Knicks Fan Favorite Gets First Start With Team

The New York Knicks' battle for NYC featured a little PJ.

For their mostly meaningless regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks placed fan favorite veteran PJ Tucker into the starting five with four of the five primary men resting.

He was joined by Precious Achiuwa, Miles McBride, Cameron Payne, and regular man Mikal Bridges, who took an immediate foul to extend his consecutive games played streak to 556. Landry Shamet subsequently took his place.

Tucker, who turns 40 next month, has gained a bit of a cult following among Knicks fans for his presence on the bench and animated reactions. Having spent last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, Tucker joined the Knicks on a couple of 10-day deals and played two minutes over his first two months in New York. Tucker finally got some time in the spotlight on Thursday in Detroit, which saw him earn six rebounds and three points in 27 minutes.

The lasting veteran will no doubt be pleased by his starting five entry: he was stuck at 666 starts in an NBA career that began with the Toronto Raptors in 2006. He was informed of his tally in an interview with James Edwards III of The Athletic, and was playfully alarmed that he was attached to the "number of the beast" in Christian mythology.

"I did not want to know that one," Tucker said. "I’m about to go talk to [head coach Tom Thibodeau]. No way, bro. That gave me chills. That’s scary. I don’t like that. That’s crazy. I’m not ending it like that. I promise you."