Getty Quentin Grimes #6 of the New York Knicks reacts.
Quentin Grimes, who regained his starting spot in the New York Knicks‘ 109-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, disowned the series of “Free QG” tweets posted by his business manager Matt Evans that went viral.
“He doesn’t speak for me,” Grimes told reporters, referring to Evans, who had since made his Twitter page [@mattkeepgoing] private and taken down the “Quentin Grimes’ business manager” in his bio. “He just adds things; he wants to win as much as I do. He just tweeted something that he probably regrets. He doesn’t speak for me at all, for sure.”
Grimes also denied that Evans is his business manager.
“Nah, he’s just my brother. He just had that [business manager] in his bio just in case somebody tries to contact me,” Grimes told reporters.
Grimes and Evans are not related by blood, but their bond is deep as described in April’s Uproxx feature story on the second-year Knicks guard. In that feature story, Evans was referred to as “his manager and longtime close friend.”
As Grimes prepared to sign with an agency ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft, his utmost priority was ensuring Evans came with him. Roommates since April 2021, the two are connected by a bond Evans, 32, says blood could not deepen; both punctuate sentences with a similarly subconscious confirmation of “you know what I mean?”
Evans’ first interaction with Grimes occurred when Grimes was 14 and a sophomore in high school playing against Evans’s alma mater, Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. That night, their only direct conversation was Evans asking Grimes how old he was and marveling at the ease and grace with which he dunked the ball as a 14-year-old.
Months later, by happenstance, Evans landed a gig helping out with Grimes’ AAU team and their connection swiftly blossomed. While teammates indulged in typical teenage diets after a day of games, Grimes hung back at the hotel and waited for Evans to take him somewhere healthier.
Tom Thibodeau Explains Decision to Start Quentin Grimes over Josh Hart
Grimes scored nine points, all from beyond the arc on 3-of-7 shooting, in a playoff career-high 42 minutes in Game 4.
His outside shooting factored in Tom Thibodeau‘s decision to re-insert Grimes in the starting lineup that coincided with his 23rd birthday.
“Just a different look and to get back to get on — we want to open up the floor a little bit more,” Thibodeau explained to reporters the rationale behind the decision. “See if that would give us a spark. I liked the lift that he gave us. Then, of course, we fell short in the end.”
The loss spoiled Grimes’ birthday. He added five rebounds, two assists and two steals in a losing effort.
Josh Hart, who started in the Knicks’ previous five games since Grimes went down with a shoulder injury in Game 3 of the Cleveland series, returned to his bench role. Hart was ineffective, producing only four points and two rebounds against two turnovers in 22 minutes off the bench.
Knicks’ Backs Are Against the Wall
The Knicks head home to New York starting at a 1-3 deficit that only 13 teams in 277 playoff series have recovered from. The Knicks are 0-14 when down 1-3 in the playoffs, and Thibodeau is 0-6 after trailing 1-2 in the playoffs.
On the flip side, the Heat are 14-0 when leading 3-1 in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Info.