The Knicks suffered a painful loss to Trae Young and the Hawks in Sunday’s series opener, but there is still plenty of series to go, and game one certainly seemed to suggest that we are in for a long, hard-fought opening round.
But while there is likely plenty of games left to go in this series, there were a lot of important takeaways from game one, some of which will determine the series if those early narratives aren’t changed. Here are five observations from what was a frenzied MSG atmosphere on Sunday night:
Pick and steamrolled
We’ll start with the obvious: the Knicks have to find a way to contain Trae Young in the pick-and-roll. Young generated 40 points of offense out of the play on Sunday night, either turning them into easy alley-oops to Clint Capela, sinking one of his trademark floaters of heaving a one-handed pass out to an open shooter for an easy 3-pointer.
With so many options that Young is able to create out of the pick and roll, the Knicks will have to find a way to slip through those initial screens, or fight the urge to bite when Young leaves his feet, which helped lead to nine free throw attempts for Young in the fourth quarter, all of which he made.
Of course, when the Knicks don’t bit on Young and Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson stay home at the rim, Young finds a way to lift in a floater. So while it is likely impossible to completely suffocate the pick-and-roll, the Knicks will have to take the next two nights to figure out how to at least contain it enough to get some stops on the defensive end.
End the Elf experiment
Elfrid Payton has been a net negative for the Knicks for weeks, to say the least. He shot 3-for-18 from the floor to end the regular season and had more turnovers than made shots from anywhere on the floor combined. Tom Thibodeau stuck by Payton amid all the questions about his diminishing role and continued inclusion in the starting lineup, but that has to end now.
Payton’s minutes slipped to just eight on Sunday night, but in a series that figures to be evenly-matched and as close as game one was, that is still enough time to decide a game. Payton was 0-for-3 from the floor and the Knicks were ice cold to start the first quarter with Payton running the point, shooting just 7-for-25 in the opening period. That isn’t all on Payton, but the Knicks quickly fought their way back in the second quarter with Derrick Rose in the game, and with Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley both better options, Payton’s minutes can’t be just watered down. They need to be eliminated completely.
More Frank?
If Frank Ntilikina is going to get more playoff minutes, his play on the Hawks last possession wasn’t the best audition. Checking into the game in the final seconds to try and shut down Young, Ntilikina instead watched Young blow right past him on the right side before lifting in a running floater to win the game. But after being kept cold on the bench only to be thrust into action when the game is on the line, was Ntilikina put in a position to succeed?
Nitilikina is New York’s best on-ball defender, and Young has to be limited if the Knicks are to win this series. Could Ntilikina take Payton’s minutes and have more time to ease into a game to try and shut down Young? Ntilikina doesn’t offer much offensively, though he was efficient from downtown this season, leading the team shooting 47.9 percent from beyond the arc. But at this point, “not much” is more than what the Knicks are getting from Payton, so maybe Frank should see those eight minutes that Payton had on Sunday to keep him warmer for those crucial defensive possessions.
Rusty Randle?
Julius Randle has been the Knicks hero all season, especially against the Hawks, averaging 37.3 points per game in three wins against Atlanta in the regular season. So what changed on Sunday night, when he shot just 6-for-23 with 15 points while failing to generate key buckets down the stretch in a close game, which Knicks fans have been used to seeing from him all year?
The biggest change may have just been the time in between games.
Randle himself has said as recently as this season that he doesn’t do well after long breaks. It was apparent in his first game back from the All-Star break against the Bucks, when he shot just 3-for-12 with seven points.
“I missed a couple of shots, layups, stuff I make forever, but I’m not too worried man,” Randle said after that performance. “From what I remember, last couple of years, first game out of the break, I don’t know why, I’m always s-----. I’ll get right back to it.”
There was a full week in between these games, so perhaps Randle was feeling that rust again. If he was, he’ll have to shake the rest off in a hurry, given how obviously important he is to New York’s chances.
Big night for the neophytes
Knicks fans can finally stop looking ahead to a brighter future and enjoy the here and now as their team is back in the playoffs, but as New York hopes to build itself into a more legitimate contender, the 15 thousand fans at MSG on Sunday saved some of their loudest cheers for big plays from the Knicks rookie duo.
Immanuel Quickley knocked down two huge 3-pointers and shot 4-for-7 from the floor in his 21 minutes of action, while Obi Toppin hit a three of his own and threw down one of the most prolific dunks of the night to erupt the crowd. Combined, the two were a +9 on the night. It wasn’t as flashy for sophomore RJ Barrett, but in his postseason debut, the 20-year-old had the dunk of the night to tie the game in the third quarter, sending the Garden into a frenzy.
Barrett would have liked to have been more efficient from downtown (he shot just 1-for-6), but the Knicks youngsters provided some electric moments in game one.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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