I am going to disagree with the part about more threes for Kat. That one close game against the Celtics is the only game all season on which I can remember Kat posting up and getting deep position. He did punish the Celtics for guarding him with a small. But he did it by playing like an old time big. And I think he will have to do it again.
Agreed. KAT has to take advantage of anyone they put on him because he has the skills shoot from deep and create off the dribble. My hope is that he doesn’t force it into traffic looking for the ref to bail him out.
Fun watching 2 teams I dislike last night . Wanted Pacers to pierce the armor of Cleveland’s invincibility. It can be done. Your analogy of Tom Cruise defeating Jack Nicholson is Ok. I prefer to think what the odds makers gave David against Goliath.
Great one. Great callback to a fav movie. I know the analogy doesn’t go this way but for some reason (personality?) I can’t help but see Thibs as Jessup here.
In 2007, my beloved New York Football Giants lost both regular season games to the hated Dallas Cowboys. In the second round of the playoffs, they were matched up against those same hated Dallas Cowboys, and everyone picked Dallas to win because they thought the gap between the two teams was too big. You know what happened.
I know it’s apples to oranges. The Giants only needed to win 1 game. The Knicks have to do this 4 times. Point is, what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter. The Pistons were 3-1 against us during the season, and we beat them in the first round. Let’s shock the world. If undermanned Orlando could take 1 from these guys, there’s no reason why we can’t compete.
We share a love for the New York Football Giants so I won’t need to remind you that the Giants played the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Not one “expert” picked the Giants to win. I’ll never forget Plaxico Burress predicting the Giants would beat the Patriots and Tom Brady laughed at Plax.
My rational side is Tom Cruise — I’m not expecting much from this series tbh. But hope often flies in the face of logic, so I’m excited regardless. I think you hit the big things, and I’m sure others have added these already, but in addition to your list:
1. Exactly how healthy is Jrue? If he’s not All-Defense caliber, it makes a BIG difference.
2. Can we avoid getting down big early? My favorite stretch of Knicks basketball this season may have been the 3rd / early 4th last time we played in Boston. Down big, came roaring back with great play on both ends, only for a couple back-breaking Derrick White threes to stop the bleeding. No longer with the momentum to fuel us, we ran out of gas and lost by 13. If we can get a couple runs like that when the game is close, we can force THEM to feel the pressure and expend all that comeback energy.
Gotta get one in Boston, obviously. Doesn’t necessarily have to be tonight, but I’d like to wake up tomorrow having seen something that gives me even more hope for a competitive series.
A solid and thoughtful preview of the series. Will be interesting to see how the Knicks come out schematically and if the HC is willing to adjust on the fly to maximize the matchup, which he has struggled to do in the past. Hart firing away from deep is a must on a nightly basis and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be confident right now - he got Jalen Duren to bite on a pump fake in G6!
With Holiday hamstring issues, I think you need to throw Brunson or KAT on him on defense. His numbers are down this season as is. If we get the energy, intensity and physicality of DET series from OG and Bridges then just maybe there’s something there we missed in the reg season matchups. It’s nice to come into a series as an underdog. The expectations are gone. I think Brunson loves to be in this position. No one thought he’d be in this position in his career at this point. He’ll deliver the right messaging as Captain. We’ll see how we respond.
Steal one of two on the road and get back to MSG with a legitimate chance to build momentum. Don't care how it happens - maybe we get the kind of game Hield had last night from Deuce, maybe Jalen just delivers more heroics - but being tied 1-1 is close to a must if we want a real shot.
No one believes - not even most fans - but it'd be wildly fun if this team found the gear they've been searching for all season long.
Celtics in 5? Probably. I hope it's a hard-fought seven-game series. If the series isn't competitive, Jonathan and the faculty will have a summer's worth of material to write about (Thibs' future, who stays/goes).
Well, Downey and Dawson were acquitted on most charges, but still found guilty of conduct unbecoming a U.S. Marine and were dishonorably discharged from the Corps. So in your AFGM analogy, does that mean the Knicks lose in 7?
All of your points are 100% accurate. Deuce’s disappearance has been the most surprising and disappointing for me. The sum of these 5 parts is the Knicks have to play their best for 48 mins every night to snatch this series. No lapses. No sleepwalking. I choose to think positively because : 1) All the pressure is on Boston. They are so highly favored they may play tight and it may allow the Knicks to play looser (which is when they’re at the best) 2) We have the talent. Unlike other years the talent gap is not as massive and if we want it more…it can be had and last 3) We have Jalen Brunson. They do not. Let’s fuck around and see what happens.
Fair. Maybe “tight” is me willing it into existence but I like coming into this series without the weight of expectations. It was the reverse against Detroit and it felt that way.
What happened in game 4 of the regular season as well as the Detroit series that led to a more competitive match unlike the first three games, and should they be emulated again?
To me, it's higher three point volume, two towers, switching and fighting through screens without doing too much drop coverage, good rebounding and transition points.
You are missing a big one: Thibs’ adjustments. Has to make them efficiently too.
I am going to disagree with the part about more threes for Kat. That one close game against the Celtics is the only game all season on which I can remember Kat posting up and getting deep position. He did punish the Celtics for guarding him with a small. But he did it by playing like an old time big. And I think he will have to do it again.
it has to be both.
Agreed. KAT has to take advantage of anyone they put on him because he has the skills shoot from deep and create off the dribble. My hope is that he doesn’t force it into traffic looking for the ref to bail him out.
