If Kevin Durant doesn’t come to New York, the Knicks could still have a lot to look forward to. With him, the Knicks could have everything.
Despite a galaxy-wide gap between one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, and the league’s youngest team — sans its biggest star — the Knicks stood toe-to-toe with the Warriors, and even held a double-digit lead late in the third quarter, before being overpowered by Durant and the two-time defending champions, 128-100, Friday night at the Garden.
Durant was at his best when the outcome was in doubt, and looked like a superstar who could win a title with any teammates, scoring 25 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, and handing the Knicks (1-5) their fifth straight loss.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks with 24 points, while Frank Ntilikina tied a career-high with 17.
When the final buzzer sounded, the crowd couldn’t have asked for much more, especially given how the evening began.
While Steve Kerr rolled out one of the best lineups in basketball history, featuring four potential Hall of Famers, and two former league MVPs, David Fizdale countered with three new starters — changing the lineup for the first time as Knicks coach — including a 20-year-old rookie who had played 23 career minutes (Mitchell Robinson), a second-year guard who was a DNP-Coach’s Decision in the season’s first two games (Damyean Dotson) and a forward on his fourth team in five pro seasons (Noah Vonleh).
Before tip-off, Fizdale was asked if he had any hesitance in debuting the youthful lineup — four of the starters were 24 or younger — against the league’s most dominant team.
“Not even a little bit,” Fizdale said. “I remember how silly and irrational I was with my confidence as a kid. I would’ve wanted to have been thrown in there as well, when I was young. We got a tough, young group. These kids really believe in themselves. They understand where we are. They understand what we’re working towards. But I don’t think they’re afraid. I think they’re irrational enough to think they can beat the Warriors, so that’s pretty cool.”
It was crazy. And it was possible.
Though the Garden cheered Durant during pre-game introductions, and became giddy with every majestic 3-pointer from Curry, the fans soon became as smitten with their young, and hard-working, core, standing toe-to-toe with Ali in his prime.
Durant was brilliant, and efficient, scoring nearly every time he shot. Steph Curry (29 points) looked capable of beating the Knicks by himself, leading a 13-0 run by scoring 11 points in a 1:36 first-quarter stretch.
In the second quarter, the Warriors led by 13. By halftime, each team had 53.
While Hardaway carried the offense early, and often, Ntilikina changed the team’s entire dynamic, making his first-ever start at point guard. Looking worthy of Phil Jackson’s final lottery pick, Ntilikina displayed offensive potential that has been missing for the large majority of his young career, hitting three 3-pointers.
Dotson continued his breakout since filling in for the injured-Kevin Knox, scoring 12 points, and helping give the Knicks an 81-71 lead with less than two minutes left in the third quarter.
For nearly 14 minutes, the Warriors were without the lead. With less than eight minutes left, the Knicks were on top.
Then, Durant made New York’s infatuation with the superstar grow deeper. After opening the game by hitting 7-of-8 shots, Durant sealed it, hitting six of his first seven shots in the fourth quarter. With a series of improbable shots, Durant decided the game, then won back the crowd, producing louder and louder cheers from the crowd desperate to call him their own.
Read Again https://nypost.com/2018/10/26/knicks-had-shot-vs-warriors-and-then-the-4th-quarter-happened/Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Knicks had shot vs. Warriors and then the 4th quarter happened"
Post a Comment