The Fiz era began with a win, and it was a resounding one at that. The Garden Opener against the Atlanta Hawks provided the NYK with a record-breaking quarter, some exciting debuts and a fan favorite catching fire from the get-go. So, with no further ado here are my Five Takeaways on the night.

Hardaway, Jr Caught Fire Early and Was Not Extinguished

One of the better moves the Knicks have made trade wise over the last few seasons was having the sense to bring Tim Hardaway Jr. back into the fold. And tonight was one of those nights when he demonstrated exactly why that is. With a team-high 31 on the night not only did Hardaway start scoring early but he kept it up, all while helping to keep the younger members of the team in line.

First Game, First Franchise Record Broken

The second quarter run that the Knicks went on that resulted in 49 points scored. That in itself is impressive, but so is the fact that over the course of the game in its entirety seven Knicks went into double figures and of the 13 players on the active roster 11 saw game time and ten saw more than 15 minutes.

The even play and the emphasis on teamwork that Fizdale is so passionate about worked tonight for sure, and there is certainly potential for it to work all season.

Frank Ntilikina Got The Start He Deserved

Frank Ntilikina has earned his spot in the starting five, and David Fizdale gave him his shot tonight, choosing to leave Kevin Knox to come off the bench. According to Fiz, he chose to give the Frenchman the start on the merit of his play and contribution to the 'new team' culture, but also to 'spark' Kevin Knox.

Knox Got The Message

Kevin Knox made it quite clear that he understood what Fizdale was doing when he chose to start Ntilikina over him and the good news is that he seemed to get the message. Speaking in the pregame show the rookie said "Oh yeah, it's going to be great. He said the lineup is going to be great, a great opportunity for me to go in there and do as much as I can for that lineup. He wants me to be more aggressive, be more vocal on that court. Defensively. being more active with that second lineup. There's a lot that's really good with this. Coming off the bench is going to help me, light that fire."

A Season Without KP May Not Be a Disaster

I say a season without Porzingus, but the fact is, no-one knows for sure, There's no timetable for his return - he is rehabbing hard according to his brother/agent - but as Steve Perry discussed with Michael Kay in the pregame, the Knicks have not come to an agreement with Kristaps Porzingis on a rookie extension, so he will be a restricted free agent next summer. Waiting to offer Porzingis an extension until the summer of 2019 gives NYK an additional $10 million in cap space for the coming offseason.

Is that a big risk? Maybe. Perry simply stated that he could not predict the future. So the KP situation is one that will be watched for sure, but there is enough young talent on this team that his absence is not the huge disaster some had predicted.

Bonus: He may have been a big star in college, and this may be a young team, but it was good to see that Trae Young was not exempt from a little rookie hazing fun. His pink kiddie backpack was very fetching!