Blazers? They looked like cage-unleashed lions with top predator Lillard, who hit his first eight shots and scored 25 points early in the third quarter.
“I’d like to think we’d have fresh legs, but you never know,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the game. “It simply came to our notice then. Whenever you are given several days without a game to work things out on the court and at the same time rest, it is quite valuable. “
With Alec Burks hitting five triples and Quickley doing it all, the Knicks roared again. Quickley took two three-shot fouls in 3-point attempts at the end of the fourth quarter.
They did it essentially without RJ Barrett, who has an engine he never leaves. But he made only one shot in the first two quarters. It’s not what Barrett has been up to lately, averaging 21 points in the previous six outings. Thibodeau put him on the bench in the fourth quarter and 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 as they fell behind by 20 points. The Knicks looked mentally and physically worn out during this 70-50 half.
Quickley admitted Portland’s free week may have helped.
“You can tell how they pushed the ball,” Quickley said. “It’s the current NBA.”
The Knicks’ discomfort with the Sacramento game moved to the Pacific Northwest. Thibodeau admitted before the game that he saw some signs of “fatigue” with players not “finishing cuts or keeping spacing.”
“But I liked the fight,” Thibodeau said.
And the coach liked the late fight against Portland even in a second straight loss that knocked the Knicks to 8-10.
When the four-game trip ends Tuesday in Utah, the Knicks will have played 12 of their first 19 games on the road. Thibodeau has spoken that it was an advantage to create links.
But for now, the Knicks are still with a rookie leading the way.