Thunder 113, Knicks 112: What goes up must come down

In the dictionary and this Knicks season, “elevation” soon becomes “enervation”

Do you know how the world outside the Soviet Union learned about the 1986 Chernobyl disaster? Spoiler: not from the U.S.S.R.! In maintaining their m.o., the infamously insular Soviets stayed тихий on the whole “nuclear meltdown” business, even as global wind patterns blew radioactive fallout toward eastern Europe and Scandanavia. Swedish nuclear scientists noticed wonky numbers in their safety readings, initially thinking the problem was with their own facility. Further analysis revealed their readings were consistent with a meltdown. Eventually the Soviets had no choice but to come clean.

The New York Knicks lost their second straight gut-wrencher last night, 113-112 to Oklahoma City. After Jalen Brunson put the Knicks up one with four seconds remaining, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a baseline turnaround to provide the winning margin. Odds are you already knew that. Odds are much of what happened last night wasn’t news.

You knew SGA would play in this one, despite being listed as doubtful or questionable in the run-up. He’s an MVP candidate on a team pushing for homecourt through the Western playoffs. Miss the biggest game of your professional career so far? At Madison Square Garden? With all that on the line? Fat chance.

There was no question the Thunder posed a stiff challenge. Even on a night Gilgeous-Alexander was more Clark Kent than Kal-El, fellow young stud Jalen Williams torched the Knicks for 33 points on 77% shooting. The non-vaunted OKC bench outscored New York’s 36-18. Josh Giddey became the first player in NBA history to record three triple-doubles in his first three games at MSG months after being accused of raping a minor.

There was no question the Knicks, however shorthanded, would make no excuses while putting themselves in position to win. Brunson scored 31 fewer points than he did Friday at San Antonio and still finished with 30; while only two other Knicks scored in double-figures that night, all five starters did against the Thunder. Isaiah Hartenstein and Josh Hart both had double-figure rebounds, with Precious Achiuwa one away from making it a trio. The starters combined for 23 assists to just 10 turnovers. All that helped build a 10-point lead entering the fourth, which is normally enough: before last night the Knicks were 38-2 in those scenarios.

38-3 is nothing to sneeze at, no question. But this loss hurts. The Knicks have ticked every morally uplifting box there is the past nearly-two full seasons; there are no moral victories left. So on a night the Cavaliers were romped by the Nuggets, the Knicks failing to stake a stronger claim to the third-seed is a let down. There’s still two weeks left and New York does own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. With eight games to go, there are only three questions of consequence remaining for Team Thibs:

1) Where do they finish in the East?

2) Who do they face in the playoffs?

3) Which Knicks team will we see then?

The answer to #2 depends on the answer to #1, with the answer to #3 the great unknown. Which is why the biggest story these days around the Knicks isn’t the play of the team that’s out there, but the health status of the players who aren’t. Mitchell Robinson missed last night’s game after spraining his left ankle — not the one operated on earlier this season — against the Spurs. It doesn’t seem to be a serious injury, fingers crossed. Although these days there’s a lotta anxiety around the Knicks and injury mysteries.

There’s no question if Julius Randle or OG Anunoby are healthy, the Knicks can beat anyone but Boston. There’s no question if those two are both healthy, the Knicks will take their chances against anyone. But of course there remains enormous questions around both players and their status. Randle has been seen shooting around before games, but as far as we know has not participated in any contract drills all these months. Anunoby has been mostly unseen while recovering from post-surgical something.

After last night’s game, Josh Hart told reporters, “"I'm looking at it like this is the team we're going to have. I think that's how we have to approach it, that those guys aren't coming back and obviously we'll be pleasantly surprised if they come back. I'm not in those medical conversations or anything like that, so I don't know shit from shit. But we've got to approach every game and the end of this season that those guys aren't coming back, and if they do, be pleasantly surprised." After giving that quote, Hart was given “extended media training” by MSG higher-ups. The Strickland has obtained an exclusive photo of Hart’s training:

Nobody wants to be reminded of past darkness when the present and future seem uneclipsable. But as confusion and worry grow over the continued lack of good injury news, we’ve no choice as rational creatures but to consider the simplest and most likely explanations for what we’re (not) seeing. There’s no question we’ve all had a bright idea of what this postseason could look like in New York. There’s no question that idea is in jeopardy of a stillborn birth.

