Putting Frank Ntilikina on Trae Young backfires on Knicks

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau made good on his promise. He would use Frank Ntilikina in spot instances to guard Trae Young.

He put the Frenchman into the contest with 23 seconds left in the first half to hound Young on the last possession. It worked as the Hawks committed a turnover.

Thibodeau went back to the well with nine seconds left in the game and the score tied. It didn’t work. Young put the moves on Ntilikina — four crossovers — before he got by him and lifted the game-winning floater for the Hawks’ 107-105 victory in front of a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd of 15,047 on Sunday night.

The move backfired, though it’s not like Elfrid Payton or Derrick Rose could keep up with Young on this night.

“Obviously you’re putting Frank in for his defense,’’ Thibodeau said. “But [Young] made a good play, we’ll take a look at the film and go from there.’’

Ntilikina was not made available for comment.

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Frank Ntilikina defends Trae Young during the Knicks loss to the Hawks on Sunday.
Getty Images

Payton, his slide continuing, played just eight minutes as the starting point guard. He got yanked after four minutes in the opening quarter when his missed jumper led to a fast-break alley-oop from Young to John Collins.

Whether Thibodeau continues to stay with Payton as the starter now that the Knicks are down 0-1 remains to be seen.


The new NBA playoff directive has coaches able to remove their masks after the national anthem for the majority of the game.

It’s a boon for Thibodeau, who’s known to bark all game, though during this pandemic season it hasn’t been as fruitful.

Thibodeau often could be seen slipping down his mask to harangue a referee. With the crowd capacities skyrocketing along with the noise, it made it more imperative for the mask to go.

“Everyone did the best they could,’’ Thibodeau said before Sunday’s Game 1 loss against the Hawks at the Garden. “I know it’s been a topic of conversation with the coaches all the time. It’s hard to communicate. It’s finally worked out the way we hoped it would.’’


The Garden hosted 15,047 mostly vaccinated fans — up from 1,980 for the regular-season finale one week ago.

“It’s encouraging that a lot of people have gotten vaccinated,’’ Thibodeau said. “We’re getting more fans back in the building. So I think communication becomes even more vital. As you have more fans, it’s hard to communicate. [The relaxed mask rule] is a big plus for everyone.”

Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said most coaches didn’t always follow the protocols anyway.

“Coaches after the national anthem, we can take off our masks,’’ McMillan said. “It’s gonna be great. Most of us have been cheating anyway.’’

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Tom Thibodeau talks to a referee during the Knicks loss to the Hawks on Sunday.
AP

Thibodeau said the Knicks hadn’t yet reached the 85 percent vaccinated threshold that would allow the organization to eliminate a few protocols.

“I think we’re close,’’ Thibodeau said. “I don’t think we’re quite there. And that’s an individual decision. We’re encouraged by what we do have and hopefully as time goes on we can get completely back to normal. So that’s what we’re shooting for.”


Commissioner Adam Silver pulled no punches on McMillan’s $25,000 fine for implying the Hawks face an obstacle because the NBA wants the Knicks in the playoffs.

“Nate’s a veteran coach, and he knows better,” Silver said on ESPN Radio. “He’s trying to inspire his team to try and suggest the league would somehow prefer some teams over others, and it’s just not the case. He knows it, and he’s just got a young team and wants to get them going.”

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