The Wolves play tonight against the Knicks in New York at Madison Square Garden.
While the Knicks haven’t had success as of late (three playoff appearances since 2004) and sit at 26-46 this season, Madison Square Garden remains one of the premier places to play in the NBA.
“It’s that glow, you see the lights hitting you,” Wolves forward Taj Gibson, born in Brooklyn, said after Friday’s shootaround. “It’s just good vibes. It’s an awesome place to play . . . Just watching these games so many times here when I was young.”
Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the Knicks from 1996-2003, and Gibson remembers those days well.
“Seeing Thibs when he had hair on the bench,” Gibson joked.
It’s be a reunion of sorts in a few different ways. Michael Beasley has become a solid contributor for the Knicks, averaging 12.8 points per game in 21.9 minutes per game. Beasley played for the Wolves from 2010-12.
Wolves point guard Derrick Rose, who played with the Knicks last season, will not play tonight or tomorrow in Philadelphia, per Thibodeau. The coach likes what he’s seen from Rose thus far. In five games, he’s averaged 6.6 points in 11.6 minutes per contest.
“He’s added a lot to our team,” Thibodeau said. “The big thing is, gotta be healthy, but he’s played well.”
One player who has played well of late is Jamal Crawford, who played for the Knicks from 2004-09. Crawford has scored 20 points in each of the last two games, including Tuesday’s win over the Clippers which ended a two-game skid.
“I think when you kind of graduate to being a good team, even one loss feels like too many,” Crawford said. “So for us, to lose a couple, or a few in a row, so we wanted to get our mojo back.”
The Wolves go into Friday night with a 41-31 record, seventh in the West.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO.