The New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 126–107, in the first game of the 2018–2019 Tank-A-Thon.

The 2018–2019 NBA Season is finally here, and I couldn’t be more proud of the way our Knicks looked. Everyone ate, except Courtney Lee and Damyean Dotson, who are looking a little thin on the bench these days. It was great to have real live NBA basketball back, with actual stakes.

And these stakes were real. With two of the lowest win projections on the year, the Knicks and the Hawks started the great tank of 2018, facing off for the Knicks home opener. If this game was any indication of the year, the Hawks are well out in front in the race for Zion and the Duke Boys.

Are the Knicks going to be a top offense in the league this year? Probably not, and the Hawks are really bad, but there were things to really like in this game.

Coach Fiz started a lineup consisting of Trey Burke/ Tim Hardaway Jr./ Frank Ntilikina/ Lance Thomas/ Enes Kanter. Fiz seems to enjoy keeping lineups very flexible, by having only one big out at a time. This is very welcoming, after watching Hornacek throw out two, sometimes three bigs at a time. Between Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn and Luke Kornet, Hornacek played two of the three at the same time a lot. Through pre-season and this first game, I’ve noticed that Fiz seems to do the exact opposite of that.

After a rough start Tim Hardaway Jr. settled down and finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists (I wouldn’t have expected 5 passes). It was a weird game, because I felt like watching him he took a lot of shots that were ill advised, but he made them, so how mad can you get? My answer is still ‘I very much can!’ His defense has not been good, and he continues to have poor shot selection, and I can assume that he’s not going to shot that well against teams that can actually defend, at an NBA level. We shall see though, because he very well can prove me wrong. I’ve watched a lot of Tim Hardaway though, and I’m not expecting it.

Trey Burke may not have separated himself from the Point Guard pack, but with Frank on the wing, he is the de facto starting Point Guard. He also started rough, but came on strong in his second stint. There are some worries to have. Trey’s mid-range hasn’t been falling, from pre-season through now. Everyone’s worst nightmare is that he comes flying back down to Earth. He even seems tentative to shot the ball at times, dribbling entirely too much, without a plan. Or maybe he can’t get to where he wants right now. I don’t know, but he’s not the player we saw last year, yet. I haven’t lost faith yet, just heavily waning. Or maybe I have, and I’m in denial.

Speaking of Frank Ntilikina there were times where I thought he was the best Knick on the floor. He plays with such purpose and intensity on the defensive end, and his offense is coming. He’s not finishing yet, but he’s looking for his shot more, and getting it up, which was half the battle with him, last year. I’d like to see the ball in his hands more, so he can utilize his strength of playmaking, but he’s playing his role well, and pushes the ball off rebounds. A modest statline of 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 Block. That’s a mini Draymond line right there, without the assists (which will come). He also played the most minutes on the team, which I can 100% get behind.

The pace was electric. This was fun basketball, even if it wasn’t always pretty. This was what we’ve been waiting for. Get up and down, play with lots of wings, and just have fun. It may not be the best year, wins and losses wise, but it’s going to be so much fun, to watch these guys play.

At one point, Fiz had a lineup of Baker/ Trier/ Frank/ Knox/ Robinson, and I nearly exploded with joy. It should almost be mythologized. Whether the team is going to win or not, let’s have some fun, and get some wild, small lineups, and Fiz is going to give us just that.

Mitch Robinson seemed to have tweaked his ankle two minutes into that lineup, and we never saw him again, and no word was said on the broadcast about an injury, to my knowledge. He scored one basket, and boy was it nice. I’m ready for the breakout Mitch game, more than I have ever been ready for anything in my life. When that happens, I’m going full J.R. and not wearing a shirt for weeks.

Vonleh replaced Mitch in that lineup after he got hurt, and showed why he’s here. He got a quick double-double, with a 12–10, with FIVE!! offensive rebounds, and even chipped in three assists. The one thing that I don’t like to see from Vonleh is how he protects the rim. It’s not great, and with him playing Center, I’d like to see him try and attack on defense more and get his hands up to contest shots. To end on a positive with him, he reads the ball so well off the rim, and is always in position to get rebounds.

Kevin Knox scored 10 points, on 4/16 shooting, and that’s not great, but I willing to live with it. He had some moves where you know he belongs, and at his age, those shine brighter than any negatives. He didn’t get a single rebound or assist, but ended with two steals and one block. His defense remains solid, something that I was not expecting. He’s a true professional at 19 years old, and I am not worried one bit about him being successful. He’s a true Football Guy, he won’t let himself fail.

Super Mario Hezonja came to play, after a rough pre-season. He scored 15 points, had 1 assist, and 3 steals. He really plays the passing lanes well, especially on wild outlet passes. His wingspan allows a lot of deflections on the defensive end. He still has a bit of a turnover problem, and maybe tries a little too hard to make crazy passes or shots, but you’ll live with those when he brings the energy he brought last night. It’s also worth noting that he was like the 10th guy off the bench, and that is not an exaggeration.

Man, this team is so wild, it took me this long to get to Allonzo Trier. Boy, was Trier good. Someone’s getting cut to keep him, I guarantee that now. He was really something last night. He had 15 points, on 5/9 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The man is a walking bucket, and had a monstrous dunk, in the 3rd quarter. He’s come a long way from Summer League and continues to put in the work. He’s going to get a NBA contract soon.

The only two players not to play for the Knicks were Courtney Lee and Damyean Dotson. Kind of wild, but not everyone can play, and it was Dotson or Baker, and Baker played really well. Not sure if it means anything at all. I’m sure everyone’s going to play at some point.

It was against what may be the worst team in the league, but a win is a win. It’s always good to get one of those under your belt, especially for a young team like the Knicks have (one of the youngest teams in the league). Everyone looked sharp, and everyone is in great shape. Frank may be the best player on the team, and the future is shining bright. Game 1 of 82 down, and holy hell am I happy to just have basketball back.