OG is the best one-on-one defender the Knicks have had since Dave DeBusschure. His ability to take away the opponents best offensive player is incalculable.
That 2nd half. That was the team we love. That was the team that can STILL win multiple rounds. That was the team that EVERYONE should fear.
Entering the 4th quarter, I noticed that I was not nervous whatsoever. Why? Because we have a guy in Brunson who will carry the team across the finish line night in night out, regardless of context and opponent. And the everything else just clicked into place so well. The 3 things that specifically stood out to me were OG’s defense (wow), Mitch having his best game since his return, and the bench unit. If these 3 things are signs of what is to come, this team will be dangerous.
Giannis was OG and others showing. It is. It like we shut him down entirely but he also could not just do anything he wanted and we have seen him get anything he wanted in the past.
A great win, where perhaps outside of Precious, everyone who played had signature moments. I’ll still feel better when we actually clinch a top 6 spot, but beyond that, it’s nearly impossible to know what to root for, as a higher seed could result in a first-round matchup with Philly or the Heat.
I also can’t help but think that our protected FRP from Milwaukee is looking more valuable. That team’s future seems a bit shaky.
Really liked that second unit last night. Insulating Bogey with OG, Deuce and a center. Have a feeling that'll be the lineup in the playoffs. That was the Bogey we traded for.
I'd love nothing more than for Bogey to make me eat a whole bunch of crow the rest of the way. Crowjan Bogdanovic
Rewatching now and this feels like about as good of a team effort as I've seen all year. They are just humming on both ends in the 2nd half and literally everyone on the floor has clutch moments. For sure OG's defense is an anchor. He's like the silent assassin.
What an incredible win. I’d be curious to rewatch what we did different on Giannis in the second half. That guy is so freakin incredible I truly don’t understand how they lose games.
Slight correction from the postgame last night. Our magic number is one *win*. Sixers can still technically pass us.
Weird moment watching the crowd reaction in the 4th quarter during a time out on league pass. The Bucks were down 6 and there were still about five minutes left. Most of the grownups in the crowd were stone-faced. I thought “they know they’re going to lose.” That Bucks team is shaky as hell. I would love to get them in the second round.
OG performed a master class on defending Giannis that was one for the ages. He kept stripping Giannis when he held the ball low and stuffing him when he went high. Impressive. I don’t recall any team having as many “where would they be without that guys”. A very special season that I personally won’t consider a failure no matter how the postseason goes. I simply love watching this team and the only disappointment involved with wherever their playoff run stops (including a championship) is that I won’t get to watch them anymore. Love this f-ing team.
Great win last night - it was great to see meaningful contributions up and down the lineup.
This got me thinking:
What was the ceiling for this team if Randle managed to come back but was never able to get to 100%? (Past postseason struggles would also need to be factored in here.) And now, what’s the recipe for this team sans Randle to maintain the same ceiling?
Because while the loss of a 100% healthy, regular-season Randle is a major blow (any team losing 25/10/5 would of course be worse), losing playing-hurt, playoff Randle might not be the end of the world. Why can’t we still win two non-Celtics series?
I ask/say all this to say: if
- Mitch gets back to close to 100%
- McBride shoots it well
- Bogey brings value like he did last night
- etc.
I think we are still an opponent to be reckoned with.
(Note: this isn’t meant to take shots at Randle or diminish his value. It’s really just looking for hope that this team can still achieve what it set out to, but with a different formula.)
Also, what are the different ways to stagger Brunson and non Brunson minutes? You mentioned this a bit with OG, but what about Hart, DDV, or others. Trying to understand what staggering means for different combinations
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HARTS!!!
OG is the best one-on-one defender the Knicks have had since Dave DeBusschure. His ability to take away the opponents best offensive player is incalculable.
That 2nd half. That was the team we love. That was the team that can STILL win multiple rounds. That was the team that EVERYONE should fear.
