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Hawks at Knicks Game 5 in MSG has sold out

The New York Knicks today announced that Game 5 of their 2021 NBA playoffs series against the Atlanta Hawks, scheduled for June 2, has sold out.

This follows Game 1, when the Knicks welcomed more than 15,000 fans and Game 2, when they expanded their seating for fully-vaccinated fans and increased capacity to more than 16,000.

Per the Knicks, the two games mark the largest indoor crowds to gather in New York since the start of the pandemic.

Also per the team, “given the enthusiastic response to vaccination requirements, the team also announced that, should they advance past round one, tickets will be sold exclusively to fully-vaccinated individuals.”

“The energy our Knicks fans have brought to the playoffs has been incredible – proving there’s nothing more exciting than Knicks basketball at The Garden,” said David Hopkinson, EVP, MSG Sports and President, Team Business Operations. “It’s moments like this that show us what’s possible if everyone gets vaccinated – we’ll all be able to get back to doing what we love— and that definitely includes being together to cheer on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.”

More from the team: “During the first round of the playoffs, fully-vaccinated fans are making up more than 90% of those in attendance at The Garden. Following New York State guidelines, fully-vaccinated sections do not require social distancing and individuals do not need to wear masks when seated. Children under the age of 16 are permitted to sit in a vaccinated section if they provide proof of a negative antigen or PCR COVID-19 test, or full vaccination. Unvaccinated children must wear masks while seated in a vaccinated section, except while actively eating or drinking. Non-vaccinated fans have continued to sit in socially distanced seating and maintain mask requirements except while actively eating or drinking. For entry, all fans must present valid proof of either full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test, along with an appropriate ID matching their documentation.”

Julius Randle wins 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player award

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been named the 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player.

A first-time NBA All-Star selection in his seventh season, Randle becomes the first player to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award with New York. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Randle received 98 first-place votes and earned 493 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant received the other two first-place votes and finished in second place with 140 points. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. finished in third place with 138 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

In his second season with the Knicks, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in an NBA-high 37.6 minutes in 71 games. He set career highs for averages in points and assists and matched his career high in rebounds, ranking in the top 20 in the NBA in all three categories. The 6-9 Randle is the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić (who also did it this season), Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Randle made a career-high 160 three-pointers in 2020-21, eight fewer than his total for the previous five seasons combined (168). He shot 40.1 percent from three-point range, well above his career mark of 29.5 percent entering the season. Randle also shot a career-high 81.1 percent from the free throw line.

Selected as a reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Randle tied for eighth in the league in double-doubles with 41 and tied for seventh in triple-doubles with six. Randle was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for April and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 17.

Behind Randle, the Knicks (41-31) finish tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. New York made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Randle, 26, signed with the Knicks as a free agent on July 9, 2019. Before joining New York, he played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Randle entered this season with career averages of 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

First two Knicks home playoff games vs. Hawks, capped at 15,000 fans, have sold out

The New York Knicks today announced that the team’s first-two playoff games against the Atlanta Hawks, set at 15,000 capacity due to Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, sold out.

Per the team, fully-vaccinated fans are expected to make up almost 90% of those in attendance at The Garden. The events will be the largest indoor gatherings for New York State since the start of the pandemic.

“I hope everyone in sports and entertainment is listening because the public has spoken – they are fine with getting vaccinated and want to get back to the experiences they love,” said James Dolan, Executive Chairman of MSG Sports and Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment. “This overwhelming response by Knicks fans – almost 90% of whom are vaccinated – should silence any doubters. It’s time to start booking events and filling up our schedules, so stay tuned. We want to thank Governor Cuomo for this leap forward; he knew we could do this – not just for us, but for New York.”

Longtime MSG photographer George Kalinsky receives award

A Madison Square Garden legend has received a great career honor. Via the NY Post:

It’s been a tough season away from the World’s Most Famous Arena for the Garden’s legendary photographer George Kalinsky.

But the season had a happy ending when Kalinsky got the phone call from the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend informing him that he was named the 2021 recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award.

“As much as you think that this is going to be the greatest feeling, it’s even greater than that,’’ Kalinsky told The Post. “It’s something that they can never take away from you. The reality is even bigger when you’re told you made it.’’

The Knicks, meanwhile, are enjoying their best season in many years and will face the Hawks in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Knicks beat Clippers, remain 4th in East

The Knicks have exceeded expectations all season long, and the trend continued today in Los Angeles. Via the New York Post:

The Knicks usually struggle when Julius Randle struggles. But not when Derrick Rose plays like an MVP — and not when they get 3-point marksmanship from Reggie Bullock.

In the final regular-season home game for the Clippers, the Knicks spoiled the Sunday-matinee party with a resounding and sensational 106-100 victory before 2,578 relatively passive fans at Staples Center.

And now it might be time for Tom Thibodeau to look into making a starting-point guard change, finally.

Coming off the bench for a struggling Elfrid Payton, Rose carried the Knicks (38-30) on his shoulders with an MVP-type first half. Rose finished with 25 points and eight assists in 31 minutes.

Reggie Bullock, once a Clippers’ draft pick, poured in 24 points, making 5 of 11 3-pointers. Julius Randle made three big baskets down the stretch, but finished with just 14 points on 7 of 19 shooting with four turnovers. He also had 13 rebounds.

