Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau defends play of embattled Elfrid Payton

Even as the noise and distractions grow louder at this time of the season, Tom Thibodeau is oblivious to it, tuning out, in particular, the criticism of his starting point guard, Elfrid Payton.

While Payton has struggled badly the last month and might have been the weakest link in the starting lineup before that, Thibodeau has been resolute in backing the embattled guard. It’s not the first time, but a pattern Thibodeau has followed throughout his career, giving the same sort of commitment to his players that he demands from them.

"Look, I’ve said this all along," Thibodeau said. "The depth of our team is one of our strengths. There’s things that Elfrid provides for us that are a big asset to our team. His size, his defense, those are important factors. And then you look at it in totality. How does the team function? As is the case with most young players, there’s going to be ups and downs. You don’t have to shoot well to play well. Just go out there and give us what you can."

While Payton has remained the starter, his minutes have been dropping steadily and when he leaves the game midway through the first and third quarter he rarely gets back on the floor with Derrick Rose getting the bulk of the minutes and Alec Burks also getting much more time than Payton. But the numbers don’t bear out for Payton against the Hawks with Trae Young. The Hawks have scored 92 points in the 14 minutes and 8 seconds that Payton has defended Young .

There is some grain of salt in the numbers. While Young has 22 points and 10 assists in that span, consider also that John Collins has 30 points in 15 minutes and 7 seconds with Julius Randle on him. But you can be sure that Thibodeau knows the numbers and when asked if he would consider using Frank Ntilikina as a defensive stopper against Young, he didn’t say no.

"A lot," he said. "And Frank has sort of been in that role as a defensive stopper. He adds great value to our team."

Welcome to the Garden

The Knicks announced that tickets for Game 1 on Sunday are available for public sale with approximately 13,000 fans expected to be allowed in. The Garden will operate with new rules regarding COVID-19, still requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Even if attending in the fully-vaccinated section, masks must be worn until the fan is in that seat.

Fans can purchase up to four tickets to the game through nyknicks.com

"When it comes to our fans -- you couldn’t ask for better energy, both inside The Garden and around the city -- and we can’t thank them enough for their support this season," team president Leon Rose said in a statement. "We’re incredibly excited to bring playoff basketball back to Madison Square Garden and to have the best fans in the league give us a true home-court advantage."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.