The Knicks recharged on Thanksgiving, scattering on the off day for their family meals and, in the case of Quentin Grimes, preferring ham over turkey.
The team had the luxury of three days between games to chill at home.
So with full bellies, there can be no excuses for one of the bigger matchups of the Knicks’ regular season on Black Friday.
It’s an MSG game against Jimmy Butler’s Heat that doubles as a payback opportunity and highly significant to advancement in the In-Season Tournament.
“Jimmy did his thing last season in the playoffs against us,” Grimes said, “and there’s gonna be a little bit more urgency when we play an In-Season Tournament game. So definitely gonna be a lot more urgency going into that game.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say that if the Knicks lose Friday, they’re very likely eliminated from the In-Season Tournament.
And if they manage to beat Butler and Erik Spoelstra, they’d be 2-1 in group play and in strong position to qualify for the elimination round (their final group game is Tuesday against the sloppy Hornets).
Whether or not the tournament truly moves the needle for the Knicks or they’ve been simply paying lip service to commissioner Adam Silver’s baby, there’s also the significance of the first game against the Heat since getting eliminated in South Beach in May.
Other than Jalen Brunson (and maybe RJ Barrett), the Knicks lost all their matchups during that second-round appearance.
They were punked by Butler. Tom Thibodeau was out-coached by Spoelstra. Mitchell Robinson was outworked and outsmarted by Bam Adebayo. Julius Randle was hobbled, ineffective and largely a disaster.
Still, in the spirit of Thibodeau downplaying everything as “one day at a time,” the coach said the playoffs were already forgotten and a non-factor for Friday.
It’s hard to believe that’s accurate if the Knicks are truly the innate competitors they often claim.
“Last year had nothing to do with this year,” Thibodeau said. “And so, just get ready for this season and focus on each day. And that’s what we try to do. We try to build that habit and not get distracted by any outside noise. And I think that’s a big part of winning in this league.”
If you caught Thibodeau in a different mood, he’d say, as he’s done in the past, that players are human and removing all emotions is impossible.
But even ignoring the past, there’s the order of the current Eastern Conference that gives this matchup extra juice.
After the Celtics (12-3) and Bucks (10-5), the cluster of teams in the second tier is deep.
The Knicks (8-6), who still have to prove they can beat good teams after feasting on bottom dwellers, are part of that group.
And it certainly includes the Heat (10-5), who, despite missing out on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, returned with force to start the regular season.
Tyler Herro, who missed most of the playoffs (including the entire Knicks series) with a broken hand, is leading the team in scoring at 22.9 points per game. Rookie Jaime Jasquez Jr. has been a revelation.
It doesn’t matter — and seemingly never does — that the Heat lost two important contributors from last season in free agency (Max Strus, Gabe Vincent).
Spoelstra’s plug-and-play system doesn’t miss a beat. The Knicks have a lot to play for on Black Friday.
“They’ve always had Butler, Adebayo, so they’re not gonna change the core of who they are,” Thibodeau said. “And so, obviously when you look back over the last three or four years, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league, and their core players haven’t really changed. And so, just understanding who they are, what we have to do this year. They’ve added some good, young players. We know we have to be ready.”
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