Despite promise, PG trio still not better than star like Irving
THERE was a moment in the fourth quarter Saturday night at the Garden where it looked like the Knicks has found their backcourt of the future. Frank Ntilikina intercepted a lazy, cross-court pass and quickly fed the ball to Trey Burke.
The speedy guard with the tight cornrows raced up-court, slashed past Celtics defender Terry Rozier and converted a layup that cut what had been a 10-point Boston lead to 94-92 with 8:38 remaining in the game. Celtics coach Brad Stevens called timeout and Burke subtly asked a Garden crowd that was already roaring its approval for more applause.
The Knicks are hoping for more moments like that as the search for stability in their backcourt continues. For now it’s a work in progress, highlighted by three-man rotation that features Ntilikina, Burke and Emmanuel Mudiay. Though Mudiay made his second straight start, all three were productive at times. But it took Kyrie Irving to offer a reminder than one great point guard is better than three average ones.
Irving was brilliant, totaling 31 points, eights assists and nine rebounds in the Celtics’ 121-112 victory over the Knicks on Saturday night at the Garden. But it was the way he orchestrated the Boston offense that helped the visitors pull away late. A lob pass from Irving to Jaylen Brown for a dunk, gave the Celtics breathing room at 108-98 and with 1:52 left the duo would hook up again, this time Irving using a behind the back pass to feed Brown, who was racing through the lane for a tomahawk dunk. It put Boston up 115-106 and took the fight out of the Knicks. Irving also shot 11-of-22 from the field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range.
“When you have a point guard who can shoot 3s, drive the ball, and kick it out to other guys, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek of what the effect Irving can have on a game.
Irving is the kind of the guard the Knicks can only dream of acquiring one day — he is a free-agent in the summer of 2019 — to stabilize a position that has been in constant transition since the Charley Ward days. Ten-time All-Star Jason Kidd owned the ball during the 2012-13 season, his only run with the Knicks and the last time they made the playoffs. Otherwise, it has been carrou- sel of either mediocre veterans like Howard Eisley (2001-04), Stephon Marbury (2004-08), Chris Duhon (2008-10), Toney Douglas (2009-12), Raymond Felton (2010-11, 2012-15), Jeremy Lin (2011-12), Pablo Prigioni (2012-15), Jose Calderon (2014-16) and Derrick Rose (2016-17), just to name a few.
We could be adding Mudiay, Ntilikina and Burke to the list one day if the Knicks don’t get the kind of production and leadership they need at the position to compete for a championship — the kind of production and leadership that Irving provided for the Celtics on Saturday.
Sure there are few talents like Irving, whose ability to penetrate, shoot and take over a game himself is unique. But a point guard is much like a quarterback in football. If you have to play three, you really don’t have a point guard.
The Celtics got theirs when Irving made a request in July 2017 for the Cavaliers to trade him where he could escape the long shadow of LeBron James. On Aug. 22, the Cavaliers sent him to the Celtics in a deal that included Isaiah Thomas Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick.
Meanwhile, the Knicks keep searching for gold. They acquired Mudiay from the Nuggets in a three-way trade on Feb. 8 in a low-risk, high-reward move. He had 13 points Saturday night, but it was Burke, who impressed the most. He scored 26 points for the second straight game, on 10-of-19 shooting. He also had eight assists. Ntilikina had eight points.
The point guards have become the focus of the team now that Kristaps Porzingis is lost for the remainder for the season with a knee injury. There’s really little else to get excited about. The problem is this process may not lead to answer at point guard.