National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: It Was Only The First Game Of The Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks lost the season opener by a score of 117-88. It was a disappointing result, but it was also the first game of the 2016-17 season.

The New York Knicks have opened the 2016-17 NBA regular season in less than encouraging fashion. For all of the hype and commotion, New York no-showed the second half of the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Disheartening as the 117-88 loss to the Cavaliers may have been, there’s one important factor to take into account: it was the first game of the season.

The timing of the performance doesn’t excuse the manner in which the Knicks performed on October 25. It’s simply making note of a very important reason to avoid panicking.

New York didn’t suffer a blowout loss in December, January, February, March, or April; it fell by 29 points in the first game of the new era.

There are obvious reasons to be discouraged by the 29-point blowout. New York lost by 29 points, shot 36.8 percent from the field, and committed 17 assists to 18 turnovers.

Starting center Joakim Noah summed up the game in as accurate a manner as possible.

There’s no way around that.

The Knicks entered halftime with a 48-45 deficit. New York was outscored 69-43 in the second half, however, including a 34-19 margin in the third quarter.

The context is what matters most in this situation, however, and it must be provided.

New York went on a 21-12 run to end the first half and cut the deficit from 12 points to nine. It was an outstanding turnaround considering the fact that the Knicks were in danger of letting the game get away from them.

It eventually became a blowout, but in the first game of the season, it’s more about the process than the results.

Thank God, indeed.

Starting point guard Derrick Rose missed five preseason games and Noah missed three, including the one that Rose was active for. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis missed a game apiece, as well.

In turn, the season opener—a road game against the defending NBA champions—was more of a learning experience than a result to grow attached to.

Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson are entering their third season together. That core has already helped the Cavaliers make back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and win the 2016 NBA championship.

Rose, Courtney Lee, Anthony, Porzingis, and Noah have now played a grand total of one regular season game together.

The Knicks clearly have issues to sort out, but this is far from the end of the line. New York has an abundance of talent on its roster, as well as a head coach who has over 100 victories through three incomplete seasons.

The result could’ve been more ideal, but it’s nothing to harp on.

It was only the first game of the 2016-17 NBA regular season.