Seasons have ebbs and flows. A week ago for 3 quarters against OKC, the Knicks had the best offense I've ever seen. They have shown enough to me to believe the future is bright.
Great vibes reading this heartwarming recap after only watching the final minutes of the Bucks game. I sure hope Brunson’s shoulder is OK.
I was sitting close the Knick bench against OKC for the worst loss of the Thibs era and saw something the broadcast likely didn’t show.
Landry Shamet had a big brace on his right shoulder pre-game and would go on to re-injure that shoulder during the game. Shamet would also get beat back door for an uncontested layup by a cutting Isaiah Joe right in front of the Knick bench on the same play that toasted Cam Payne minutes earlier.
The bigger wing coming off the bench is a massive hole that must be solidified by Leon Rose for a good playoff run. I wonder if Marcus Morris still has enough left in the tank to help us ala Taj Gibson. He has the size and toughness sorely needed to backup OG and Bridges, especially when Hart is off the court. I looked at his bio on basketball reference and did not see him on an NBA roster. I did see a link to his Instagram page showing his favorite highlight in a Knick uniform:
I don't recall ever seeing a guy walk up the runway and straight to the check-in table without even a look at the coach. Brunson is a legit stud. No phony in this badass. It just further emboldens my position that all these doomsday reactions from Knicks fan every time something doesn't look great or if growth is not perfectly linear, are entirely empty worrying calories wasted. This is finally a grown up organization. This means a FO with a plan, a head coach with unquenchable determination and emphasis on being prepared and leaders in the locker room that simply can be trusted to bring a group to floor most nights that is going to fight. I continue to urge Knick fans to enjoy this HIGHLY FOREIGN set of conditions for us by leaning into the ups and downs required to be a champion. This is the fun part. The rising is a necessity.
Want to push back on the OKC loss being the worst home loss of the Thibsera. I'm not trying to downplay it, but there was a literally a game in which we although Thibs was getting fired. Also they literally blew a 28 (!!!) point lead to a 21-22 Nets team that did not have KD/Kyrie, which represented the 3rd game in a row wherein they had blown a 20 point 2nd half lead.
It was great to see a superstar performance from JB. As I said on Saturday, you can't win or lose a Championship in January. And, even if that had been game 2 of the finals vs OKC and we came out 0-2 in the first two games, we still wouldn't be out of it. Doesn't matter if you lose by 1 or lose by 50. The Lakers lost game 1 of the 85 finals to the Celtics in the Memorial Day Massacre but still won the series 4-2.
Just need to continue to work getting better. Glad to see Hukporti appears to have edged ahead of Jericho. Also, Thibs positive comments on Kolek and Pacome were good to hear. We just need to keep grinding. This may or may not be our year. But, we can't jump overboard less than halfway through the season.
Nice recap Jon & yes, I felt like it was Deja Vu all over again when JB grabbed his shoulder & it just hung there. Now certainly, it didn't have the same impact, but I got the same feelings when JB reentered as when Willis came out of the tunnel for the pregame 1970 Championship Game 7. The emotions were very similar, except that after Willis hit his first 2 shots in the game (only points), Clyde took over with his 36 point,19 assist epic game! On the other hand, JB came out of the locker room, went directly back into the game & helped rebuild a lead that had dwindled into the low teens! As a team, it's amazing how much different they look when they hit their shots ( 58%) & 3's (44%). KAT's 30 points,18 rebounds gets lost in all the JB coverage, but an excellent game by him! Now Cam Payne's 18 points in only 14 minutes was a pleasant surprise, as was Landry Shamet not seeing the court until garbage time. The problem with Cam & Deuce is consistency. They'll have a lights out game & then not match it (or come close) for the next 3-4 games. We need to get more consistency from our bench play. Tough for Tyler Kolek to show any consistency when in the last 2 games of garbage time, he gets 2 & 3 minutes. C'mon Thibs, let the kid play. And the rumors of Jericho Sims on the trading block must have some credence, as he was the only player not to get in the last 2 games! Now let's hope JB's shoulder is okay & we see him vs the improved Detroit Pistons tonight!
Thanks, Jon. Great recap of a nice bounce back win. It’s been a rough week with some flaws exposed, and while maybe it’s a little unfair to put the burden on him, it seems that a lot of problems go away when Brunson gives a peak performance. The tone of the team and the game changes.
