The Knicks evened their first-round series at one game apiece with a win over Atlanta on Wednesday night. And, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes, two midseason acquisitions whom head coach Tom Thibodeau pushed to add played key roles in that victory. Derrick Rose scored a team-high 26 points in 39 minutes off the bench, while Taj Gibson was a game-best plus-23 in his 30 minutes.
Rose, who was acquired via trade, and Gibson, a free agent signing, both played for Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota before reuniting with him in New York. As Begley observes, they’re the veterans Thibodeau trusts the most, and the Knicks’ head coach didn’t sound surprised that giving them big minutes helped turn the tide in Game 2.
“I just wanted to change it up,” Thibodeau said of putting Rose and Gibson in the Knicks’ lineup to start the third quarter. “I thought we had to do something different and that’s why you have a bench. Those guys came in and played great.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Although Elfrid Payton technically started Wednesday’s game, it’s clear that Rose will be the point guard the Knicks rely on in this series, writes Paul Schwartz of The New York Post. Rose said he felt good after logging 39 minutes, while Payton was a minus-7 in his five minutes and didn’t play after the first quarter.
- After receiving some criticism in Philadelphia for putting up just six points (to go along with 15 rebounds and 15 assists) in the Sixers‘ Game 1 win, Ben Simmons scored 22 points on Wednesday and addressed that negative feedback after the game. “I’m not trying to stick to anybody in Philly,” Simmons said, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “I thought it was pretty hard to get 15 assists and 15 rebounds in the NBA in the playoffs. I thought that was pretty impressive. And we won. What y’all want? You want to win? For me, I’m here to win and I’m doing what I need to do to help my team win, whatever it is. I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong or anything like that. I’m trying to do my job to win.”
- As the Celtics/Nets series shifts from Brooklyn to Boston, former Celtic Kyrie Irving said he expects to hear plenty of jeers from the crowd, but hopes that C’s fans “keep it strictly basketball,” per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “(Hopefully) there’s no belligerence or racism going on — subtle racism — people yelling s–t from the crowd, but even if it is, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’re just going to focus on what we can control,” Irving said.
- During an appearance on Zolak & Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston (audio link), Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said he thinks there’s a good chance Jayson Tatum will play in Game 3 after suffering an eye injury on Tuesday. “The last I heard was that he was doing better and that Friday looks probable,” Stevens said.
Kyrie is a soft soft soft clown.
Agreed. Kylie, you get jeered by Boston fans for the way you acted in your only year with the team, not because you’re African American. Yes, Boston feels the need to yell racial epithets for some reason, but if you had kept your head down, played hard and been a professional in your year there, you would be just another guy coming into the arena.
On a second note, Rose and Gibson should be Knicks for as long as Thibs is there. The best comes out of both guys when playing for Thibs, and there’s no doubt that the Knicks are where they are because of them.
You just basically excused them yelling racist stuff because he wasn’t just another guy coming to the arena and playing hard every night? Classy
In other words, “shut up and dribble” or we won’t treat you with a basic level of human respect.
He should be more like Westbrook and threaten people who make him angry. Or go off like a Tasmanian devil into a rage of fury when a few kernels of popcorn fall on his head.
Westbrook will be wearing a dress in a few years
Soft soft soft soft soft soft soft soft soft soft clown
There is never an excuse for racism. Irving is wrong to even suggest that any comments directed toward him by Celtic fans are racist. The negative comments and boos are because he acted like a jerk as a player, and showed no class in leaving after assuring everyone he was staying.
I mean Kyrie had two great seasons for BOS, & it is well known that BOS fans are racist… but yes you can say what fits your narrative, right?
Man, the levels of assholery in the comments is somehow still surprising.
Hawks CRYING again. Now it’s illegal picks. I guess if you can’t beat a team. You ask the refs for help. It’s been two games. The softest team EVER. Freakin ken dolls lol. Hawks set illegal picks for You gall the time. Then he flops to get calls. You hear us crying. Soft don’t win in NBA … No Babies Allowed .
Agreed! The Hawks are soft. We definitely should start Rose in place of Payton and he should be DNP coach decision.
For the off-season we should:
Keep
RJ, Randle, Obi, Quickley , Mitch
Resign
Bullock, Burks. Rose, Taj, Noel
Let go of or trade Knox, Pinson, Payton
That leaves 5 spots open for free agents as well as signing draft picks.