The New York Knicks season came to an end as they lost to the Atlanta Hawks 103 to 89 in Game 5 of the first-round playoff matchup.
They never escaped their offensive doldrums, a testament to quality defense from the Hawks and a talent deficit against an opponent ahead in their roster development. New York hung strong through the first half, but the Hawks used another strong third quarter to break away. Clint Capela backed up his talk with a big game, and Trae Young shot poorly but still put together a big night. Things got chippy before half-time, but the Hawks were the team that didn’t back down or fold. It was a frustrating end to an overachieving season.
Julius Randle struggled again, Derrick Rose showed fatigue, and RJ Barrett showed improvement but not enough. Bullock, Burks, and Quickley started to give signs of life, but that’s too little, too late. This series creates a new set of questions surrounding the impending off-season, but we shouldn’t forget where we came from. Let’s look back at the performances and reflect with one last recap.
Julius Randle’s turnovers halt the Knicks’ starters’ momentum
Derrick Rose: Derrick Rose looked worn out. The former MVP shouldered a massive workload throughout this playoff series, and tired legs seemed to catch up with him. Rose shot less and didn’t have much luck when he attacked; even some of his easier drives rimmed out. But he still managed to be a playmaker without turnovers and had the best +/- of the starting unit…mainly because he sat more than the rest. Rose had it rough, but I think we all forgive him after the gutsy performances he gave New York all series.
Rose played 27 minutes, ticking off 6 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds without a turnover. He shot 3/11 from the field and 0/1 from three, but I’d much prefer the ball in his hands over Randle (we’ll talk about it soon). Even on tired legs, Rose managed to have some beautiful drives inside that flashed his explosiveness. There was just a bit less in that turbo bar to work with on this one.
It’s a disappointing conclusion to a fantastic season. I’d love to watch Rose ride out in a blaze of glory, but he looked worn down for the first time all year instead. It’s a nice reminder that Rose has reached a point in his career where backup minutes can preserve his ability to contribute. New York needs another ball-handler and a true playmaker whether they re-sign Rose or not. I’d like to see him return and finish out his career with the Knicks. Rose gets a 2 out of 5 for his impact score, but he was fantastic in every other game.
Reggie Bullock: Throughout the first half, Reggie Bullock shot with reckless abandon and actually forced Trae Young to close out hard on defense. Bully found his jumper for only the second time in the series, and he compounded it with some quality defense against the Hawks’ star player. But two flaws still stuck out. Bullock couldn’t do much when he was chased off the three-point line, and his scoring production faded as the game wore on.
Bullock played 40 minutes, managing 12 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, and 1 turnover. He shot 4/10 from the field and 4/8 from three. That’s a lot of minutes for 12 points and 2 assists without making a single field goal inside the arc. Bully is great in the catch and shoot but doesn’t have much else on offense, and it showed all series. The Hawks kept Trae Young hidden and somewhat rested by pinning him on Bullock, and the strategy worked all series long.
Bullock had one of his better games of the series, but it was still a disappointment compared to his second half of the season. The caveat here is that Bully has always thrived off Randle’s success, and Julius never had much success in the series. The problem is that Bullock also missed a lot of shots that could alleviate the pressure on Randle. His defense wasn’t enough to slow Young down, either. So Bullock ends this series on a sour note, with limitations abundantly clear. Bully gets a 2 out of 5 for his impact on the game. I’d try to bring him back but aim to use him in a reduced role off the bench.
RJ Barrett: RJ Barrett showed promise in this series by improving as the games wore on. He closed with his highest assist tally and second-highest scoring total of the series. That doesn’t change the fact that he shot poorly again, but the Knicks found momentum during brief stints with RJ as the attacking ball handler.
Barrett dropped 17 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 turnover in 40 minutes. He shot 5/14 from the field, 2/6 from three, and 5/6 from the free-throw line. The sophomore never found his jumper against the intensity of playoff defense. But RJ did some other things really well. He rebounded nicely all series long and improved his assist totals in every game. He proved a more willing and versatile passer than Randle for the series.
It’s important to keep in mind that Barrett is a 20-year-old shouldering the role of second option. He saw playoff defense for the first time and struggled quite a bite. But we already saw signs of Barrett starting to find holes and will his way to numbers. The sophomore was on-ball for some of New York’s best offensive stretches. His upside will be determined by growth as a shooter, ball-handler, and playmaker, but it’s clear that Barrett has room to improve. For his final game, RJ gets an impact grade of 2.5 out of 5.
Julius Randle: Julius Randle had his most efficient shooting game of the series…38% from the field, yuck. He got to that marker by focusing more on scoring and less on playmaking. Randle had 7 turnovers before he picked up a single assist. The struggles as a shooter hurt, but the turnovers were killers. The Knicks’ best player did the most damage to their chances by forcing shots, picking up ugly turnovers, and hesitating far too often before deciding to shoot. The offense stagnated around Julius Randle, a player that everyone relied on up until this point.
