It was an evening that had started well. It was the kind of end of the roadtrip that was going to be able to give hope, before returning to New York. Traveling to Portland, the Knicks dominated once morest the Blazers and seemed to validate a second straight victory in the West. But alas, the end of the match for Tom Thibodeau’s men was nightmarish, allowing Justise Winslow and his friends to leave with an incredible victory at home (112-103).
Twenty-three points ahead in the third quarter.
Fifteen points ahead in the last quarter.
A good part of the room in Portland which remains silent, and the lost balloons which follow one another under the eyes of Chauncey Billups. It was not possible, it was impossible for the Knicks to lose this game… and yet they did. Before this disaster in Oregon, Julius Randle’s friends had just had a hell of a game at Golden State, with a good effort from the boss, contributions from his teammates and a very seriously tamed Chase Center. Coming out of an extremely quiet trade deadline, apart from Cam Reddish’s trade a few weeks earlier, nothing to report from Leon Rose and his clique. So we thought, following the victory at the Warriors, that these non-movements were perhaps the start of something. That the defeat just before at the Lakers despite a huge RJ Barrett was only a small stick in the wheels, a bowl of regrets but which should not be compared with the optimism of the second half of the season. And, really, for a good thirty minutes this Saturday, the Knicks had the game in hand. They were going to beat the Blazers, end their roadtrip to the West with two consecutive victories, enough to return serenely to Madison Square Garden before playing (1) the Thunder then (2) the Nets without Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. Everything was therefore perfectly aligned, with a 23-pawn lead in the third quarter, so that the weekend went well and the new week started off on the best possible footing.
Yes, well no.
Already, let’s give back to Caesar what belongs to him, the Blazers have shown for the second time in a row that if the management wanted to blow up almost entirely the workforce, the fighting spirit of these young players in Portland was not to be underestimated. Indeed, following the Lakers knocked out on Wednesday night, Justise Winslow and his gang brought down the Knicks in a remarkable comeback effort. For his first game with the red and white jersey, Josh Hart was impeccable (23 points at 7/12 shooting), getting along very quickly with Jusuf Nurkic (20 rebounds and 6 assists), as well as Ben McLemore precious out of bench. Of course, it’s impossible to talk regarding a big performance by the Blazers without mentioning Anfernee Simons, the Portland crack going there from his big rise in temperature in scoring (30 points, 8 assists) with in particular ultra-important baskets at the end of match. It was Ant who pushed with Winslow on this last quarter in the form of a comeback, the Oregon public roaring on every defensive possession of the players in place. And from fifteen to twelve then eight and finally four points, it only took that to make the youngsters believe that victory was available. Especially that opposite, it was only necessary for that… the house of cards collapses.
No adjustment from Tom Thibodeau, Mitchell Robinson who leaves on injury, Evan Fournier catastrophic (1/10 at three-pointers), the Knicks bench who must count on Taj Gibson to stay in the game because the rest does not follow , it was too much To hold. What’s really frustrating is that many fans of the franchise were seeing Portland make their comeback… and were already announcing defeat. As if the collapse was going to be obvious. Still, it’s not like New York returned the ball with only 24-second clocks blown, there were open shots for Evan, for Alec Burks and company. But in the face of a big challenge, in the face of adversity, in the face of this roaring public and these players opposite who put a knife between their teeth, the Knicks seemed to be on the street. So without real leadership, without a boss who bangs his fist on the table and says, that’s enough. We saw precisely, in the same evening, a Ja Morant calming the comeback of the Hornets or Dejounte Murray doing the same with the Spurs in New Orleans. We saw DeRozan once morest the Thunder, Embiid once morest the Cavs or Jokic once morest Toronto, who put on their best costume. Which ? That of boss. Tonight in Portland, the Knicks seemed to sail as a team, and the tsunami was inevitable. A single drop of water in the boat, and that was enough for the worst-case scenario to take place. Suddenly, it does not really make you want to go home with hope… Admittedly, Obi Toppin’s friends will always face the Thunder and then the Nets without their stars, so the opportunity to win will remain present, but there is has this long sigh that prevents any belief in a possible reversal of the situation in New York. Even following having a silly result in Golden State, we must erase that with a deplorable loss in Portland. One step forward, three steps back.
There was the possibility of calming things down, of doing the work, of taking advantage of the solid result at the Warriors, but no. The Knicks return with the obligation to beat the Thunder and the Nets without debate, because the sequel risks being violent: Sixers, then once more Sixers to start a 7-game roadtrip? It’s not tomorrow that we’re going to be serene for our friends in New York.