Knicks embarrass lowly Nets with dominant first half

It feels incredibly odd to say this, but this New York Knicks team shouldn’t be out of the playoffs. In a must-win game for the eighth-place Nets, the Knicks have done everything but run Brooklyn off the floor completely.

Where was this team at all season? That’s a rhetorical question because we know the answer. Tom Thibodeau doesn’t deserve all of the blame, but one thing’s for certain and it’s that Alec Burks is a far better basketball player when he’s allowed to assume his role as a shooting guard, not a point guard.

Headed into the second half, Burks has a game-high 18 points (6-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from the 3-point line) in 17 minutes. RJ Barrett’s on triple-double watch with 16 points (5-of-14), six rebounds, and six assists.

Somehow, someway, the Knicks are up by 17 points at the half against a team that consists of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Remember how that duo opted for Brooklyn over New York? Now they’re on the other side of a 67-50 lead at halftime.

New York Knicks expose the Nets with a double-digit lead at the half.

Let’s not forget that Julius Randle (sore quadriceps) and Mitchell Robinson (non-COVID illness) are both out for the Knicks. In case you haven’t watched New York play the past couple of weeks, the team’s younger players who previously hadn’t received much playing time have been on a roll.

Obi Toppin, who plays behind Randle, has matched his career-high in the team’s previous two games with 20 points. At the half, he has 12 points (4-of-6), three rebounds, and two assists.

Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride being on the floor helped to take the pressure of facilitating the offense off Burks, which allowed for him to excel.

This game might not matter for the Knicks, but it means a lot for the Nets. If New York can hold on to its lead and beat Brooklyn, the Nets will be at risk of falling to the ninth or tenth seed in the play-in tournament. That’d result in Brooklyn having to win an additional game in order to advance to the first round of the playoffs.

Now, we all know what happened the last time that the Knicks had a solid lead against the Nets at Madison Square Garden. We all know what New York specializes at, and in case you don’t, it’s blowing leads.

While that’s still a possibility, the Knicks look different. Their energy is up. There’s a new type of electricity in the air. If only the year didn’t have to end so soon.

NY Knicks: 3 adjustments Tom Thibodeau failed to make in 2021-22

With 2021-22 coming to a close for the New York Knicks, here are 3 adjustments that head coach Tom Thibodeau failed to make.