Randle played 37 minutes, adding 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 8 turnovers to the board. He shot 8/21 from the field, 3/9 from three, and 4/4 from the free-throw line. The big man clearly had doubts about his jumper. He would hesitate against closeouts, then settle for tougher contested shots anyway. Even with lanes to the basket, Randle would slow down and lose the momentum he needed to finish past a defender at the rim. On the occasions that Randle played pure instinctual basketball, he had success…they were few and far between.
There’s no sugar coating this series for Julius Randle. He was blanked by the defensive pressure of the Hawks. Defenders shading over meant that Randle rarely challenged even the Gallinari’s or Huerter’s by attacking the basket. Atlanta did a good job of clogging Randle’s favorite passing lanes, and he didn’t have counters. The moral of the story shouldn’t be that Randle is bad or not a key player; he’s just not a point guard. You can’t run your offense through the power forward when teams focus so much pressure on him. Randle gets a 1.5 out of 5 for this performance, and that would be about right for his impact grade on the whole series.
Taj Gibson: Taj Gibson showed a ton of heart but couldn’t keep pace with the younger and bigger Clint Capela. Gibson was New York’s heart throughout this series, and he continued to work even as the game got away. For as much as I’ve lauded Gibson all year long, his biggest limitation is shooting. The Knicks don’t have a stretch-5, and that meant Clint Capela was free to sit in the paint and take away driving lanes from Randle and Barrett.
Taj shot 2/4 from the field en route to 4 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and 2 turnovers in 33 minutes. He picked up extra time due to Noel’s hurt ankle and foul trouble. That’s our third-string center logging starter minutes and battling with one of the best defensive bigs in the league. Gibson gave us that fight for this entire series, and while he didn’t win his match-up, he should be commended for the great effort.
The question mark after Gibson’s series is whether or not the Knicks can run a line-up that boasts Randle and Barrett with a limited range big man. Teams out West routinely chase rim protectors like Capela off the floor with stretch-5’s. Take a Clint Capela away from the basket, and he loses utility. Would Mitch have made a difference against Capela? Absolutely. Would a stretch-5 have made an even bigger difference? That’s worth pondering. Taj Gibson’s impact grade on the game is still a 2.5, and his effort this season deserves love. But we have new questions at center to think about.
Knicks’ second unit gets some offense, but not enough
Alec Burks: Alec Burks showed off some flashy ball-handling with limited results early. Through the first three quarters, he really didn’t have much offense going. But he got the fourth-quarter offense going just as he’s done all season long. Burks hit some jumpers and made some things happen in the latter portion of the game…too little, too late.
Burks played 24 minutes and landed 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. He shot 5/10 from the field, 1/3 from three, and 1/2 from the free-throw line. It was a solid performance that included some ankle-breakers against John Collins on the switch. But I was left wishing for more from Burks. He got mismatches often enough to capitalize, and the results were middling. His shot never got back to game-one heights, and without Rose, the bench needed more scoring than Burks mustered.
I think the decision on Burks is the most interesting of the offseason. New York needs players that can create their own shots, and Alec Burks provides that. But he’s a streaky scorer with some of the worst injury luck that I’ve ever witnessed. New York needs everything that he provides, but I also think we need an upgrade. If they can get a player that does what Burks does with more consistency, I’d sign up for that. If he comes back for a reasonable price, maybe they keep him and hope that good health is the trigger for more consistent scoring. Burks gets a 2.5 for his impact on this game and a series of question marks for what this offseason will bring.
Immanuel Quickley: Immanuel Quickley’s performance felt significantly better than the numbers that he finished with. The rookie played just 13 minutes which is below my threshold for an impact score, and that’s for good reason. He shot just 2/6 from the field, had 3 turnovers, and didn’t register a single assist or rebound. But IQ’s buckets and free throws all seemed to come at important times. He was the driving force for any hopes of a late comeback and managed 11 points, thanks to 2/2 from three and 5/6 at the free-throw line.
I’d like to see Quickley build on his point guard skills even if he’s destined to be an off-ball player. IQ spent a lot of this series missing open players thanks to defensive pressure. His ball-handling and vision ought to go hand-in-hand. He could also stand to work on finishing at the basket because teams let him have paths for lay-ups to deny his floater, and he couldn’t capitalize. The rookie’s unlimited range ought to make him fun to develop for Johnnie Bryant, and I’m looking forward to his growth.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin only played 10 minutes and had his worst game of the series. But Toppin still managed to show promise somehow. He finished 1/4 from the field, 0/1 from three, with 2 points and 3 rebounds to show for it. But just look at this bucket…you can build something out of these gifts.
