PHOTO: NBA.com
This content is taken from an article by Patrick Diaz for The Knicks Wall, translated into Italian by Marco Marchese for Around the Game.
The results obtained by New York Knicks in the 2023/24 Season they should not be taken for granted. They have become what most of their fans hoped for, that is, a team they can be proud of, and those who take the field do so to honor the name and logo on the front of the jersey, but above all for the rest of their teammates. This is a tough team, of people who work hard in training and who have formed deep bonds within the roster. And, above all, it is made up of New Yorkers through and through. But the seeds of all this were planted quite some time ago, with some milestones marking the journey made over the years. The Knicks have been in constant search of a top player All-Star to increase their chances, and in the summer of 2019 this happened with the arrival of Julius Randle – but only a few realized it at the time. His arrival in the Big Apple gave the team a boost in his playing style. Just 5 years later, Randle himself was the protagonist of a spectacular title run, stopped last January by a serious shoulder injury which ended his season prematurely, during a match against Miami Heat. Today 3 times All-Star and 2 times All-NBA – all achievements achieved during his time with the Knicks – is ready for the team to make the big leap. But when he showed up for the first time at one of the Knicks’ 2019 Summer League matches – wearing a Dipset t-shirt – he generated mixed opinions. Many fans had the so-called love at first sight towards him, but just as many questioned his devotion to the team and the cause of the New York Knicks. Despite being a native of Dallas, Randle got a tattoo of one of the most well-known symbols of New York City, as well as one of the most well-known and listened to rappers of all time: Brooklyn native Christopher Wallace, better known mainly as The Notorious B.I.G, or even Biggie Smalls, Frank White and The King of New York. These details may be of little value to the average fan, but on the other hand they were enormously appreciated by Knicks fans. He demonstrated that he didn’t choose New York just for the payrollbut because he wanted to be that player that others haven’t been in the past.
His first season with the New York Knicks, however, wasn’t the best. The franchise finished the year with a record of 21-45 and fired coach David Fitzdale in December 2019 – just the latest in a long line of coaches to sit on the Knicks bench in 7 years. Same old story. But in March 2020 James Dolan has hired Leon Rose, the main architect of what the Knicks have become today. With a new Front Office and carte blanche on operations, the new Knicks began the process of restructuring and reconstruction, which reached its culmination with the arrival of coaches Tom Thibodeau. The solidity and stability achieved in 2021 immediately had their effects: Randle was called up to the All-Star Game, also becoming All-NBA; furthermore, the young talents on the roster had also made a big contribution, managing to reach the Playoffs for the first time after 7 years. After a disappointing season that led to a failed postseason berth in 2022, the Knicks knew the time had come for a major upgrade within the roster.
PHOTO: NBA.com
Finally, after years and years of searching, the Knickerbockers have found a dynamic and skilled guard scoring, who had been missing from the team for too long. It all came to town in the form of an underrated, superstar-in-the-making e underdog Jalen Brunson. His arrival at the Knicks has often taken a back seat in the main sports circles, and the fans considered it a solid but too expensive choice, despite the impact it had on the Dallas Mavericks a few months earlier, helping them reach the Western Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by Golden State Warriors, then winners of the NBA title. Many were wrong. Jalen Brunson has started to shine even brighter than the Madison Square Garden spotlight since his first season in the Big Apple. He won the hearts of the fans immediately, thanks to his scoring and the performances showcased. In addition to having played a stellar first season, JB helped his team complete its first playoff series win in over 10 years, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers – before being eliminated by the Heat, NBA finalists. The season just ended describes itself: Brunson has become All-Star and played superbly in the Playoffs, before having to succumb to a foot injury first, and then a hand fracture, which compromised his presence on the field in Game 7 of the series against the Indiana Pacers.
