Prediction? Pain. Cam Payne.
But really, no one could have predicted this. Not even Clubber Long.
Payne was expected to be a large part of the Knicks playoff rotation, if it is part of it.
But coach Tom Thibodeau surprisingly presented a rotation of nine men, and there Payne was, to injure the necessary life in the Knicks when they reached their low point of game 1 against the Pistons.
More than injecting life, he momentarily led his offensive and caused an epic 21-0 race in the quarter quarter that took the Knicks to a 123-111 victory on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
He scored 11 points in the last quarter and finished 14 in 15 minutes from the bank.
It was also a game plus 23 of the game.
Beyond his score, he forced the piston to a five -second rape at the beginning of the last quarter, which helped start the return.
“What happens with him knows exactly who he is,” said Thibodeau about Payne. “It comes with great energy in each game, it gets along every day. It is great a great spark, that is the leg that is hey.”
That energy was infected with the rest of his teammates, a Payne feature has possessed during his 10 years of career.
After the game, Payne received a big hug from actor Ben Stiller.
He recovered a standing ovation when he was transferred with 1:58 stir in the game and was animatedly pumping the crowd.
“My mother was sitting, not just behind the bank, but a little up there. And I was just looking at them as:” We are going to appear, we appear, “Payne said about his celebrations:” I don’t know, sometimes when we are running and I am playing very well, sometimes I get. My mind is blank. I’m still trying to exaggerate. I don’t know, I just like to have fun around.
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“I was doing the same thing she was doing. She said:” Yes, it appears, it appears. “I am like her, that is where I get my energy.”
The Knicks have a lot of experience in playoffs, but no one in the rotation has more than Payne, which played in their 59th postseason game.
Only Pj Tucker has more on the list, and did not play on Saturday.
Energy is generally associated with youth. But Payne believes that it is that veteran mentality that takes it out.
“YO [am one of] The oldest boys of the team, so having someone in the game, is a different type of experience, special for rookies, “said Payne.” We are in the NBA, sometimes people have chill [mindset]Just relaxing. I am happy to be in the league, I enjoy it, so I try to have fun every night.
“I could be doing something else, but I’m playing in the garden. I have to have fun. I just do my best to bring my energy and it’s contagious. Everyone feeds. That’s a good feeling.”