So many things can be said about that series, both good and bad - and all of them are deserved. So many great things can be said about Brunson - and all of them are deserved. So I’m going to go a different route.
One of the quiet developments in what was a very, very loud series was Mikal. Yes, his POA defense isnt top top tier, and his handle isn’t strong, but the rest of the game was there. If he figures out the 3pt shot and continues to do everything else at the level that we just saw, he's pretty close to the player we thought we would be getting. The player that we saw in the Pistons series is a player that is a part of the solution. I don’t know what the solution is, but I am a lot more confident in that he is in the equation, and I hope he cements this against Boston.
Bridges was terrific this series and was what we traded for. I know he took a lot of grief for missing the game-tying 3 in game 2, but I took it as a great sign that he confidently stepped into it and didn’t shy from the moment.
He made me eat my words Jonas (which, if I'm being honest, was always my hope). IDK if this series meant he was "worth" the package to get him, but I think this was the series the Knicks envisioned when they traded for him, more or less.
Knicks gave up five first round draft picks for Bridges so it is very difficult to lower the bar to where we accept his POA defense is not top tier (one of the main reason the Knicks acquired him) and we accept the fact that he still needs to figure out his 3pt shot.
Bridges is a nice player. His best skills are that he shows up (and I don't underestimate that), he is an unselfish player, and he is a pretty good defender. But the Knicks completely emptied their cupboard for this player and thus we need the starting 2 to be better than pretty good.
I do not want to denigrate your statement Jonas, as he are correct across the board. But for me, it's just not enough.
It was an overpay when the trade was made, and it’s still an overpay now. But I think the 5-pick lens many fans have used to evaluate his season has short-changed him. Overall, he was pretty good throughout the season, which, as you pointed out, wasn’t enough. But in this series, he was great. That’s something legitimate to build on and hope that he can carry forward.
I also don’t agree with the way you boiled his skill set down. Those three things could apply to and be said about most players in the league. When Mikal is playing well, there’s so much more to his game. We saw that last night in how meaningfully he impacted the game on both ends. Cam Payne for example shows up, is an unselfish player, and is a pretty good defender - are they on the same level in your opinion? I would assume no!
One other thing: I would much rather be in a world where he is playing great in the playoffs, opposed to one where he is not, and I know that you probably agree!
How did the entire league pass on Jalen Brunson in the 2018 draft? How did the Knicks acquire Jalen for just about nothing? Was it pay back for King’s knee? Was it payback for the 2002 deal of Amare for McDyess who promptly blew out his knee? Was it pay back for drafting Ntilikina? I could go on. Unfortunately.
But all I know is He is a Knick. And we get to watch one of the most clutch playoff performers of the modern era. And please Mr. Rose, find him a Scottie or a Jaylen Brown or a Shaq. Just one more guy so it’s not Jalen vs The World!
Everyone gets blinded by height and athleticism and whether a player is top rated coming out of high school, and it’s a lot of groupthink.
The crazy thing to me is that even after several years of clutch, nearly unstoppable scoring and winning of playoff games, a lot of pundits are still stuck in those initial impressions.
What this guy is doing is elite. Dare I say it? It’s Jordanesque. But without the dunks and without having been a lottery pick, it’s like people can’t seem what’s in front if their faces. The players know, though.
Jalen won two national championships and was collegiate player of the year one season. I was rooting for the Knicks to draft him in 2018 but the shock to me was that he fell to the second round. He was the straw that stirred the drink (how many of you remember Reggie Jackson?) for two title teams. How does he drop to the second round? All of his compadres on that team -- Hart, Bridges and Donte went in the first round.
In the end this series feels like a kind of mirror image of the Philly series from last year. Right down to losing game 5 at home in heart breaking fashion and blowing a big lead in game 6 only to hit a tie breaking three on our last possession to win it. Though last year’s team felt like they were playing above expectations to win it, while this year’s team feels like it is not meeting expectations. But every once in a while they give you flashes of the team they could be. The first and third quarters were amazing. The second quarter and majority of the fourth were not. Until JB put his cape back on. I don’t know what to think about the Boston series, but I’m glad we get a shot at them. It will tell us a lot about this group, one way or another. LFGK.
This guy’s walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then Jalen Brunson walks by. “Hey Jalen, it’s me, can you help me out?” And Jalen jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” Jalen says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”
I wonder why I never doubted last year's team and get so frustrated with this one. But one thing none of us should ever doubt is Jalen Brunson. As long as he's a Knick, we always have a chance. As I tell friends when things are going haywire- just keep it close and Jalen will win it at the end.
