NBA Takes…with Teresa – Knicks, Blazers hexed, and Hello Regular Season
The preseason is done, and the regular season has begun. Before starting the regular season, let’s take a look at how hilarious the preseason ended.
Happy first week of the regular season, NBA fans! The preseason is finally over, and I’m sure many teams are happy about that. Before I leave behind the preseason, let’s take a look at how it ended. The result in just two of the preseason games I watched was funny because one team thought they were so great in how they were beating their opponent. Of course, I watched the Knicks/Cavaliers game. I also watched the Atlanta Hawks/Memphis Grizzlies game. Remember that old saying… “he who laughs last, laughs best.” My stomach hurt because I laughed so hard!
New York Knicks
The last two preseason games for the New York Knicks were hilarious. The hilarity could be found on the shocked faces of the Cleveland Cavaliers! They were literally beating the brakes off the Knicks in their Wednesday night game. Laughing at them. Slapping five, pointing at the misses. With about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tom Thibodeau was looking very sad, and I presume he threw his hands up as he threw the young players into the fire. With less than eight minutes to go, Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, and Obi Toppin went to work!
I wasn’t watching the game, so I turned it off. I fussed and cussed and couldn’t understand how a team with William Worldwide Wesley and every one of the best scouts and coaches in the NBA could play exactly the same as last year, losing. Watching the tape (of course, I taped it.) I was stunned at how wrong I was and how the new coaches, particularly Kenny Payne, were actually doing a fantastic job. Twenty-fifth draft pick Immanuel Quickley led the team from 17 points down to a seven-point win. Making Kevin Knox II look good at the same time!
In the next game this past Friday, Thibs allowed the young Quickley to start. Actually, through “coach’s decision,” he sat every point guard down, and Quickley had to start! I won’t take you through all of my yells and screams but suffice it to say, every Knicks starter had a positive plus/minus and every Cavaliers starter had a negative. Mitchell Robinson had no fouls and a plus 46! In the third quarter, the Knicks were actually leading by 49 points. Young Quickley, in his first NBA (preseason) start, had 22 points.