Knicks hang tough with Celtics
Here are some of the major through lines that saw the Knicks go into halftime tied with Boston 58 all:
- Randle was the focus of the Knicks offense early, as has been the case for much of this season. The looks were high quality though, at least compared to the baseline he's set thus far. He scored six of the Knicks first 12 points and ended the half with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with 2 turnovers.
- Kevin Knox got the start for the injured Marcus Morris and picked up two fouls in under six minutes without attempting a field goal.
- Enes Kanter got a nice round of applause from the crowd when he checked in. I'm sure this made him happy, as no one has ever loved feeling the love as much as Kanter. The Knicks, meanwhile, didn't try to do to him what so many teams used to do to New York when Kanter was here, which is put him in pick and roll situations and feast off of his helplessness. In general, the Knicks hardly ever attempt genuine pick and rolls unless Mitchell Robinson is in the game. This seems less than ideal.
- There haven't been too many teenagers in NBA history with as much old man craftiness to their game around the rim as RJ Barrett. He doesn't get rattled down low, even when his first or second moves fail.
- Mitchell Robinson picked up three fouls in nine minutes of action. This continues to be an issue for him.
- This isn't news, but the Knicks trapping scheme, while good for generating a decent number of steals every game, continues to yield far too many open 3-pointers. Smart passing teams with multiple ball handlers and good shooters seem to get them every time, and Boston certainly qualifies. They've already put up 23 deep balls, only hitting eight. This doesn't bode well for the second half.
- Jayson Tatum was cooking.
- This might just be my perception, but Julius Randle always seems to perk up when Dennis Smith Jr. is in the game. DSJ, by the way, played the entire rest of the half after checking in thanks to Frank Ntilikina dealing with a strained back.