July 12, 2022 should be a Holiday for Knicks fans forever.
“9:22: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me 578 times, I must be a Knicks fan”. This is the realist thing I’ve ever heard. I’m getting too old for this shit. Now if the Knicks can put up as much of a fight against Boston as Detroit did against them it will be a good series. Let’s Go Knicks!
We gotta believe in these fellas. Stay together as fans just like they do as players, coaches and front office members. Don’t care about our regular season struggles against Boston. We have an opportunity! Let’s go Knicks🏀
We will have time in the coming days to discuss the series vs. Boston and nothing Thibs or the team showed made me think the next series will go particularly differently but today is about JB and his brilliance. I still contend there is not a single player in the NBA who has better footwork than Jalen. Also, really nice game from Bridges - maybe Beasley opening his mouth was a blessing in disguise!
These are the days I wake up with the thought anything is possible because we have Jalen Brunson and other fan bases dont. Just a special night, and while we all know the warts wirh thos team moments like last night are why we are the best fantasy sports. We can worry about Boston on Monday, this team deserves this moment and like I said this team now has nothing to lose, no one in the nba world thinks the knicks have a shot against boston so just play hard and shock the world! Lastly Mikal Bridges welcome to NY! That dunk and tip in alone was worth 2 first rd picks! Like he told Mike Breen we're built for this sh*t!
Today's not the day to think of long-term or big picture stuff, or even the immediate series in front of us. Nor analyzing yesterday's game too deeply.
Jon, Love the running commentary. It was almost exactly what I was thinking as I watched this team (And made me laugh, as I realized I'm not the only crazy person rooting for this team!!) that doesn't have any Killer Instinct (except if it's to kill it's fans game in & game out!), but never quits & luckily, has Captain Clutch to save the day! It took me more than a few hours for my body to calm down (They need to give me a blowout somewhere down the road. With 2 stents for my heart & BP medication to regulate my BP, they're trying to kill me! lol) & then I just finally conked for a few hours!
Luckily the Knicks & we have 3 days to rest & get ready for the Celtics. Now we all know that to have a chance we are going to need consistency from the starting 5 & whoever makes up the so-called bench! To say I'm pissed off about KAT's performance the last 2 games would be an understatement. His acquisition was supposed to create a strong 1-2 punch which allegedly would propel this team to a championship level. Remember how Randle used to frustrate you when you didn't know which Randle would show up for any given game? Multiply that times X10 & that's how I feel about KAT. We all knew he sucked playing defense (Duren became an offensive weapon this series thanks to him!), but it was his supposed next level offense that would elevate us. Hasn't happened! Wonder if the Milwaukee Bucks need a 7 foot center with an offensive game? Well, that's a discussion for another day!
The bench was outscored 6-31 & against the Celtics (who have a bench!), who will will run player after player at you, Thibs better figure out how to use Shamet & Precious & get productive minutes from them (along with Deuce, Payne, Mitch). Deuce was a negative the entire series. Payne, when given some minutes to get into the flow (A whole 6 minutes last night) can be a positive, but Thibs hasn't really given him an opportunity to do that after G1! As I said yesterday, OG & JB have been the only constants for this team. Bridges needs to give us last night's performance every game in the Celtics series! With 3 days off, Thibs needs to explain to the team that Mitch is not Jokic & trying to get him into the offensive flow (if it's not a lob) is counterproductive! Mitch is basketball's version of Roberto Duran-Hands of Stone!
They can't have the type of lulls they had against the Pistons. They were able to recover from them most of the time. They won't against the Celtics, who certainly have the Killer Instinct & once they have you down, go for the jugular! They're going to have to step up their game & show a consistency they haven't shown all season. I think our level of fandom will be different this series, as against the Pistons we expected them to win. Against the Celtics we are going to hope that they will win. They can't continue to let guys go completely free on 3 pointers (Beasley was wide open, thank God he fumbled the pass!) as the Celtics will bury us! But ,for now, let's enjoy last night's win & hope we can step up to the next level on Monday! LGK
And my favorite thing you wrote: They can't have the type of lulls they had against the Pistons. They were able to recover from them most of the time. They won't against the Celtics.
