Marshall Plumlee Sprints to Madison Square Garden to make NBA Debut with New York Knicks
With the New York Knicks scratching a sick Joakim Noah right before Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, the team needed some help in the paint. So, at about 10 a.m., the Knicks called up Marshall Plumlee from the D-League.
With the game scheduled to tip off at noon, Plumlee jumped into action, sprinting through the streets of New York City, taking a ride on the train, and hailing a cab that cost him a little extra because he made the guy run a red light.
“The way it worked out from my GPS, it said the train was faster,” said Plumlee, who was asleep when he got the original call, resting for his D-League game that night. “I caught the express; I live right next to the train station. Then I caught a cab. I was booking it. Sprinting through the city, I got here, they said, ‘Hey, do you need a warmup?’ I said, ‘No, I’m already warm. I ran here.’”
Marshall got the Garden midway through the first quarter of the game with the Hawks, and the team had him in shortly into the second quarter. Willy Hernangomez clocked most of the playing time at center with 29 minutes; however, Plumlee managed to pick up one rebound in his five-minute NBA debut.
The Knicks picked up the win over the red-hot Hawks 104-94 to improve to 6-7. The team also had a talk with president Phil Jackson before the game that Carmelo Anthony attributes the the team’s new-look in the win.
Though his performance may have been overlooked, the story of his first game in the National Basketball Association will certainly be a memorable one.
“I was in the gym with my brother and the shooting coach until about midnight [on Saturday], then went to bed thinking I’d be playing at 5 this afternoon,” said Marshall. “Then I’m playing at 12 o’clock. Not only that, but it’s an hour away in the city.”
Plumlee may not remain on the Knicks roster for long as Noah gets healthy, but he sure won some points for determination.