Joakim Noah had played 13 games in Madison Square Garden before Saturday night's home opener, but none in a New York Knicks uniform.
The New York native, who spent the first nine years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, found himself overcome with emotion playing his first regular-season home game in orange and blue.
"Growing up here, I've been to this building for a lot of games as a fan," Noah told reporters after the Knicks beat the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN's Ian Begley. "So just to be able to wear this jersey is more than special to me. I just want to be able to be part of something special."
Noah, though he scored just six of the Knicks' 111 points, was one of the best players on the floor in his homecoming game. He hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds, dished out a game-high seven assists, and registered a game-high plus-16 rating, all in just 22 minutes of action.
On multiple occasions, Noah played point-center and assertively pushed the ball up the floor, keeping the Knicks' offense churning and the Grizzlies' defense on its heels. His teammates took notice. Carmelo Anthony even jokingly suggested the Knicks may have to rein him in a bit.
"It was good to have him lead the break. He's been doing that all his career," Anthony said, according to Begley. "We're going to limit him. We'll give him four or five push-up-the-courts and after that we're going to cut it off."