Toppin just burned a shooting guard for that basket at the rim. With some improvements on his jumper and ball handling, big men will have an absolute nightmare trying to keep up against Obi. The rookie’s athleticism is off the charts, and his confidence finally reached a place where he put pressure on his defenders. I only wish we could see what he’d be like without the injury that took away important time to start this season. Obi’s a better prospect than his rookie production suggests, and this playoff series ought to add some excitement about an offseason with Kenny Payne for the lottery pick.
Nerlens Noel: Nerlens Noel was fired up, but his ankle limited him anyway. Noel played hard but not smart. He picked up foul trouble early and concluded his brief appearance with 5 fouls. To make matters worse, Noel showed the most life during a scuffle right before half-time. He did more work with the ball out of play than he did when the clock was ticking.
Noel played 16 minutes, marking 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 turnover on 1/2 from the field. It wouldn’t be a Noel night without a pass slipping through his hands, this time an alley-oop from IQ. It tough to be too hard on a player that was clearly hurt. Noel had a bad ankle, and it hampered his play throughout the series. That said, his injury only exacerbated already existing limitations.
Noel had a bad series, but he was playing hurt. The shot blocker wouldn’t have needed to play if Mitchell Robinson wasn’t already nursing an injury. This series could look a lot different if the Knicks had one of their top two centers healthy enough to challenge Clint Capela and make the pick and roll tougher to complete. That said, I’m not sold on bringing Noel back until I see what type of contract he commands. The big man is severely limited on offense, and I’d prefer to spend more on Robinson’s upside than be cheap about the Center position. Noel gets a 1.5 out of 5 for his performance in the loss.
Tom Thibodeau had limited options for the Knicks, but was undeniably outcoached
Tom Thibodeau: Tom Thibodeau sticks to his guns. His reputation suggests that he’s slow to adjust, and I think we all can attest to the same. Thibs stuck with rotation choices long after the fandom was fed up, and on many occasions, that worked out. Reggie Bullock’s tough first half gave way to the best stretch of basketball in his career. It has backfired too. Elfrid Payton wasn’t benched until midway through this series when there was a lower margin for tinkering and tweaking.
I bring that up because Thibodeau failed to adjust his offense despite it struggling all series long. He waited for Julius Randle to come around… it never happened. He allowed Trae young to hide out on Reggie Bullock and never attacked the poor defensive player. That allowed Nate McMillan to control the pace of the series without being challenged to make many changes. Thibs’ predictable strategy saw him thoroughly outcoached throughout this series.
But this series shouldn’t define the season. The Knicks overachieved by every imaginable measure if we look at pre-season expectations. Players improved from top to bottom, and we could see them buying in with post-game shootarounds and acceptance of roles. Thibodeau’s first mission was to instill a new culture for New York, and that was a resounding success. For this game, Thibodeau gets an impact score of 1.5 out of 5, but his season is more like a 3.5 or 4.
Closing Thoughts: I refuse to be a prisoner of the moment. This loss hurts, mainly because the Hawks could talk trash with little resistance from our key players. Thibodeau did very little to make things easier for New York’s stars or role players. Julius Randle was the first domino, and his struggles toppled the entire offense. But let’s take a step back and look at how far this team has come and what it’s positioned to be.
The Knicks were the Vegas betting odds’ favorites to have the worst record in the league. The fanbase was embroiled in a debate about whether to compete now or tank for one more season. Leon Rose had one of the youngest rosters in the league, but most assets were looked at in a negative light. Now, less than a year later…the Knicks were the fourth seed in the playoffs. They may have lost in the first round, but they have three picks in the first 31 selections of a very deep draft. New York has more cap space than anyone else in the league, and it just showcased the magic of Madison Square Garden for the first time in almost a decade…the league took notice.
I’m not here to tell you about pipe dreams or stealing stars from other franchises, though. I want to focus on this team’s identity, its growth in a single season, and its flexibility to continue developing on its own terms. If a star becomes available, Leon Rose has the tools to make a run at him. If the path to building requires more youth, he has picks galore. The coaching staff has shown and proven that they can build, and the players here today have shown a work ethic that few teams could match. Today sucks because Knicks basketball ended, but this isn’t goodbye…it’s let’s gear up to talk about an offseason where the 4th seed in the East has every tool for improvement at its disposal.
So to close this out, I want to say that the recaps are ending, but the offseason is right around the corner. Contracts and trades can form a minefield for GMs, but they’re a playground for an eager fanbase that just enjoyed its most exciting season in forever. Let’s not linger on the losses, but hang on to the magic that was MSG. We shouldn’t hammer Julius Randle for 5 tough games when he showed us so much growth and effort in 72. The future is bright, and the opportunities will come to build something sustainable for the long run. I won’t be seeing you for game recaps, but we’ll be talking about the path to a better Knicks team soon. I hope to see y’all soon, Knicks fam!
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