Glad I was proven wrong on that one! But, as even you said last night on the postgame, when it was 75-55, losing the series 0-4 was becoming evident to you! lol
I think KAT was bad the last 2 games but can’t forget what he did Games 1,3 and 4. Would not have been in a position to close out the series last night without him. Wasn’t close to his best basketball ever these last 2 games but can’t ignore the positives he had throughout the series. And he did a few nice things last night at different points (he didn’t get a lot of looks early and that seems to take him out of the flow), including the late steal ! Positive vibes my man
He's the highest paid player on the Knicks roster. He was brought in to be Robin to JB's Batman. He should be having positive games EVERY game. He's passive, he doesn't look to get the ball, he takes himself out of the flow. It's hard to be 7'0 & be invisible on the court, but he manages to do it way too many times. Positive vibes don't score positive baskets & since he can't play defense, he needs to get himself involved in the offense. I want him him to do as well as I'm sure you do. But, we have too many guys who we don't know which version will show up game to game. KAT was not supposed to be one of those, but he is!!!
One thing that the coach really needs to do, which he hasn't done particularly well, and may be one of the hardest things TO do, is play guys according to what they are contributing on the court and not because of their reputation as stars or their stats.
KAT is a very good player. He's a weapon on offense. But he doesn't have a god-given right to 40 minutes. If he's not scoring out there, he can be a liability. And if you're going to have a center out there not taking shots, Mitch is a better option. But we'll see. Best case scenario is that the Knicks continue to work to get KAT shots and push him to be aggressive.
Never in doubt 😂!! We all need a day of joy to celebrate the greatness we witnessed and enjoy advancing. We live to see another day but these Knicks NEVER make it easy. We are so lucky to have Brunson and Bridges needs to watch his dunk over Cade on repeat. The energy we needed all night!
That game was pretty much an amalgamation of the whole season. Can’t wait to continue the ride. We stand with our Captain no matter what. He has earned that right. LETS GO KNICKS !!
So many things can be said about that series, both good and bad - and all of them are deserved. So many great things can be said about Brunson - and all of them are deserved. So I’m going to go a different route.
One of the quiet developments in what was a very, very loud series was Mikal. Yes, his POA defense isnt top top tier, and his handle isn’t strong, but the rest of the game was there. If he figures out the 3pt shot and continues to do everything else at the level that we just saw, he's pretty close to the player we thought we would be getting. The player that we saw in the Pistons series is a player that is a part of the solution. I don’t know what the solution is, but I am a lot more confident in that he is in the equation, and I hope he cements this against Boston.
WE BUILT FOR THIS SHIT
Bridges was terrific this series and was what we traded for. I know he took a lot of grief for missing the game-tying 3 in game 2, but I took it as a great sign that he confidently stepped into it and didn’t shy from the moment.
Thought Bridges had a fantastic series. Most physical he’s been on D and had many big shots. Whole team will need to be hitting 3’s in Beantown
He made me eat my words Jonas (which, if I'm being honest, was always my hope). IDK if this series meant he was "worth" the package to get him, but I think this was the series the Knicks envisioned when they traded for him, more or less.
Knicks gave up five first round draft picks for Bridges so it is very difficult to lower the bar to where we accept his POA defense is not top tier (one of the main reason the Knicks acquired him) and we accept the fact that he still needs to figure out his 3pt shot.
Bridges is a nice player. His best skills are that he shows up (and I don't underestimate that), he is an unselfish player, and he is a pretty good defender. But the Knicks completely emptied their cupboard for this player and thus we need the starting 2 to be better than pretty good.
I do not want to denigrate your statement Jonas, as he are correct across the board. But for me, it's just not enough.
It was an overpay when the trade was made, and it’s still an overpay now. But I think the 5-pick lens many fans have used to evaluate his season has short-changed him. Overall, he was pretty good throughout the season, which, as you pointed out, wasn’t enough. But in this series, he was great. That’s something legitimate to build on and hope that he can carry forward.
I also don’t agree with the way you boiled his skill set down. Those three things could apply to and be said about most players in the league. When Mikal is playing well, there’s so much more to his game. We saw that last night in how meaningfully he impacted the game on both ends. Cam Payne for example shows up, is an unselfish player, and is a pretty good defender - are they on the same level in your opinion? I would assume no!
One other thing: I would much rather be in a world where he is playing great in the playoffs, opposed to one where he is not, and I know that you probably agree!
Totally agree Jonas!
How did the entire league pass on Jalen Brunson in the 2018 draft? How did the Knicks acquire Jalen for just about nothing? Was it pay back for King’s knee? Was it payback for the 2002 deal of Amare for McDyess who promptly blew out his knee? Was it pay back for drafting Ntilikina? I could go on. Unfortunately.
But all I know is He is a Knick. And we get to watch one of the most clutch playoff performers of the modern era. And please Mr. Rose, find him a Scottie or a Jaylen Brown or a Shaq. Just one more guy so it’s not Jalen vs The World!
