All the New York Knicks needed to do on Sunday was beat the Wizards to clinch a playoff berth. With no Julius Randle, who is out for at least the rest of the regular season, and no RJ Barrett, who was out with an illness, the Knicks deployed a Brunson-Quickley-Grimes-Toppin-Robinson starting lineup.
Out of the starters, Obi Toppin scored the fourth-highest points with 21. That may not seem like a big deal to non-Knicks fans, but after screaming to see more Obi, the 25-year-old scoring a season-high 21 points proved (once again) that he deserves to spend more time on the floor. He played every minute in the second half en route to a 118-109 New York win.
Taj Gibson did his best to prevent a Knicks win as he shot 4-of-5 from three for 14 points, but his efforts weren’t enough for the Wizards. Although he was back “at home” in the Garden, that wasn’t enough to save Gibson from getting dunked on by Toppin.
After the game, Toppin highlighted the fact that he dunked on the 37-year-old.
"Love OG. I did dunk on him though. Just put that out there."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 3, 2023
Obi Toppin wants everyone to know he dunked on Taj Gibson 😂 pic.twitter.com/zhI5lFtYBI
Obi Toppin highlights dunk over Taj Gibson in Knicks’ playoff-clinching win
A reporter was in the middle of a question, asking Toppin “when you dunk on somebody” before being interrupted by Obi. He said, “Taj. Wait, wait, not just somebody. Taj Gibson. Love you, TG.”
Although the ball rattled around the rim, Toppin said, “I’m counting that. I ain’t playing him again this year so I’m counting it.”
The Knicks finish the regular season with a 3-1 record against the Wizards. Washington is four games back from No. 10 Chicago with only four games left to play in the regular season. On Sunday, Apr. 9, Gibson and the Wizards’ season will come to an end.
After being waived by New York during the offseason, Gibson opted to sign a one-year, $2.91 million contract with Washington. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, so it’ll be interesting to see what’ll be next for him. When he decides to retire, Knicks fans would love to see him back in MSG on the sideline as a coach.
There isn’t any opposing player that can walk into the Garden and be adored by Knicks fans, except for Taj. And here’s a message to Taj in case he’s already forgotten… Obi Toppin dunked on you.
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