Many of the television sets were turned off by the time the Knicks ’new addition, center Norvel Pelle, entered Saturday’s contest at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena with 2:44 for his team debut.
The Knicks had already destroyed the Pistons from start to finish in a 125-81 assault on Motown, building a 14-0 lead that turned 41-15 after a quarter. The rest of the game was rubbish time.
It was a much needed 44-point destruction, as the Knicks found their engine in Motor City, no longer looking like they were ready for the trash. The Knicks won their three-game losing streak by posting the sixth-largest margin of victory in franchise history and returned to .500 in 25-25.
But not before Pelle became an emblem of this tough Knicks team and this motown. Not before this cameo of the neophyte 6-foot-10 of St. Cross.
When he got the ball for the first time, Pelle received a foul when he went up for a dive and put a finger on the edge of the iron. When he landed, Pelle looked at his index finger bent in all directions. And he smiled at the disfigurement.
The Knicks coaches rushed to attend to Pelle. Finally they pushed their finger back into place.
Pelle said he wanted to throw the free throws. Coach Anthony Goenaga recorded his fingers. Pelle went to the free throw line, making one of the two free throws.
At the other end, the firing block center played the role. The tough rookie pick from the first round of the Rochester State Pistons, Isaiah Stewart, tried twice on Pelle and blocked each time, first with Pelle’s right hand and then left.
A wild ending to a wild night in Detroit. While it is true that the Pistons would have trouble winning the NIGHT, this was a major setback for the Knicks.
“Seeing a player like that accompany us to come down with an injury and be able to wrap him up again and make big blocks showed his energy,” said Reggie Bullock, who was the star of the night, scoring 22 points and tying a high run with six triples. “He is a Knick-type player with the technique of continuing to play in the game. We love this fight of his ”.
It was just a small but symbolic moment of the toughness that Tom Thibodeau’s club has shown through 50 games. Thibodeau admitted before the game that he didn’t know much about Pelle, who has played for the 76ers, Kings and Nets.
“Our scouts really liked it,” he said.
Thibodeau now knows why. He likes defensive midfielders who smile at dislocated fingers.
“Pretty remarkable,” Thibodeau said. “The boy has not gone through any practice. I was ready to leave. He looked ugly. You appreciated that I wanted to stay there. That’s why we introduced it: rim protection. He said a lot about him. Viouslybviament, I liked the way he played in that short stay there. “
It was just a weird night around. The Knicks had a 30-point lead in the middle of the second quarter and increased to 40 in the final period. The first results were ridiculous: 14-0, 16-1, 24-3. Hand-limited fans would have to claim their money, even though some were fitted with Knicks jerseys.
“I loved the togetherness and team spirit,” Thibodeau said. “They were fantastic at the film session, the course and start of the game set the tone with alterism and how to protect.”
Nothing is a throat in that league, especially on the second night back. Remember, the Knicks collapsed, against the worst team in the NBA, the fourth quarter in Minnesota on Wednesday.
After a terrible night against Dallas on Friday, Julius Randle found his star and staggered in 20 of the 41 points in the first quarter. Randle and Bullock spread four triples in the 12-minute masterpiece.
Judging by the way the Pistons didn’t seem to care, one can imagine that Detroit (14-35) will give Minnesota (12-38) a run for its money for the worst NBA record. The Pistons are on the tank train. Gonzaga’s hero, Jalen Suggs, can change his Bulldogs uniform for the Pistons. Poor guy. At least the Knicks have the second round of the Pistons, which could be number 31 overall.
The Knicks made no move in the trade deadline and have done nothing in the buy market other than ink Pelle, to be the third-string center behind Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson.
If they regret not having loaded harder against the men on the back court, Victor Oladipo, Norman Powell, Lonzo Ball or the little striker Evan Fournier will depend on the degree of security that Derrick Rose has, obtained in an operation on Sunday of the Super Bowl.
“All the teams are fighting for something right now and the team that is not playing for something, they would [like] to be the team that would eliminate the playoffs for us, “Rose said.” That’s what the NBA is all about. Boys are not allowed. “
On Saturday they were men in Detroit.