In a season that has been filled with expected disappointment, there was a glimmer of hope for Knicks fans on the floor last night.
For those who tuned into the 126-99 beatdown of the Suns last night, you saw a glimpse of the kind of player Danilo Gallinari can be. Entering last night's game, the Knicks brought in the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and were riding a 5-game losing streak. The Suns came in with the League's best record and having scored at least 100 points in every game thus far. With that being said, one would think that it would be the Suns who would dominate the lowly Knicks and blow them out by 27 points. Last night was very different.
The Knicks came out with a level of energy and intensity that we have not seen in a very long time, a level that arguably the best team in the NBA could not come close to even if they were flying in a 747. The Knicks erupted for a 39-point first quarter led by stellar shooting from Gallo, better passing from Larry Hughes, and tremendous hustle from everyone.
The Knicks did not need a double-double from David Lee who finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds, half of which were offensive, and 4 steals. They did not need contribution from Nate Robinson on this night who finished with 0 points, largely due to a great game from Hughes who finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Al Harrington added 22 points on just 8-14 shooting, the number of shots attempted he should be averaging per game, not an attempt higher. The Knicks also got great hustle from Jared Jeffries who had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. He also took turn in a rotation that saw Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Jeffries all guard Steve Nash for extended periods of time.
But the story of the night was that this may have been Danilo Gallinari's coming out party. The Italian Stallion led all scorers with 27 points which included 6-12 from 3-point range. Gallo raised his league-leading number of 3-pointers made to 54 with last night's effort. The scoring however, was not the most impressive part of the night. Gallo also had 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots and seemed very comfortable all over the floor last night. Whether it was sinking jumpers, tracking down long rebounds, or playing defense, Gallo played last night with a confidence and a swagger that Knicks fans have been waiting to see. It showed last night and translated into what was probably the best game of his career thus far.
You also have to give credit to Coach Mike D'Antoni. He knew that this was going to be a tough situation when he took the job to coach the Knicks, and it has been a long and hard trip so far. But in what was his 100th game coaching this franchise, he had the sweetest night of any of the previous 99. Not only did D'Antoni get to see his team execute his offense flawlessly, but he got to see them do it to the team that he built before coming to the Knicks. Although he would never admit it, you have to believe that D'Antoni enjoyed this victory a little more than any other. Afterall, he was fired from the Suns when they brought in Shaq and had to change their philosophy on offense. Now Shaq is gone and running the team is Alvin Gentry, a man who served as an assistant under D'Antoni when he coached the Suns and now operates the exact same system. D'Antoni is the architect and so he knew everything that the Suns were going to do and devised a great game-plan. Putting big bodies on Nash to make him earn all his points and limit his passing was the key to slowing a Suns offense that was held to under 100 points for the first time this season.
Too much cannot be read into one victory because that is all that it is. The Suns had an off night, they even looked like they took the Knicks lightly. The Knicks must now show that they can play at this level with consistency against all opponents. They can start tonight when the go to Orlando to face the Eastern Conference's best team.
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