Knicks Twitter celebrated like the team had just clinched the playoffs on Friday night.
No, the playoffs are far out of reach, and the ‘Bockers were looking lifeless against a painfully shorthanded 76ers team, but in that moment, head coach Tom Thibodeau finally relented and gave fans what they had been clamoring for since last season.
Thibodeau finally paired Julius Randle and Obi Toppin together in the frontcourt.
Sacrificing size, which wasn’t a major factor with Philadelphia missing Joel Embiid, Thibodeau sent out the pairing together, and it paid immediate dividends. The Knicks erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and came away with a much-needed 106-104 victory, even with Mitchell Robinson out with a sore knee, and both backup centers on the bench.
It was all Toppin and Randle, who helped outscore the Sixers 32-18, and a huge go-ahead bucket late in the fourth quarter came on a Toppin 3-pointer off a kick-out from Randle.
For much of Knicks Twitter, it was art, a thing of beauty, poetry in motion. Really, it was their long-lasting wishes finally materializing in front of their eyes.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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