Exactly two months ago, Derek Fisher made his return to Oklahoma City: the last place he called home as a player in the NBA.
On Nov. 28, Coach Fish’s New York Knicks, decimated by injuries, were dominated 105-78 by the OKC Thunder. Fast-forward two months, and Derek has his Knicks looking different and playing better from top to bottom, and it showed in a 100-92 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Only one player—guard Jose Calderon—started in both games for Fish’s club. A reporter asked Derek about his team’s ‘night and day’ transformation, and the coach gave a straight answer: this team is different these days.
“We’re a different group,” he said. “It’s not like our record is night and day from that, we haven’t won a lot of games since that point, but this is a different team. Watching that film and preparing for this game, you could see it on the film.”
STAR WATCH
With Kevin Durant sidelined with a toe injury, Russell Westbrook had to shoulder the load for OKC and did not disappoint. Westbrook totaled 40 points on the night, combined with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Westbrook was hot on the night, but a strong 31-point, 10 rebound performance from Carmelo Anthony helped the blossoming, new-look Knicks cast stay ahead of the Thunder throughout much of the contest.
Melo’s journey this season alongside D-Fish has been under the public microscope this season. According to Derek, he has seen a lot of growth this season from the star Knickerbocker, and said last night’s performance was a sign of that.
“I think Carmelo is continuing to find out more and more about not just statistically leading his team, but emotionally (and) psychologically,” D-Fish said with a smile on his face. “Guys are following him, and he’s setting a tone out there, and he’s playing defense, he’s doing a lot of things that are forcing guys to get to his level, and I’m proud of him, and proud of where he is right now despite being limited.”
JOLTING THE THUNDER 
The two squads went through something of a feeling-out process in the first two quarters. The lead changed hands seven times, the two teams were tied three times and neither club led by more than eight points.
Anthony was feeling it early, tallying 12 points. As was rookie guard Langston Galloway, who went 5-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three to match Melo’s 12. On the other side, the Thunder stars who were present, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, combined for 24 points to match Galloway and Anthony and take a slight 45-43 lead into the locker room.
Westbrook got hot right out of the break, notching consecutive conventional three-point plays, followed by a triple from beyond the arc. However, Melo, Galloway and the Knicks were there to match his every move.
The OKC point guard drove for a tough bucket to give OKC a two-possession lead, but rather than allow Westbrook to run away with the game, Derek’s offense responded with a bucket of their own.
Lance Thomas joined the conversation, knocking down back-to-back buckets to keep it close. Moments later, Anthony posted up Reggie Jackson and nailed a turnaround J to tie the game up at 61.
The Thunder and Knicks took turns trading the lead up until the fourth quarter when former Thunder forward Lance Thomas sunk a deep two to give New York a three-point lead. From then on out, the Knicks fought fervently to keep the Thunder at arm’s length.
New York continued to build on its lead, but the hot-handed Westbrook cut well into that after tallying seven unanswered points to shrink New York’s lead to 82-80. The Knicks have been all too familiar with squandering late leads, and failing to capitalize on opportune moments, but that is old news with this reloaded team.
With that in mind, Fish called a timeout to stymie the Thunder momentum, and he had this message for his team:
“Just to embrace this moment,” Derek said. “Enjoy this competition. You’re up two points in the fourth quarter on your home court, regardless of what just happened prior to that. Just go back out there, play the game, relax, trust yourself, and everything will work out. And that’s what they did. Not because I said it, but because they have the ability to do it.”
And after that message, Derek’s ultra-competitive rookie point guard answered the call. Galloway has emerged as a mainstay in the lineup since signing a 10-day contract earlier in December. Galloway, who scored 18 points on the night, has been good for at least one ridiculous highlight reel play per game, and did not disappoint when Derek’s Knicks were holding on for dear life.
Up 82-80, Galloway received an inbound pass from Melo, and made his way toward the center of the arc. After being cut off by a defender, he crossed over and headed back the way he came. A second defender cut off his second option, and gave Galloway nowhere to go, or pass the ball. In typical Galloway fashion, Galloway took a step back and fired a moonshot while falling to his right, and banked in an unbelievable two off the top of the glass, giving the Knicks another 4-point lead.
“He’s not fearful of any moment,” D-Fish said of Galloway. “When he’s out there on the floor, he trusts himself. He plays with a confident toughness that has been really good for our group.”
With the Garden in full frenzy mode, Galloway’s big bucket started a 10-0 New York run, which all-but sealed the deal for Fish’s crew.
After the game, Derek reflected on a moment he had with his team after almost losing grip of a 9-point fourth quarter lead.
“(I told them) to embrace this moment, and enjoy this competition,” he said. “You’re up two points in the fourth quarter on your own court, regardless of what has happened prior to that. Just go back out there, play the game, relax, enjoy yourself and everything will work out. And that’s what they did, not because I said it, but because they have the ability to do it.”
NEXT UP
The Knicks (9-37) will have a quick turnaround as they hit the road to take on the Indiana Pacers (16-31) Thursday night, looking to post their fifth win in six games.
This will be the first of four meetings between the longtime rivals.
Indy has been sporadic without star wing Paul George this season. Of late, the Pacers have been on a downturn, dropping eight of their last nine—most recently a 104-91 Tuesday night defeat to the Toronto Raptors.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. MSG will have the broadcast.