Top 10 Plays and Moments from New York Knicks' 2014-15 Season

New York Knicks fans, you've earned this. After having your heart carved out of your chest, stomped on and shoved back in over and over again for six months straight, you've earned a break. You deserve to quietly reflect upon the handful of highlights the 2014-15 Knicks season provided, those precious few glorious moments, pure as freshly fallen snow, when it all worked. 

You remember them, don't you? The triangle offense running perfectly, the behind-the-back passes and monster blocks. Shane Larkin launching his 5'11" frame into the air to steal a pass over 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki. The 7'0" Jason Smith ducking under 6'3" Damian Lillard to get to the hoop. Derek Fisher strolling onto the court to make sure the refs saw him call timeout, technical fouls be damned. 

Forget the fact that some moments were followed by crushing losses. Forget that others occurred during ill-timed wins late in the season when some fans value draft odds more than winning. Put that all aside.

Just relive, and enjoy.

Acy's Steal-And-Slam

Jan. 4, New York. Quincy Acy steals the ball from the then-Milwaukee Buck Brandon Knight, bolts down the court, dribbles behind his back to keep the ball away from a pursuing Knight and throws it down hard over Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Acy is the quintessential hustle player. He might not make next season's roster, but he does make plenty of highlight reels. 

Beating the Cavaliers

Oct. 30, Cleveland. The Knicks are still stinging from the devastating 104-80 thrashing the Chicago Bulls gave them the night before. Amid fanfare about LeBron James' homecoming and high expectations for the new big three of James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Knicks meet the Cleveland Cavaliers on the hardwood for Cleveland's home opener.

But here come the Knickerbockers. It was a tightly contested matchup throughout, and the Knicks emerged triumphant 95-90. They were led by Carmelo Anthony with 25 points and six assists. 

Shved's Wild Circus And-1 Hoop

March 15, Phoenix. A Shved's gotta do what a Shved's gotta do. Apparently, what Knicks point guard Alexey Shved's gotta do is drive to the bucket, draw fouls and toss the ball up with only a casual interest in whether it goes through the hoop. 

Sometimes, the ball flies right up into the stands. Yet when Shved drove past the Phoenix Suns' Archie Goodwin and Marcus Morris, he ended up with a hard whack in the eye and a cool swish through the net for an and-1.

4-Knick Finish

April 10, New York. Midway through the second quarter, up three points on the Milwaukee Bucks, four Knicks combine for a beautiful example of defense creating offense.

Ricky Ledo blocks Milwaukee's O.J. Mayo from behind. Tim Hardaway Jr. nabs the loose ball and passes downcourt to Lou Amundson, who lobs it to Acy for the slam over the Bucks' Khris Middleton and draws the foul for good measure.

Teamwork, hustle, fast-break buckets, guards blocking, big men passing: What more could a fan want?

Galloway Putback Jam vs. Houston

Jan. 8, New York. The Knicks take on the Houston Rockets with a strangely bare lineup, having just parted ways with J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Samuel Dalembert.

It's only Langston Galloway's second game since being called up from the NBA D-League. With the team down by 10 in the first quarter, Galloway is called in for a scoreless Jose Calderon.

The very first shot he makes is this perfectly timed, exquisitely nasty one-handed putback slam off of Larkin's missed three-point attempt. Galloway went on to log 19 points, three assists and four rebounds. He shot 60 percent from the field and immediately earned himself his next 10-day contract.

3-Knick Fast Break

Jan 8, New York. Place this in the slim, precious file of times when the Knicks get one over on James Harden.

During an otherwise grueling game against the Houston Rockets, Harden turns the ball over under pressure from Galloway and Cleanthony Early. Galloway, Early and Larkin all run down the court on the fast break, with Trevor Ariza in hot pursuit. The Knicks play keep-away with Ariza. Galloway passes behind the back to Larkin, who lobs it up to Early for the circus slam and swing from the rim. 

Jason Smith Alley-Oop to Melo with the Hops

Feb. 1, New York. The Knicks come into their home game versus the Los Angeles Lakers feeling pretty good about themselves. They've won four of their last six games, and it seems to have given Carmelo Anthony and his injured knee a boost.

Anthony gets a jump on the Lakers' Wesley Johnson. Jason Smith shoots the perfect alley-oop pass inside to Melo, who goes up high for a one-handed slam that gets the crowd on its feet.    

Jason Smith Menacing Carter-Williams

Jan. 21, Philadelphia. When the Philadelphia 76ers' Michael Carter-Williams drives the baseline, he probably doesn't expect Jason Smith to put up much of a fight. At best, Jason Smith had been a foul-prone, sloppy defender; at worst, he wasn't a defender at all.

Yet when Carter-Williams gets close to the hoop, Smith runs in for a harsh rejection that sends the Sixers guard crashing to the floor. While Carter-Williams slowly gathers up his sore body parts, Smith snarls over and bops around his prone body like a prizefighter.

The two continued to be chesty with each other most of the night, but don't worry. They hugged it out later. By the end of the game, Smith had logged three blocks.

Double OT Victory over Pistons

Feb. 27, Detroit. Late in the fourth quarter, the Knicks are down by three to the Detroit Pistons. Reggie Jackson puts up a jumper, which is no good. Galloway grabs the rebound, runs down the court and—with eight seconds left on the clock and nobody in a Knicks jersey ready to catch an offensive rebound—launches a long three.

It wasn't a smart shot...but it sure was pretty when it swished through the hoop. Detroit was unable to answer, and the game went into overtime.   

One overtime wasn't enough, but Larkin's shake'n'bake and-1 drive to the hoop in double overtime was the dagger that gave the Knicks an exhilarating 121-115 victory. 

OT Victory over the Spurs

March 17, New York. The Knicks are dreadfully undermanned, not just in talent but in numbers. Only nine New York players hit the hardwood to meet the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.

To the surprise of all, as the clock is winding down, the Knicks are down 94-97. Shved drives into the paint and dishes to Amundson, who swings around Leonard, one of the greatest defenders in the league, sinks the bucket and ties the score with five seconds left in regulation. The Knicks defense hangs on and pushes the game into overtime.   

Thanks to Amundson's clutch rebounding and Shved's perfect pokeaway of Duncan's last-chance pass to Leonard, the Knicks beat the Spurs 104-100 in OT.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called his own team's efforts "pathetic," per the New York Post's Fred Kerber, and praised the Knicks' unselfishness, ball movement and competitiveness.  

"They were really good," Popovich said, per SI.com's Scooby Axson. "I take my hat off to [Derek Fisher], a really difficult year and watching Derek conduct himself the way he has all year long is a really impressive thing. He and the coaches deserve a lot of credit and the players were fantastic tonight." 

Pop says they were fantastic. That calls for a toast.

So raise a glass, Knicks fans. As you watch the clock roll to 00:00 during the Knicks' final game tonight (and you should), say a little toast to the sparkling, glittering highlights of the 2014-15 season. They may be few, but they are all the more precious for it. 

Follow Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.