And while he’s certainly an imperfect player, Payne showed why he is still the backup point guard. In addition to the shot making, he can hold up on the defensive end and even matched up with Lillard for a bit. Kolek is not ready for that.
so going to agree to disagree, one good game by Cam Payne does not make up for the 4 crappy ones that came before or are soon to follow. Yes, his defensive energy was good yesterday but he is quickly becoming the king of "no no no no no no yes" shots and honestly, he's not offensively talented enough to do that. If it was someone like Jordan Clarkson - who has proven be a walking bucket (with zero defense) that can at times be erratic - that'd be different. But Cam Payne is most def not Clarkson and I'm convinced it's going to bite us in the ass if he keeps getting really minutes and chucking shots.
Amazing how caught up we all are in each and every game result. Good to see Jalen come out firing from three off the bounce again. This team still can't hang with Boston / OKC but few teams can. But can always have a lucky run in the playoffs.
I know this has been ballied about in the Knicks sphere, but can we cut toppin and give Warren a rest of season contract or a couple ten days? He had the size and scoring at the wing this team is missing off the bench
For Hart to be part of the solution and not the problem… he needs to bring more consistent energy and effort. Additionally, he needs to be a more willing shooter. Stuff he was doing in the first 5-8 games. When he doesn’t have energy, it jumps off the screen.
He needs to set aside his ego and agenda. Needs to stop bitching at the refs like he said he would.
agree he needs to stop bitching, which he copped to doing too much of. Agree also that he needs to shoot it sometimes, depending on game flow and coverage. Personally, I've been happy with his energy this season, but agree his engagement on defense hasn't always been where it needs to be.
Seasons have ebbs and flows. A week ago for 3 quarters against OKC, the Knicks had the best offense I've ever seen. They have shown enough to me to believe the future is bright.
Great vibes reading this heartwarming recap after only watching the final minutes of the Bucks game. I sure hope Brunson’s shoulder is OK.
I was sitting close the Knick bench against OKC for the worst loss of the Thibs era and saw something the broadcast likely didn’t show.
Landry Shamet had a big brace on his right shoulder pre-game and would go on to re-injure that shoulder during the game. Shamet would also get beat back door for an uncontested layup by a cutting Isaiah Joe right in front of the Knick bench on the same play that toasted Cam Payne minutes earlier.
The bigger wing coming off the bench is a massive hole that must be solidified by Leon Rose for a good playoff run. I wonder if Marcus Morris still has enough left in the tank to help us ala Taj Gibson. He has the size and toughness sorely needed to backup OG and Bridges, especially when Hart is off the court. I looked at his bio on basketball reference and did not see him on an NBA roster. I did see a link to his Instagram page showing his favorite highlight in a Knick uniform:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C__mGC-phSR/?igsh=MXRqNG5rcHZ2dmdwZg==
I’ll always love Mook but think that ship may have sailed. Not sure they’re getting the big wing until the summer time
No answer for KAT- shouldn’t the Bucks 5-time all NBA first team defensive stud be playing KAT?
Should. But wasn't!
That definitely tells you a few things
I don't recall ever seeing a guy walk up the runway and straight to the check-in table without even a look at the coach. Brunson is a legit stud. No phony in this badass. It just further emboldens my position that all these doomsday reactions from Knicks fan every time something doesn't look great or if growth is not perfectly linear, are entirely empty worrying calories wasted. This is finally a grown up organization. This means a FO with a plan, a head coach with unquenchable determination and emphasis on being prepared and leaders in the locker room that simply can be trusted to bring a group to floor most nights that is going to fight. I continue to urge Knick fans to enjoy this HIGHLY FOREIGN set of conditions for us by leaning into the ups and downs required to be a champion. This is the fun part. The rising is a necessity.
Want to push back on the OKC loss being the worst home loss of the Thibsera. I'm not trying to downplay it, but there was a literally a game in which we although Thibs was getting fired. Also they literally blew a 28 (!!!) point lead to a 21-22 Nets team that did not have KD/Kyrie, which represented the 3rd game in a row wherein they had blown a 20 point 2nd half lead.
