ZING DYNASTY!
Porzingis backs up talk as Knicks rule Nets and city
Day after ripping rivals from Brooklyn, Kristaps Porzingis scores 19 points with 10 rebounds as Knicks crush Nets, 108-91, at Garden.
It gives you energy. It’s like the sixth player on the court. I’ll always love playing at home. Just the crowd. The crowd is amazing.
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS
Shane Larkin looked up and threw a pass to nobody. Literally nobody. Somebody used to be there but he left long enough to be seven feet away, and empty space resided in the area where Larkin directed a ball that bounced over the sideline.
Here’s a reminder: Shane Larkin played the most minutes of any Knick last season. Phil Jackson cut ties with the point guard because, in part, his hands are too small. Now Larkin’s on the Nets, along with Andrea Bargnani, and, well, the Nets aren’t very good.
Larkin’s embarrassing turnover in the second quarter was the middle of a 21-7 Knicks run, ending Friday with a 108-91 New York victory that was quickly followed by the league yanking the Nets from the NBATV schedule in February. So naturally there were contrasting postgame vibes.
“That was a nightmare,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “I guess we can stop talking about rivalries. We didn’t come ready to compete and they jumped on us and knocked out.”
Minutes later, Derek Fisher said in the press conference room, “I can’t hate on what the guys are doing right now.”
The pregame storylines about rivalries, the Lopez brothers and Kristaps Porzingis needling Nets fans evaporated about five minutes into the first quarter, when the whitewash commenced and, by the end, reiterated the following: Porzingis is very good (19 points and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double). Carmelo Anthony can score (28 points in 31 minutes). The Knicks are better than last season (.500 now through 20 games). Bargnani is still injured (DNP-hamstring). The Nets (5-14) are headed to the lottery without their own draft pick. They trailed by 20 points in the first quarter, then 31 in the third quarter. A straight beatdown that peaked in crowd noise whenever Porzingis spotted up beyond the arc.
“I do recognize that, definitely. The crowd is always behind me. I can definitely feel that support,” he said. “It gives you energy.”
Porzingis teased Brooklyn fans a day earlier, attempting to fuel a non-existent rivalry by relaying his tradition of telling people on the New York streets to exchange their Nets hats for the Knicks’ version. It’s not a tough sell these days, not with the reigning Rookie of the Month in a Knick uniform and the Nets in a directionless haze.
It’s pretty amazing for a 20-year-old who was an average rebounder at best in the Spanish League: here, in the NBA, Porzingis is the first Knick since Willis Reed to collect 10 double-doubles in his first 20 games.
“The rebounding (has most surprised fans),” Porzingis said. “They thought a white European who is skinny and afraid. That’s not who I am. I always try to stay aggressive.”
These are now repeated answers for Porzingis. He has talked about his emergence in great detail, because each time there is a new dunk or benchmark to amaze the uninitiated. On Thursday Porzingis was awarded Rookie of the Month and didn’t even know such an award existed. “I know about Rookie of the Year,” he said.
Maybe that’s in Porzingis’ future. It’s not so farfetched, even with Karl-Anthony Towns as the top competition. But it’s a lot easier to own New York.
To juxtapose Friday’s key words from the respective coaches: Nets — “Nightmare.” Knicks — “Can’t hate.”