Randle returned early from injury last year, missing far less time than he has this year, yet understandably (to some) the playoffs were not welcoming to a player trying to find his way back into the flow. He didn’t have surgery until after the season, which prevented him from doing his usuall offseason conditioning work and led to him struggling even more early this regular season than he had been in last year’s postseason. I’m sure you remember all the sober, tolerant, supportive words some loud-ass Knicks fans had for Julius back then.

In an odd and dispiriting twist, what the haters wielded against Randle has been weaponized into something with which to attack Anunoby. The Knicks’ one-man skeleton key has become something of a dead horse for those who can’t stomach OG’s continued absence while his teammates continue to fight short-handed. The whispers grow louder: they knew he was soft in Toronto. Just give the team 10, 15 minutes; won’t somebody think of the children other Knicks? Randle would’ve returned by now. Randle’s a big strong man. So what’s that make Anunoby?

A scapegoat, I say, and nothing more. Is the simplest explanation that Anunoby is a cowardly lion? I don’t think so; if it were, why was literally half the NBA trying to trade for him before the Knicks got him? OG’s agent is Sam Rose, Leon Rose’s son; we’re to believe these Knicks — THESE Knicks — were hoodwinked into trading all that they did for some Charmin-soft cat?

Is the simplest explanation that OG is shirking his professional responsibilities right as he heads into free agency and a nine-figure deal? Anyone who’s worked anywhere knows you can usually fool management, but your co-workers there in the muck and the mire with you know what’s up. If Anunoby were the type to throw in the towel, teammates would be the first to know. It’s possible the Knicks are circling the wagons; there’s no question they wouldn’t publicly criticize a teammate at this point in the season, especially any Knick to any media. If Anunoby were putting his marketability over his availability, the Knicks would know it. That doesn’t mean we would.

When your owner declares the media public enemy #1 and also writes off the NBA commissioner as an enemy, you’ve got an Al Davis thing brewing. The commissioner represents the owners, so the Knicks are the rare pro sports franchise to disavow both the press and the rest of the ruling class they’re a part of. One benefit to that: you don’t have to hold press conferences or talk to reporters you don’t like. One drawback: there’s nobody else to blame when the messaging falls flat. And as great as the team’s been on the court this year, they’re as backwards as ever off it.

Every step of the way since Randle and Anunoby were first injured, the Knicks have either downplayed or avoided any concession of a non-ideal outcome. OG keeps looking at his elbow funny when he first returns? Typical post-surgery irritation; shut up and watch. OG misses one game, then another, then another? Well, at least he, unlike Randle, is doing contact drills and playing five-on-five. Oh, wait, my bad. That was the case three weeks ago. The latest reports say Anunoby is not involved in either. Sounds totally healthy and normal, right?

I don’t have one blessed insight into Anunoby’s health or mindset. I do wonder, though, whenever missing him metastasizes into judgment for some fans. Last year Randle suffered a late-season injury that he rushed back from before he should have, all for the sake of “being there for the team.” He then struggled, natch. Was Randle admired or appreciated for what he did? By some, yes, though a vocal segment of the fans lumped it in with his 2021 playoffs and declared him a bum you can’t with.

One consequence of his decision to tough it out last spring was delaying surgery and having the after-effects run into this season. You may recall the opening couple of weeks, when Randle put up historically poor shooting numbers. Was there patitence or understanding of his circumstance? By some, yes, while a vocal segment took this as proof that he’s hopeless and were ready to trade him for Zach LaVine and later Lauri Markkanen, two players who in 17 combined seasons have played a combined four playoff games, all by LaVine and none especially impressive.

I don’t know if Randle has ever or would have ever talked to Anunoby about that experience. I don’t know that he’d complain, and I don’t know that he’d have to. NBA players are a small workforce; maybe 300-350 on guaranteed contracts. If Anunoby knows how Randle was “thanked” for putting the team ahead of his health and performance, might he think, “That dude gave them two All-NBA years and that’s what he got. How they gonna treat me if I struggle?” I’m not saying he thinks that way. I’m not saying he’s ever had that thought. I’m saying if he has, I could see why.

This wasn’t really a recap of last night’s game. That was intentional. Everything that happened last night was within the range of what you’d expect. Whether the Knicks finish second, third, fourth or fifth doesn’t matter, ultimately. It’s which Knicks finish wherever they end up that will guide us in our hopes and dreams this spring. Hopefully Randle and Anunoby are a part of that. The clock is ticking, though.