Make us not miss the team of last year with its toughness. Agree, leave it on the court and no one will bitch all summer.
Play hard and leave it all on the floor. Do that and no one will be dissatisfied with the result.
To quote a different 90s blockbuster, The Matrix, "There's a difference between knowing the path and walking it."
Well said as always my friend.
Fun watching 2 teams I dislike last night . Wanted Pacers to pierce the armor of Cleveland’s invincibility. It can be done. Your analogy of Tom Cruise defeating Jack Nicholson is Ok. I prefer to think what the odds makers gave David against Goliath.
Great one. Great callback to a fav movie. I know the analogy doesn’t go this way but for some reason (personality?) I can’t help but see Thibs as Jessup here.
Did you order the drop?
I did the job I had to do…
DID you order the drop?!?!
YOURE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!!!!
LFG KNICKS
LMAO...it works, 100%
In 2007, my beloved New York Football Giants lost both regular season games to the hated Dallas Cowboys. In the second round of the playoffs, they were matched up against those same hated Dallas Cowboys, and everyone picked Dallas to win because they thought the gap between the two teams was too big. You know what happened.
I know it’s apples to oranges. The Giants only needed to win 1 game. The Knicks have to do this 4 times. Point is, what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter. The Pistons were 3-1 against us during the season, and we beat them in the first round. Let’s shock the world. If undermanned Orlando could take 1 from these guys, there’s no reason why we can’t compete.
We share a love for the New York Football Giants so I won’t need to remind you that the Giants played the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Not one “expert” picked the Giants to win. I’ll never forget Plaxico Burress predicting the Giants would beat the Patriots and Tom Brady laughed at Plax.
Giants 17 Pats 14
Sports miracles happen.
“We’re only gonna score 17 points?”
And we held them to 14
My rational side is Tom Cruise — I’m not expecting much from this series tbh. But hope often flies in the face of logic, so I’m excited regardless. I think you hit the big things, and I’m sure others have added these already, but in addition to your list:
1. Exactly how healthy is Jrue? If he’s not All-Defense caliber, it makes a BIG difference.
2. Can we avoid getting down big early? My favorite stretch of Knicks basketball this season may have been the 3rd / early 4th last time we played in Boston. Down big, came roaring back with great play on both ends, only for a couple back-breaking Derrick White threes to stop the bleeding. No longer with the momentum to fuel us, we ran out of gas and lost by 13. If we can get a couple runs like that when the game is close, we can force THEM to feel the pressure and expend all that comeback energy.
Gotta get one in Boston, obviously. Doesn’t necessarily have to be tonight, but I’d like to wake up tomorrow having seen something that gives me even more hope for a competitive series.
The Jrue health factor looms large, but Prichard has also been SO good, which is why I'm not counting on a compromised Holiday swinging the series.
A solid and thoughtful preview of the series. Will be interesting to see how the Knicks come out schematically and if the HC is willing to adjust on the fly to maximize the matchup, which he has struggled to do in the past. Hart firing away from deep is a must on a nightly basis and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be confident right now - he got Jalen Duren to bite on a pump fake in G6!
With Holiday hamstring issues, I think you need to throw Brunson or KAT on him on defense. His numbers are down this season as is. If we get the energy, intensity and physicality of DET series from OG and Bridges then just maybe there’s something there we missed in the reg season matchups. It’s nice to come into a series as an underdog. The expectations are gone. I think Brunson loves to be in this position. No one thought he’d be in this position in his career at this point. He’ll deliver the right messaging as Captain. We’ll see how we respond.
Would love to see them try KAT on Jrue.
Steal one of two on the road and get back to MSG with a legitimate chance to build momentum. Don't care how it happens - maybe we get the kind of game Hield had last night from Deuce, maybe Jalen just delivers more heroics - but being tied 1-1 is close to a must if we want a real shot.
No one believes - not even most fans - but it'd be wildly fun if this team found the gear they've been searching for all season long.
Let’s go Knicks. Play hard, play together, stay together and get this win tonight!
Celtics in 5? Probably. I hope it's a hard-fought seven-game series. If the series isn't competitive, Jonathan and the faculty will have a summer's worth of material to write about (Thibs' future, who stays/goes).
Well, Downey and Dawson were acquitted on most charges, but still found guilty of conduct unbecoming a U.S. Marine and were dishonorably discharged from the Corps. So in your AFGM analogy, does that mean the Knicks lose in 7?
Well SHIT...
All of your points are 100% accurate. Deuce’s disappearance has been the most surprising and disappointing for me. The sum of these 5 parts is the Knicks have to play their best for 48 mins every night to snatch this series. No lapses. No sleepwalking. I choose to think positively because : 1) All the pressure is on Boston. They are so highly favored they may play tight and it may allow the Knicks to play looser (which is when they’re at the best) 2) We have the talent. Unlike other years the talent gap is not as massive and if we want it more…it can be had and last 3) We have Jalen Brunson. They do not. Let’s fuck around and see what happens.
1) agree, but IDK that it'll translate to Boston playing tight. Defending champs rarely do.
2) yes
3) YES
Fair. Maybe “tight” is me willing it into existence but I like coming into this series without the weight of expectations. It was the reverse against Detroit and it felt that way.
What happened in game 4 of the regular season as well as the Detroit series that led to a more competitive match unlike the first three games, and should they be emulated again?
To me, it's higher three point volume, two towers, switching and fighting through screens without doing too much drop coverage, good rebounding and transition points.