But Brunson was not the only signing that took place in the summer of 2022. That year the Knicks also signed Isaiah Hartenstein, who quickly proved to be an essential part of the roster. With Mitchell Robinson they have composed a solid and reliable tandem of big men for the Knicks. Hartenstein did not disappoint expectations when he was promoted in starting line-up due to the first ankle injury suffered by Robinson last December, proving to be an essential element during the Playoffs. His Free Agency will be one of the main topics this summer: I-Hart he will certainly have many admirers, but his performance can faithfully summarize what the Knicks have become. In New York, moreover, many expect him to stay. Knickerbockers have developed a particular sixth sense for finding hidden gems and valorizing them. Another example consists of Josh Hart. When the Knicks acquired him in February 2023, his former college buddy and good friend Jalen Brunson exclaimed: “Oh shit! ARE U!” once informed. That’s when the Nova Knicks were born. Josh Hart’s impact has been enormous and contagious. The Big Apple franchise recorded 9 consecutive victories after his arrival. He has embraced New York City and its sports culture, and the fans have reciprocated with enormous warmth – ever since he showed off the famous braids, a sporting symbol of New York and the team that the Knicks would become. In summer 2023 he decided to assert his player option, and with the start of the new season the management was quick to offer him a renewal. Hart evolved his style of play, taking it to the next level in 2024 when Randle was knocked out, helping the Knicks reach the Playoffs and showing heroic performances during the series against the Philadelphia 76ers, sometimes without resting even a minute. After an odyssey during the first part of her career, she found her ideal place. After the elimination in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, he expressed his gratitude to the fans and the team.
“All of this is huge. I came here last year, I think it was my fourth team and franchise, and my sixth coach. I wanted to find a home. Obviously, the Front Office believed in me, offering me a contract, coach Thibs trusted me on the pitch and the fans welcomed me by hugging me right away. To me, this really means a lot.”
Josh Hart
What could be better than the 2 Nova Knicks, if not adding the third? Last summer, in fact, the Knicks signed him Donte DiVincenzo. Today renamed Star, he originally came in to provide support coming off the bench with his beyond-the-arc shooting and defensive skills – in what was already a deep second unit. DiVincenzo’s arrival soon turned out to be an incredible deal. Donte has become one of the best perimeter shooters in the league, playing at a very high intensity. Star he began to show all his talent when coach Thibs he decided to promote him to the starting lineup after the blockbuster trade he brought RJ Barrett e Immanuel Quickley ai Toronto Raptors in exchange for AND Anunoby – long-time Knicks target – along with Precious Achiuwa e Malachi Flynn. OG’s arrival effectively confirmed the value of the Knicks: in the first month with Anunoby on the pitch, the Knicks rose to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, with a 14-2 record in January. The team had all its best men available, proving almost unstoppable. But the surprises from the trade market were not over yet. Given the hole in the second unit in the contribution of scoring left by Quickley, the Knicks Front Office decided to fill it with another chess move, adding Bojan Bogdanovic and bringing home Alec Burks – giving up, however, to Quentin Grimes. The Knicks seemed so in a trance that they managed to continue their playoff run despite all the injuries. But it is not humanly possible to endure so much fatigue with so few men at coach Thibodeau’s disposal.
The New York Knicks can be proud of the season they played: they won 50 Regular Season games and reached the 2nd seed, which allowed them to reach the Conference Semi-Finals for the second time despite losing most of their players due to injury. roster. Even a man of steel like Josh Hart suffered an abdominal injury that limited him on the field, and Jalen Brunson broke his hand in Game 7 against Indiana. Without forgetting the muscle injury that kept OG Anunoby out in Game 2, and the worsening of Mitchell Robinson’s ankle condition, Bojan Bogdanovic’s ankle problem and obviously the shoulder problem that ended Julius Randle’s season prematurely. What they managed to achieve should be celebrated and honored, as they truly gave it their all. For every injury suffered, another player has proven his worth: Deuce McBride and Precious Achiuwa should be celebrated and thanked like the best on the roster. Burks, who played an important role during his first experience in New York, proved to be an example of professionalism despite the little use compared to his teammates: he was always ready to give his best every time coach Thibodeau decided to send him on the parquet. These were the New York Knicks of the 2023/24 Season. A team that gave everything they had, as long as their physical condition allowed. No one can confirm this last statement better than coach Tom Thibodeau,
“I think these guys really gave it everything they had. Everything you could ask of them. They had been fighting a war all year and had no energy left to expend.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau
2024-05-24 15:20:10
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