Via the New York Daily News:

With an impressive 106-100 road victory against the stacked Clippers, New York, currently fourth in the East, moved three games ahead of the seventh-seeded Celtics with four to play.

The Knicks (38-30) only need to finish in the top six to avoid a play-in game, and their magic number is 2. In other words, the franchise’s first playoff berth in eight years could be clinched as soon as Tuesday with a victory over the Lakers and a Celtics defeat to the Heat.

“That would be big,” Derrick Rose said. “But at the same time, (Tom Thibodeau) always talks about going through the finish line. We have to do our jobs to make sure we’re sharp and have a keen type of focus.”

The Knicks are 38-30 this season, which is the best 4th record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2020-21 are Randle at 24.1 points per game, RJ Barrett at 17.7 ppg, and Rose at 14.4 ppg.

One game behind the Knicks in a tight East race are the Hawks and Heat.

The Knicks are on a six-game winning streak

The Knicks beat the Pelicans 122-112 in overtime Sunday. Via New York Newsday:

Derrick Rose, who finished the game with 23 points and five assists, took over at the end of regulation to push the Knicks to the win. With his team trailing by six points with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter, Rose hit a three-pointer, found a wide-open Reggie Bullock for the game-tying three and then blocked what would have been a game-winning 17-footer by Eric Bledsoe at the buzzer.

Rose then scored the first bucket in overtime and the Knicks went on to outscore the Pelicans 19-9 in the overtime period.

In the win, Julius Randle had 33 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals, D-Rose had his 23, RJ Barrett scored 18, while Reggie Bullock added 15.

In the loss, Zion Williamson had 34 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, Eric Bledsoe scored 22 with 4 assists, and Brandon Ingram had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Knicks sign John Henson to 10-day contract

The New York Knicks have signed forward/center John Henson to a 10-day contract.

Henson, 6-9, 222-pounds, holds career averages of 7.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.44 blocks over 19.7 minutes in 445 games (160 starts) across eight seasons with Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit. Henson ranked in the Top-15 in the NBA in blocks per game four times throughout his career (2013-15; 2016-18). He appeared in 14 playoff games (two starts) for Milwaukee and averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds over 19.4 minutes.

The Greensboro, NC-native, was originally selected by Milwaukee with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Prior to the NBA, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year spent three seasons at the University of North Carolina helping the Tarheels reach the Elite 8 twice.

The roster now stands at 17 with two two-way players.

Knicks sign center Norvel Pelle to 10-day contract

The New York Knicks on Friday signed center Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract.

Pelle, 6-10, 231-pounds, holds career averages of 2.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.21 blocks over 9.4 minutes in 28 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings. Pelle registered two or more blocks in 12 of his 28 appearances, including a season-high four blocks on Nov. 29, 2019 at New York. He appeared in one playoff game for Philadelphia during the 2019-20 season.

In addition to the NBA, the Antigua and Barbuda-native has also played professionally in Italy, Lebanon, Taiwan and in the NBA G League with the Delaware Blue Coats and Canton Charge. In 86 career NBA G League games (38 starts), Pelle averaged 8.8 points on 63.6-percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 2.27 blocks in 18.3 minutes and earned NBA G League All-Defensive Team honors for the 2018-19 season.

The roster now stands at 16 with two two-way players.

RJ Barrett having an impressive season for Knicks

RJ Barrett is having an impressive season, and has been an essential Knick in 2020-21. Via New York Newsday:

RJ Barrett was one of the finalists for Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week when it went to Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, but he has still not gotten over the award he feels he really was slighted by. Last season Barrett was left off the All-Rookie team — first and second team. After being drafted third overall he was confident that there were not 10 players better than him in his draft class and his play this year has stated his case for him.

“I think you see it,” Barrett said. “I think everybody sees it. Been working my butt off, producing on the court. I don’t know what else to say. I still think it’s crazy. All I can do is just continue to play well. The team’s playing well. That’s all that really matters.”

The Knicks are 24-23 this season, which is the 5th best record in the Eastern conference.

Barrett is averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.

Knicks lose Mitchell Robinson to major foot injury

The Knicks are having a solid season, and must continue without the services of talented center Mitchell Robinson, who is out after undergoing surgery on his recently broken right foot. Via New York Newsday:

The Knicks headed off to Minnesota Tuesday afternoon, still without any additional help as team president Leon Rose and his front office staff searched for assistance to fill the hole left by Mitchell Robinson’s second surgery in a six-week stretch.

But the season doesn’t wait for the search to conclude as the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden Monday and there is no break for the Knicks who have three more games in the next four days. So they must make do with what they have and while that means having Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson at center, the Knicks’ bigger need is for the pieces they have to perform at an optimal level.

And no one is more important to that than the player who has carried them through much of this season — Julius Randle.

While the Knicks have shown that they can survive without Robinson, managing a 9-6 record when he was sidelined with a fractured right hand. But now they are without him likely for the remainder of the regular season at best and to continue their playoff push need Randle to be at his best. But Randle wasn’t Monday, limited as he returned to action after sitting out the previous game with a right thigh contusion.