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This is not a rubber match. I repeat: This. is NOT! A rubber match. The Knicks and Nets split their pre-season home and home but that amounts to bupkis. Now I hope you know the wins and losses go down on your permanent record! Don’t distress.
The Fiz kids face their toughest challenge yet, against the transcendently brilliant Sean Marks-assembled castaway-genius team that plays in Brooklyn. The Nets are coming off a tough loss to the Pistons. But still have the playoffs all sewed up. Caris LeVert notched a career high 27 points and had a chance to give Brooklyn the lead in the closing seconds but the lovely Langston Galloway snuck in and stripped him.
Projected starters
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Key Matchup
Containing the wings will be paramount for the Knicks. LeVert and D’Angelo Russell do their part to get the ball up the floor in a hurry. Whether off the bounce or with the hit ahead. From there the Nets pick on the mismatch when they find one. It will be interesting to see where they play Frank Ntilikina. Joe Harris definitely doesn’t want any of that smoke and Jared Fuddy Dudley might think he can handle it. But yea, nah.
The Knicks will have to stay engaged after buckets and communicate in transition defense. The Nets of course will have to steer clear of whoever Ntilikina ends up guarding.
Key Reserves
Allonzo Trier came in and busted the Hawks’ beak on Wednesday. Including this electrifying tin-ripper.
Tim Hardaway had it rolling so the Hawks send the double, and just never really close out to Zo. Their bad.
The Nets certainly will remember his scorching game against them in pre-season, in particular the 2nd quarter. So they might be looking to step on him before he gets anything going. After a 49-point second quarter against Atlanta, it would be cool if New York figured out a way to the 2Q their thing. If somehow you missed Trier taking it to Brooklyn:
Prediction
David Fizdale will have the team ready to play Brooklyn tonight. And if they’re not ready, something tells me, he’ll rip into them at halftime.
The Knicks are 1-0 and David Fizdale isn't making much of it.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 18, 2018
"A happy team is a soft team. I told them: 'What did you do? You didn't do anything. We did what we were supposed to do. We took care of home.'"
They’ve seen the Nets twice. Then got a glimpse at their real rotation against Detroit. Brooklyn will certainly want to bounce back in their home opener. Hopefully New York can capitalize on the pregame hoopla and just start ripping and running.
Robert Randolph-infused schedule loss. Knicks by -16.