Miracle on 34th street (*actually 33rd between 7th and 8th avenues)

The Knicks starters looked like a cohesive unit in a victory over the short-handed Hawks.

The Knicks starting unit was a mess to start the season, which led to Kemba Walker being benched (and, according to many, unfairly scapegoated). 

However, the first five have looked better of late and looked great on Christmas, as New York made their first seven shots and sprinted out to a 19-3 lead. The Knicks would end up cruising to a 101-87 victory. Granted, the Hawks were missing several key rotation players, including star PG and MSG villain Trae Young, who was in health and safety protocols. Still, you won't get any sympathy from the Knicks, who have played extremely short-handed themselves over the past two weeks due to a Derrick Rose ankle injury and a Covid outbreak of their own. 

(photo vis Charles Wenzelberg of the New York Post)

The story of Saturday's win was, once again, Kemba Walker. As recently as eight days ago, Walker was exiled to the end of the Knicks bench, relegated to spectator status for ten consecutive contests. However, because of the team's roster being depleted by injuries and illness, coach Tom Thibodeau literally had no other choice but to re-insert Walker into the rotation.

Fast-forward to Saturday afternoon: With just less than two minutes remaining in the Knicks win over Atlanta, Walker checked out of the game and, on his way back to the bench, was serenaded with a standing ovation and boisterous "Kem-ba Walker" chants from the sold-out crowd. 

On a prior possession, Walker, who had already tallied ten points and 12 assists, grabbed his 10th rebound of the game, securing a triple-double. Kemba became just the seventh player in NBA history to record a trip-dub on Christmas and the first player to do so while wearing a Knick uniform.

The win and the reaction from the crowd clearly meant a great deal to the Bronx-born Walker. "I'm back home," Walker said after the game. "I'm from here, born and raised. They showed me a lot of love tonight — today." Asked about hearing fans chant his name inside MSG, Kemba replied, "It was amazing. Those are moments you dream about. It's kind of hard to put it into words, to be honest… It's special to be at home with New York on my chest." 

Walker's production in the four games since being resurrected from the end of the bench has been incredible. He is averaging a whopping 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists (vs. just 1.0 turnover), and 4.3 made three-pointers while shooting 39.5% from downtown and 91.3% from the charity stripe. 

To put those numbers in historical context: Walker is the first Knick ever to tally more than 100 points, 25 rebounds, 25 assists and 15 three-pointers while committing fewer than five turnovers during a four-game span. Incredibly, the only other player in NBA history to match those numbers over a four-game stretch is Kobe Bryant, who did so in April of 2008. 

As I discussed earlier this week, Kemba deserves nearly as much adulation for how he handled his benching as his performance since his return to action. Walker's professionalism made it infinitely easier for Thibs to toss Kemba back into the pressure-cooker.

Unsurprisingly, the ever-humbler Kemba said all the right things Saturday afternoon when asked about his benching. "It doesn't matter anymore. I take it as a blessing in disguise — God works in mysterious ways, man," Walker explained. "He helped me stay humble, grounded and got me through a tough situation. Guys went down and I'm back — the first game [in Boston] versus my old team in the starting lineup. The rest is history."

The Knicks needed something special to turn their season around. Could Kemba's resurgence be the pivot point? 

Still, in order for the Knicks to maintain this positive momentum, they will need improved play from their highest-paid player, Julius Randle.