Gibson knows score with game on line
Nets make statement with 5-0 trip
Tom Thibodeau’s revenge victory wasn’t pretty, but it was preserved on a play that should be dear to his heart: with Taj Gibson, a Thibodeau guy, making a defensive stop.
While Karl-Anthony Towns was carrying the Timberwolves back from a 21-point deficit, Gibson became an emergency substitute with less than two minutes remaining because Nerlens Noel fouled out. That quickly developed into a pivotal possession in the final seconds, with Gibson guarding Towns in the post and the Knicks leading by a point.
“I knew it was coming to him,” said Gibson, who was Towns’ teammate for two seasons in Minnesota. “I’ve been around him a good amount of time to know that he wants to get into the middle of the lane and try to shoot a running hook or a floater hook.
“It was a fight.”
Gibson kept Towns on the baseline and far enough from the basket to make it a tough shot with 23 seconds left. The attempt bounced off the rim and the Knicks averted a terrible collapse, beating the T-Wolves, 10399, and giving Thibodeau the satisfaction of beating the team that fired him two years ago.
“That’s the great value in Taj — the ultimate teammate,”
Thibodeau said. “He’s always been a terrific defender. He always stays ready. And he does whatever you ask him to do.”
Gibson has played for Thibodeau on three different teams, including the Timberwolves. He was also the starting center on last season’s awful Knicks team that was out of the playoff race by December, noting Sunday that Thibodeau’s arrival has infused a winning belief into the players.
That’s not a good reflection on David Fizdale.
“I think coaching staff,” Gibson said when asked what gave this year’s team the confidence to win this type of game. “Our coaching staff has been drilling guys from the beginning of the summer up to this point. The preparation beginning at shootarounds has been outstanding.”
The Knicks (15-16) are hardly worldbeaters and Sunday was an example of their many flaws since they were operating on three days rest and playing the worst team in the NBA. But with the game on the line, they hit all six of their free throws in the final 32 seconds and Gibson stopped Towns.
Thibodeau couldn’t upset.
“Luckily for us, we pulled it out. Won’t have to hear Thibs mouth after the game,” Gibson said. “We come away with a positive.” be too
NETS 112 CLIPPERS 108
LOS ANGELES — While general manager Sean Marks looked on from one side of Section 110 at Staples Center, Nets governor/owner Joe Tsai and family watched from the other. The space in-between the two represented a return on investment Tsai realized as he pumped his fist, one highlight after another in his team’s 112-108 victory over the Clippers on Sunday.
The Nets have arrived, winners of their last six games after sweeping a 12-day, five-game West Coast trip despite seeing players go in and out of their rotation for a variety of reasons. Their winning streak and status atop the league’s totem pole must cement Marks’ campaign for Executive of the Year. No GM has done for their franchise what Marks has done for the Nets.
“I think we showed toughness, we showed mental toughness and belief and connectivity by continuing on this trip, no matter who was available or what the situation was,” said Nets coach Steve Nash. “And some of that toughness and resolve has to be built. It’s not just something you turn on. So I think that’s what’s really positive, is just showing willingness to win in different ways and willingness to lock in and win games that look different on a night-to-night basis, and that’s important.”
The Nets’ best player hasn’t even been active. Kevin Durant made an appearance in warmups, then grabbed the ball and dribbled around the floor during a timeout in the fourth quarter. Durant played only in the first game of the Nets’ West Coast road trip against the Warriors, when he strained his left hamstring and spent weeks recovering.
Those thoughts of what could be were quickly replaced with the realities of what is: James Harden hit a stepback three that sent Tsai’s head to the back of his chair, then his hands together for a thunderous clap. Tsai clapped some more when Kyrie Irving lost the ball, recovered it then hit a contested mid-range shot. The Nets governor got out of his chair and let out a roar when DeAndre Jordan recorded back-to-back blocks to help protect a fourth quarter lead. These are the players Tsai is paying handsomely, with Durant, Harden and Irving due a combined $113 million this season alone and Jordan due another $10 million. Those are the players who helped secure the six-game winning streak.
“I just get a sense that our guys are coming together a little more off the floor,” Nash said. “They’re finding a bit of a bond and a joy playing together and fighting for one another.”
The game did not come without casualties, as bodies kept dropping for the Nets. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot left early with a hip bruise and did not return. Jeff Green also collided with Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, who set a screen that was ruled, and confirmed, as an offensive foul. Green went down hard, stayed on the floor for minutes after the foul, writhing in pain. He then kicked over chairs and knocked over Gatorade containers on his way to the locker room.
The Clippers went on a run with Green out of the rotation, tying the game at 108. Irving missed three straight shots at a go-ahead bucket, then Jordan (Tsai’s diminishing asset) realized value with a game-winning tip-in.
Maybe Tsai’s best investment was in Marks, who has turned a laughingstock franchise into a must-buy in 2021. In fact, it might be too late to buy low on a Nets team already blasting through expectations set at the beginning of the season.
The Nets are on championship schedule, and Marks deserves the credit for taking risks and watching this franchise prosper.
“We’re playing hard now and we’re playing smart,” Harden said. “We’ve had time to practice, we’ve had time to go over things on both ends of the ball. And that’s why we’re playing better. We know each other a little bit better. We know what we’re doing defensively.”