Knicks expecting some holiday cheer in Christmas tilt
To further Stan Van Gundy’s conspiracy theory, the NBA gave the Knicks a break with their early season schedule, perhaps commissioner Adam Silver wanted to ensure a Merry Kristaps.
If Van Gundy is right, the NBA schedule makers did a fine job in keeping Jeff Hornacek’s young club afloat heading into Christmas Day.
The five-game nationally televised Christmas Day card is Silver’s pride and joy. Silver took a gamble by arranging to have the 76ers face the Knicks at the Garden as the kickoff game at noon Monday.
It has worked out well. The Sixers, an annual participant in the lottery, are done tanking. Though they have slipped drastically since early December, losing 8of-9, they still are in 10th place with a 14-17 record. Their young core actually has stayed healthy as rookie point guard Ben Simmons makes his Manhattan debut in his first meeting with the Knicks.
Meanwhile, the Kristaps Porzingis-led Knicks have survived Tim Hardaway Jr.’s stress injury to post a surprisingly stout 17-15 clip. Monday’s Garden match marks their 21st home game, compared to 12 road games.
The best part is Porzingis said he is 100 percent healthy for Christmas, his sore left knee passing the test in Friday’s heartbreaking last-second loss in Detroit, during which he struck for 29 points.
“They’re even younger than us,” Porzingis told The Post. “[Joel] Embiid and Simmons and [Dario] Saric, they have a pretty good young core. They’re only getting better every game, every year. They’re still inexperienced like us, but they’re getting better and playing in a way people want to watch.”
Porzingis now is the leading man, averaging 26 points, and his entire family has flown in from Latvia to watch the game.
Porzingis said the holiday is celebrated the exact same way in his native country — lots of food and presents but no basketball.
“Of course, it’s always fun to play on Christmas Day,” Porzingis said. “It’s always a big game. I remember last year we were playing against Boston, it was really fun. We lost the game, but it was a good experience. My whole family is here again. They’re a young team that’s fun to watch, and I think we’re the same way, so it’s going to be entertaining.”
Knicks starting center Enes Kanter, who played for the powerful Thunder, is no stranger to playing on the NBA’s marquee day.
“It’s a Christmas game, and everybody’s excited to watch it, but I think just you cannot let outside things distract us,” Kanter said. “We just need to go out there and play our game and just don’t listen to this and that, whatever. We are really blessed to play on that day.”