WE BUILT FOR THIS SHIT
Everyone gets blinded by height and athleticism and whether a player is top rated coming out of high school, and it’s a lot of groupthink.
The crazy thing to me is that even after several years of clutch, nearly unstoppable scoring and winning of playoff games, a lot of pundits are still stuck in those initial impressions.
What this guy is doing is elite. Dare I say it? It’s Jordanesque. But without the dunks and without having been a lottery pick, it’s like people can’t seem what’s in front if their faces. The players know, though.
Jalen won two national championships and was collegiate player of the year one season. I was rooting for the Knicks to draft him in 2018 but the shock to me was that he fell to the second round. He was the straw that stirred the drink (how many of you remember Reggie Jackson?) for two title teams. How does he drop to the second round? All of his compadres on that team -- Hart, Bridges and Donte went in the first round.
Crazy. That’s what I love about the draft though. Mist people are wrong!
In the end this series feels like a kind of mirror image of the Philly series from last year. Right down to losing game 5 at home in heart breaking fashion and blowing a big lead in game 6 only to hit a tie breaking three on our last possession to win it. Though last year’s team felt like they were playing above expectations to win it, while this year’s team feels like it is not meeting expectations. But every once in a while they give you flashes of the team they could be. The first and third quarters were amazing. The second quarter and majority of the fourth were not. Until JB put his cape back on. I don’t know what to think about the Boston series, but I’m glad we get a shot at them. It will tell us a lot about this group, one way or another. LFGK.
This guy’s walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then Jalen Brunson walks by. “Hey Jalen, it’s me, can you help me out?” And Jalen jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” Jalen says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”
Holy shit that's good.
Well, much like your inspiration for today’s newsletter, this is also Aaron Sorkin (West Wing)
One day I'm going to sit down and watch that show.
Bizzaro World mirror, but yes
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Yup. The playoffs are where teams are born
I wonder why I never doubted last year's team and get so frustrated with this one. But one thing none of us should ever doubt is Jalen Brunson. As long as he's a Knick, we always have a chance. As I tell friends when things are going haywire- just keep it close and Jalen will win it at the end.
July 12, 2022 should be a Holiday for Knicks fans forever.
WE BUILT FOR THIS
Read this newsletter standing on my desk, a la Dead Poet’s Society. Oh Captain My Captain!
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Love it Steve.
“9:22: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me 578 times, I must be a Knicks fan”. This is the realist thing I’ve ever heard. I’m getting too old for this shit. Now if the Knicks can put up as much of a fight against Boston as Detroit did against them it will be a good series. Let’s Go Knicks!
WE BUILT
FOR THIS
We gotta believe in these fellas. Stay together as fans just like they do as players, coaches and front office members. Don’t care about our regular season struggles against Boston. We have an opportunity! Let’s go Knicks🏀
WE BUILT FOR THIS
Thank god for Jalen Brunson
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We will have time in the coming days to discuss the series vs. Boston and nothing Thibs or the team showed made me think the next series will go particularly differently but today is about JB and his brilliance. I still contend there is not a single player in the NBA who has better footwork than Jalen. Also, really nice game from Bridges - maybe Beasley opening his mouth was a blessing in disguise!
WE BUILT FOR THIS
These are the days I wake up with the thought anything is possible because we have Jalen Brunson and other fan bases dont. Just a special night, and while we all know the warts wirh thos team moments like last night are why we are the best fantasy sports. We can worry about Boston on Monday, this team deserves this moment and like I said this team now has nothing to lose, no one in the nba world thinks the knicks have a shot against boston so just play hard and shock the world! Lastly Mikal Bridges welcome to NY! That dunk and tip in alone was worth 2 first rd picks! Like he told Mike Breen we're built for this sh*t!
WE BUILT FOR THIS
New theory: the Knicks enjoy watching Brunson highlights so much that they subconsciously let the other team erase leads
Hot take #2: Maybe the Pistons D is so good that the Celtics D will be like a walk in the park!
WE BUILT FOR THIS
Today's not the day to think of long-term or big picture stuff, or even the immediate series in front of us. Nor analyzing yesterday's game too deeply.
Brunson's incredible. King of New York.
Bridges came up big.
We should all enjoy this victory.
578 times. An absolute classic.
