It was as if 11 months of eager zeal had been unleashed in the Garden in one night.
A lively, loud crowd of 2,000 cheered the Knicks, denounced the Warriors, and chased the referees out Tuesday night. But in the end, the season’s first Garden crowd – what a team spokesperson called a sellout – could only do so much and the Warriors’ talent won.
Golden State beat the Knicks in the second half to record a 114-106 victory. Stephen Curry rained in 37 points and Draymond Green was all over the field in a defensive gem.
Green made newly batted All-Star Julius Randle fight from the field while stacking 11 assists, two steals and a block. Randle finished with 25 points on 8 of 21 shooting and was sent off with 17.5 seconds remaining after retrieving his second technical.
Indeed, the Knicks were frustrated afterwards, with coach Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose both disagreeing with the lack of calls the Knicks were going to follow – firing perhaps only 39 percent.
“Sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t,” said Thibodeau. “It seemed like there was a lot of contact on our drives and we got no calls. We have to deal with that, yes. ”
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett had a tough night, shooting 1 of 9 for four points and missing an important free throw with 1:26 remaining.
“We clearly didn’t play well,” said Thibodeau. “They played really well. [Curry’s] shooting causes a lot of their offense and Draymond is great at making decisions so it stretches you out pretty good. ”
The crowd was at their best when Barrett was called up for a foul on a riding Kelly Oubre with 59.8 seconds to go.
Thibodeau lost the challenge, making the jeering Garden allegiance even more angry. Losing the challenge also confused Thibodeau.
“I didn’t think there was a violation,” said Thibodeau. “They felt clearly different. That was kind of my vantage point, if that was a mistake there were several others that were also mistakes that didn’t get called. It cannot be one way and that is what you are looking for. You’re just looking for consistency. “
The night looked like it was all going to be special as Randle grabbed the mic before tipping over for singing “MVP,” thanked the essential workers and roared, “Let’s go Knicks!”
“Right from the jump you could tell they were excited by the way they cheered,” said Rose. “You kind of forget how much energy you get and bounce when there are fans in the building. We hope things keep improving. and more and more fans are coming. You can see the city is excited and waiting to come to some games. “
But then Randle’s night ended on a sour note with his late expulsion for yapping.
“It was difficult,” said Randle. ‘I think it was really inappropriate. But I’ll just leave it at that. But I will not let him dictate how the night goes. I am more upset about how we lost the game. I feel like I could have done better. ”
During player introductions, the Warriors were booed loudly, just like when one of their players went to the foul line.
“There were fans harassing, which was great,” said Curry. ‘There is no better feeling – I don’t care if it’s 19,000 or 2,000. You like to silence a crowd on the road. “
After Green had two deep shots, the fans in the blue seats began to sing a song of ‘Draaay-mooond’. It all felt refreshing after almost two months in a sterile garden environment with computer generated noise.
The avid fans, who missed the first 14 games, were scattered throughout the arena, many in new Immanuel Quickley or Randle jerseys. Unfortunately for them, Quickley had endured a quiet night (1 for 5, three points).
In court sat 20 socially aloof fans, including former Giant star Justin Tuck.
Team chairman Leon Rose and his lieutenants were stationed at court for the publicless games, but were placed behind the baseline on Tuesday.
The frustration of the second half – and the referees – also spread to Rose and senior VP William Wesley. The Warriors started the second half at a run of 22-6.
After Elfrid Payton was called up for a questionable offense after stripping Curry off, Rose stamped his feet and angrily raged Wesley from his chair, pacing in disgust.
Indeed, The Knicks’ two top executives got caught up in the newly charged atmosphere. Meanwhile, Knicks owner James Dolan was absent in his new 100-story chair – likely hidden in a suite.