In theory, last night’s game didn’t matter much to the Knicks. It was just another friendly where they tried to get ready. But it wasn’t for Tom Thibodeau, who took it as a regular season one. The coach was very active on the bench, moved his players, protested to the referees and took nothing for granted until he secured a new win.
The Knicks beat the Pistons 100-108 at Madison Square Garden and are 3-0 this preseason in 2021. Four of their five starters passed thirty minutes, except Evan Fournier; and Julius Randle and Taj Gibson were the top exponents with 29 and 21 points respectively.
Everything we do matters to me. For us, right now we are a franchise that is still being built. We want to consolidate. We fight day after day, and I love how our boys fight it, “Thibodeau told the newspaper. NY Post.
Thibs acted as always, being tough and demanding with his people. Anyone who saw him last night wouldn’t think we are in the middle of the preseason. But when things went badly, the Knicks rowed against the tide to break up the game thanks to a 21-30 run in the third quarter.
I don’t want to rest. I want to play, “admitted Derrick Rose, who started in Kemba Walker’s place. I want to catch my rhythm. Get used to the ball being in my hands, “he acknowledged.
The veteran point guard was unable to complete the previous game against the Wizards due to ankle problems. However, last night he left until 31 minutes to add 14 points, 5 assists and 2 rebounds.
The one who also returned to the parks was Julius Randle, who recently became a father for the second time. The power forward is another like Thibodeau who never allows himself a break, and took it very seriously against Detroit. His were 29 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal with an 11/19 shooting from the field.
“Every game is heading for the real, and that’s what this is all about,” Randle said. “I’m actually happy that we had a game like this where we weren’t shooting well and we didn’t have a great pace, and we had to solve it. So it’s a good test for us, ”he explained.
And the truth is that the Knicks were not very successful. The defense was watery for three quarters, and Thibodeau had to resort to his starters in the third quarter to turn the score around.
“We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that we are ready. We have to be honest with ourselves, analyze the video of the game, understand why we have won or why we have lost, and focus on improving every day, “concluded the Knicks coach.
In the visiting team, Jerian Grant stood out with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists; followed by Frank Jackson with 15 points and 7 rebounds; and a Saben Lee who added 14 points. Dwane Casey’s men are 1-2 this preseason and hope their No. 1 Draft Cade Cunningham can make it to the start of the season.
(Cover photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
