Game Preview: Knicks @ Bulls, 2/3/2021

Second verse, satanic as the first. Not much has changed since Monday. The Knicks are in Chicago. Elfrid Payton. I guess that’s why they play the games? The Bulls saw red carpets the other day and just charged right down ‘em. Started right from the opening tip. Don’t believe me? Use your eyeballs.

Cool. I’m sure getting blown by on the opening possession is part of the game plan, so Elfrid is just following orders, but the ingenuity to get the unforced turnover is the Payton mastery we’ve come to expect.

Lord take me now. The only good thats come out of this so far is that the Knicks and Bulls are mini-bubbling. The league should have been more vigilant in blocking the schedule together.

Projected Starters

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before

Elfrid Payton v Coby White

Reggie Bullock v Zach LaVine

RJ Barrett v Patrick Williams

Julius Randle v Lauri Markkanen

Mitchell Robinson v Daniel Gafford

I’ll stop myself.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Keys & Predictions

Gotta take exception to Lauri Markkanen going off. Get up into him earlier, run him off the line and make him a shaky driver. Live by the two, die by the three. You also can’t expect Zach LaVine to be quiet if Markannen doesn’t have it rolling, so get into him early, mind the back cut. The other thing I’d like to mention is that a lot of Coby White’s unforced errors probably won’t sail into oblivion tonight. So batten down the hatches or get your buckle swashed.

Knicks by -3

Parting Shot

John Starks was always in a New York state of attitude. Although he comes from the franchise-fracking land of Oklahoma, his fierce competitive streak was something we all felt a kinship with. He may have never climbed the mountain top, but he definitely bore a tunnel through it.

Photo by Tom Berg/WireImage