Entering the 4th quarter, I noticed that I was not nervous whatsoever. Why? Because we have a guy in Brunson who will carry the team across the finish line night in night out, regardless of context and opponent. And the everything else just clicked into place so well. The 3 things that specifically stood out to me were OG’s defense (wow), Mitch having his best game since his return, and the bench unit. If these 3 things are signs of what is to come, this team will be dangerous.
I think the answer to what we did to
Giannis was OG and others showing. It is. It like we shut him down entirely but he also could not just do anything he wanted and we have seen him get anything he wanted in the past.
What a fun year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great win, where perhaps outside of Precious, everyone who played had signature moments. I’ll still feel better when we actually clinch a top 6 spot, but beyond that, it’s nearly impossible to know what to root for, as a higher seed could result in a first-round matchup with Philly or the Heat.
I also can’t help but think that our protected FRP from Milwaukee is looking more valuable. That team’s future seems a bit shaky.
Really liked that second unit last night. Insulating Bogey with OG, Deuce and a center. Have a feeling that'll be the lineup in the playoffs. That was the Bogey we traded for.
I'd love nothing more than for Bogey to make me eat a whole bunch of crow the rest of the way. Crowjan Bogdanovic
Rewatching now and this feels like about as good of a team effort as I've seen all year. They are just humming on both ends in the 2nd half and literally everyone on the floor has clutch moments. For sure OG's defense is an anchor. He's like the silent assassin.
What an incredible win. I’d be curious to rewatch what we did different on Giannis in the second half. That guy is so freakin incredible I truly don’t understand how they lose games.
Slight correction from the postgame last night. Our magic number is one *win*. Sixers can still technically pass us.
If the Knicks finish with a similar record or within one game of the Bucks, I don’t know how one could put Giannis ahead of Brunson on the MVP ballot.
Weird moment watching the crowd reaction in the 4th quarter during a time out on league pass. The Bucks were down 6 and there were still about five minutes left. Most of the grownups in the crowd were stone-faced. I thought “they know they’re going to lose.” That Bucks team is shaky as hell. I would love to get them in the second round.
OG performed a master class on defending Giannis that was one for the ages. He kept stripping Giannis when he held the ball low and stuffing him when he went high. Impressive. I don’t recall any team having as many “where would they be without that guys”. A very special season that I personally won’t consider a failure no matter how the postseason goes. I simply love watching this team and the only disappointment involved with wherever their playoff run stops (including a championship) is that I won’t get to watch them anymore. Love this f-ing team.
Great win last night - it was great to see meaningful contributions up and down the lineup.
This got me thinking:
What was the ceiling for this team if Randle managed to come back but was never able to get to 100%? (Past postseason struggles would also need to be factored in here.) And now, what’s the recipe for this team sans Randle to maintain the same ceiling?
Because while the loss of a 100% healthy, regular-season Randle is a major blow (any team losing 25/10/5 would of course be worse), losing playing-hurt, playoff Randle might not be the end of the world. Why can’t we still win two non-Celtics series?
I ask/say all this to say: if
- Mitch gets back to close to 100%
- McBride shoots it well
- Bogey brings value like he did last night
- etc.
I think we are still an opponent to be reckoned with.
(Note: this isn’t meant to take shots at Randle or diminish his value. It’s really just looking for hope that this team can still achieve what it set out to, but with a different formula.)
If I had to guess, final standings would look something like this:
1 Celtics 66 Wins
2 Magic 49 Wins
3 Knicks 49 Wins
4 Bucks 48 Wins
5 Pacers 48 Wins
6 Cavs 48 Wins
7 76ers 46 Wins
8 Heat 45 Wins
Does Clearing The Glass have a statistic for wanting it more? Go ahead Knicks opponents hit your 3's, in the long run Thibs has your number!
Also, what are the different ways to stagger Brunson and non Brunson minutes? You mentioned this a bit with OG, but what about Hart, DDV, or others. Trying to understand what staggering means for different combinations