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When Windhorst calls him the master of the dark arts, he’s not talking about foul baiting, he’s talking about that baseline Pilates dribbling exercise
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Jon, Love the running commentary. It was almost exactly what I was thinking as I watched this team (And made me laugh, as I realized I'm not the only crazy person rooting for this team!!) that doesn't have any Killer Instinct (except if it's to kill it's fans game in & game out!), but never quits & luckily, has Captain Clutch to save the day! It took me more than a few hours for my body to calm down (They need to give me a blowout somewhere down the road. With 2 stents for my heart & BP medication to regulate my BP, they're trying to kill me! lol) & then I just finally conked for a few hours!
Luckily the Knicks & we have 3 days to rest & get ready for the Celtics. Now we all know that to have a chance we are going to need consistency from the starting 5 & whoever makes up the so-called bench! To say I'm pissed off about KAT's performance the last 2 games would be an understatement. His acquisition was supposed to create a strong 1-2 punch which allegedly would propel this team to a championship level. Remember how Randle used to frustrate you when you didn't know which Randle would show up for any given game? Multiply that times X10 & that's how I feel about KAT. We all knew he sucked playing defense (Duren became an offensive weapon this series thanks to him!), but it was his supposed next level offense that would elevate us. Hasn't happened! Wonder if the Milwaukee Bucks need a 7 foot center with an offensive game? Well, that's a discussion for another day!
The bench was outscored 6-31 & against the Celtics (who have a bench!), who will will run player after player at you, Thibs better figure out how to use Shamet & Precious & get productive minutes from them (along with Deuce, Payne, Mitch). Deuce was a negative the entire series. Payne, when given some minutes to get into the flow (A whole 6 minutes last night) can be a positive, but Thibs hasn't really given him an opportunity to do that after G1! As I said yesterday, OG & JB have been the only constants for this team. Bridges needs to give us last night's performance every game in the Celtics series! With 3 days off, Thibs needs to explain to the team that Mitch is not Jokic & trying to get him into the offensive flow (if it's not a lob) is counterproductive! Mitch is basketball's version of Roberto Duran-Hands of Stone!
They can't have the type of lulls they had against the Pistons. They were able to recover from them most of the time. They won't against the Celtics, who certainly have the Killer Instinct & once they have you down, go for the jugular! They're going to have to step up their game & show a consistency they haven't shown all season. I think our level of fandom will be different this series, as against the Pistons we expected them to win. Against the Celtics we are going to hope that they will win. They can't continue to let guys go completely free on 3 pointers (Beasley was wide open, thank God he fumbled the pass!) as the Celtics will bury us! But ,for now, let's enjoy last night's win & hope we can step up to the next level on Monday! LGK
you are 100% NOT the only crazy one lol.
And my favorite thing you wrote: They can't have the type of lulls they had against the Pistons. They were able to recover from them most of the time. They won't against the Celtics.
Glad I was proven wrong on that one! But, as even you said last night on the postgame, when it was 75-55, losing the series 0-4 was becoming evident to you! lol
I think KAT was bad the last 2 games but can’t forget what he did Games 1,3 and 4. Would not have been in a position to close out the series last night without him. Wasn’t close to his best basketball ever these last 2 games but can’t ignore the positives he had throughout the series. And he did a few nice things last night at different points (he didn’t get a lot of looks early and that seems to take him out of the flow), including the late steal ! Positive vibes my man
He's the highest paid player on the Knicks roster. He was brought in to be Robin to JB's Batman. He should be having positive games EVERY game. He's passive, he doesn't look to get the ball, he takes himself out of the flow. It's hard to be 7'0 & be invisible on the court, but he manages to do it way too many times. Positive vibes don't score positive baskets & since he can't play defense, he needs to get himself involved in the offense. I want him him to do as well as I'm sure you do. But, we have too many guys who we don't know which version will show up game to game. KAT was not supposed to be one of those, but he is!!!
One thing that the coach really needs to do, which he hasn't done particularly well, and may be one of the hardest things TO do, is play guys according to what they are contributing on the court and not because of their reputation as stars or their stats.
KAT is a very good player. He's a weapon on offense. But he doesn't have a god-given right to 40 minutes. If he's not scoring out there, he can be a liability. And if you're going to have a center out there not taking shots, Mitch is a better option. But we'll see. Best case scenario is that the Knicks continue to work to get KAT shots and push him to be aggressive.
WE BUILT FOR THIS
Never in doubt 😂!! We all need a day of joy to celebrate the greatness we witnessed and enjoy advancing. We live to see another day but these Knicks NEVER make it easy. We are so lucky to have Brunson and Bridges needs to watch his dunk over Cade on repeat. The energy we needed all night!
That game was pretty much an amalgamation of the whole season. Can’t wait to continue the ride. We stand with our Captain no matter what. He has earned that right. LETS GO KNICKS !!
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