There was nothing too revelatory about his debut. Birch played 18 minutes, had some strong contests in the paint on defence, scored his first bucket as a Raptor courtesy of an assist by Lowry. He worked hard and finished with four points and five rebounds but had minimal overall impact.
It didn’t help that his Raptors introduction came late in the first quarter when everyone needed introducing, it seemed. On the floor at once were Birch, 10-day signee Freddie Gillespie, Rodney Hood -- added at the trade deadline and just back in the line-up after missing four games with a hip strain -- as well as rookie Malachi Flynn and designated veteran DeAndre' Bembry.
Meanwhile the Knicks showed why they are closing in on their first playoff berth in eight seasons now that Tom Thibodeau is driving the bus. They looked organized and active defensively and the ball moved crisply offensively, even if they did shoot just 40 per cent from the floor. “Yeah, he's playing great. I think he just looks a lot more comfortable, to me, out there. I think he's certainly making less mistake type plays,” said Nurse, who surely is hoping to have Barrett on the floor when Canada attempts to qualify for the Olympics in Victoria this summer. “I think he's playing more efficiently. He's finishing better. Obviously, he's shooting it great, and again, with confidence, comfortable, even hitting some late in games.