Those were dark times
It was great to see a superstar performance from JB. As I said on Saturday, you can't win or lose a Championship in January. And, even if that had been game 2 of the finals vs OKC and we came out 0-2 in the first two games, we still wouldn't be out of it. Doesn't matter if you lose by 1 or lose by 50. The Lakers lost game 1 of the 85 finals to the Celtics in the Memorial Day Massacre but still won the series 4-2.
Just need to continue to work getting better. Glad to see Hukporti appears to have edged ahead of Jericho. Also, Thibs positive comments on Kolek and Pacome were good to hear. We just need to keep grinding. This may or may not be our year. But, we can't jump overboard less than halfway through the season.
I can tell you for sure Thibs loves Kolek. It's just a matter of when he's ready.
Nice recap Jon & yes, I felt like it was Deja Vu all over again when JB grabbed his shoulder & it just hung there. Now certainly, it didn't have the same impact, but I got the same feelings when JB reentered as when Willis came out of the tunnel for the pregame 1970 Championship Game 7. The emotions were very similar, except that after Willis hit his first 2 shots in the game (only points), Clyde took over with his 36 point,19 assist epic game! On the other hand, JB came out of the locker room, went directly back into the game & helped rebuild a lead that had dwindled into the low teens! As a team, it's amazing how much different they look when they hit their shots ( 58%) & 3's (44%). KAT's 30 points,18 rebounds gets lost in all the JB coverage, but an excellent game by him! Now Cam Payne's 18 points in only 14 minutes was a pleasant surprise, as was Landry Shamet not seeing the court until garbage time. The problem with Cam & Deuce is consistency. They'll have a lights out game & then not match it (or come close) for the next 3-4 games. We need to get more consistency from our bench play. Tough for Tyler Kolek to show any consistency when in the last 2 games of garbage time, he gets 2 & 3 minutes. C'mon Thibs, let the kid play. And the rumors of Jericho Sims on the trading block must have some credence, as he was the only player not to get in the last 2 games! Now let's hope JB's shoulder is okay & we see him vs the improved Detroit Pistons tonight!
Fair point on Kolek. I always tend to trust whatever they're seeing in practice, but that's very fair. His time will come. They love him there.
Thanks, Jon. Great recap of a nice bounce back win. It’s been a rough week with some flaws exposed, and while maybe it’s a little unfair to put the burden on him, it seems that a lot of problems go away when Brunson gives a peak performance. The tone of the team and the game changes.
And while he’s certainly an imperfect player, Payne showed why he is still the backup point guard. In addition to the shot making, he can hold up on the defensive end and even matched up with Lillard for a bit. Kolek is not ready for that.
so going to agree to disagree, one good game by Cam Payne does not make up for the 4 crappy ones that came before or are soon to follow. Yes, his defensive energy was good yesterday but he is quickly becoming the king of "no no no no no no yes" shots and honestly, he's not offensively talented enough to do that. If it was someone like Jordan Clarkson - who has proven be a walking bucket (with zero defense) that can at times be erratic - that'd be different. But Cam Payne is most def not Clarkson and I'm convinced it's going to bite us in the ass if he keeps getting really minutes and chucking shots.
I’m not suggesting he’s a great or even very good option. He’s not, but unfortunately, the best we’ve got at the moment.
Amazing how caught up we all are in each and every game result. Good to see Jalen come out firing from three off the bounce again. This team still can't hang with Boston / OKC but few teams can. But can always have a lucky run in the playoffs.
I think the goal is just get to a place where you feel like you have an honest shot. In year 1 at least
I know this has been ballied about in the Knicks sphere, but can we cut toppin and give Warren a rest of season contract or a couple ten days? He had the size and scoring at the wing this team is missing off the bench
I think they like Toppin as a practice guy, but I hear ya
For Hart to be part of the solution and not the problem… he needs to bring more consistent energy and effort. Additionally, he needs to be a more willing shooter. Stuff he was doing in the first 5-8 games. When he doesn’t have energy, it jumps off the screen.
He needs to set aside his ego and agenda. Needs to stop bitching at the refs like he said he would.
OG/Bridges/Brunson/McBride lineups +14.5
OG/Bridges/Brunson/Hart lineups +3.7
That’s an agenda for ya!!
agree he needs to stop bitching, which he copped to doing too much of. Agree also that he needs to shoot it sometimes, depending on game flow and coverage. Personally, I've been happy with his energy this season, but agree his engagement on defense hasn't always been where it needs to be.