It’s going to get lost to the dustbin of history, but Ed Malloy calling that touch foul on Bridges with under 10 seconds up 4 may have been the most egregious call I’ve ever seen. That “are you fucking serious” scream in front of my 8 year old was regrettable, but warranted. Thibs needs to send that in to the league because if that’s a foul, in THAT moment, Nesmith and TJ would commit 18 fouls per game.
I was still fuming after the game about the travel Scott Foster called on KAT after Turner complained. I really thought that was going to cost us the game.
And on top of this it seemed the refs held the ball FOREVER to give the Pacers chances to challenge when those popped up. It was almost like ‘are you suuuureee you don’t want to challenge this play’.
LET’S GOOOOOO !! Still riding the high. Give me all the Delon Wright minutes (I called for him in a previous newsletter comment this series). His navigation of Indy’s screens alongside Deuce was simply exquisite. KAT gets so much flack, which is sometimes warranted, but that was one of the best individual displays you’ll ever see. He matched the whole Pacers team in points and outrebounded them by 1 in the 4th Q. His rebounding can’t get overlooked.
That was a NY win. We are in this series. Now time to get even.
When I tell yall I was in utter DESPAIR at halftime. DESPAIR!! I had my end of the season, silver lining social media post in the drafts. And then at my darkest hour, Deuce, KAT, DELON WRIGHT, Hart and OG saved the day. Just like we all thought! LOL
As Kenny Smith said “Thibodeau wouldn’t play nine if it was a baseball game.” And yet…
Kat is the most mystifying, frustrating and sometimes divine player I can ever remember. He makes Julius look like the model of consistency. Ten seasons into his career and Kat sometimes plays like he has not learned a single thing since his Kentucky days. And yet…
Kat plays better with Deuce. Brunson plays better with Mitch. I really honestly think it’s just that simple. Deuce gets KAT the ball in better spots for him.
That’s an interesting take and likely true. But I think it is probably less about Deuce, who is not known for running the point or creating for others and more about the lack of chemistry between Brunson and Kat. One thing Julius was really good at was getting into the paint and passing to the top of the key or corners for a three. That would work well with Kat who is fond of hanging at the top of the key. But Jalen does not make that pass well (or the lob-not that Kat ever makes himself available for those). So when they play together, they tend to take turns rather than enhancing each other.
By the way, I don’t think anyone on this team is good at creating those type of three point or top of the key opportunities. Josh does it occasionally off of an offensive rebound.
I absolutely agree with you! When Deuce is playing with KAT he knows that he is a starter and tries to make sure he gets his shots. Brunson on the other hand is also a starter and with that Mitch knows to set screens a roll towards the rim for a put back, lob or offensive rebound.
With Brunson on the bench they featured KAT in a way they just hadn’t. He wasn’t getting the ball 22 feet out on the wing anymore with the expectation that he would somehow dribble thirty times into a good shot. And I don’t believe Carlisle guarded him with a small once.
For personal reasons of taste i guess, I prefer Kats brand of chaos and inconsistency to Julius’- his highs are beautiful, and his faults don’t come with anger. But you’re right to compare them.
Remember in Annie Hall when Shelley Duvall says “Sex with you is really a Kafkaesque experience. I mean that as a compliment”? That’s what being a fan of these Knicks is like. Discovering an effective lineup when you’re down 13 with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd on the road behind 0-2 in the ECF is the most Thibs thing ever.
That was KAT's signature game as a Knick. He took over the game, and stepped up big time. Delon Wright took it back to when he was a quality backup PG for the Hawks. Landry freaking Shamet....was Landry freaking Shamet.
I loved the point Jeff made in the post-game about using our depth to force Carlisle's hand. They always had a fresh body on the floor while we did not, until last night.
Watch Brunson get his act together come Game 4. We're not done yet baby! Let's go Knicks!
As captain of the “give Delon Wright playoff minutes” bandwagon I am so hyped right now.
I was very down in the first half. Went to some dark places. I cursed whoever came up with Early Bird Rights, I wondered if Giannis could play the 5 for us next season, I criticized Leon for choosing this over just paying Julius. I wondered what the hell happened to the team that beat Boston. I thought they didn’t recover mentally from Game 1.
I guess silly me for questioning this team’s mental fortitude. I’m not allowing myself to get *all* my hopes back up just so I don’t get completely crushed by a Game 4 loss. After we beat Boston, I allowed myself to buy all the way in for the first time all season and we all know what happened. But I’m more optimistic now, and if we win tomorrow, I might be all the way back.
7% of teams down 2-0 have come back to win in the NBA playoffs. “Less than Zero” when down 20 or with top players picking up 4 and 3 fouls before halftime in Game 3.
At 2-1 our chances only jump to 20%. We will all take it.
Thrilled KAT and Thibs miraculously saved their jobs and desperation revealed possibilities on our bench to match Indiana’s depth.
I wrote a piece yesterday in the Down Bad article excoriating KAT & his play. And although I still stand by it based on his overall season/playoffs, last night was his shining moment in the playoffs as a Knick. Actually, the 4th quarter was his shining moment because for the first 3 quarters he was MIA! Watching Jon & others 0n the postgame say that they didn't to commit emotionally last night because of the hurt they have been bringing, I was right with you. I started the game committed, but by mid 2nd quarter i was preparing myself for the off season. When they got down by 20, I said there's no way they can do this 3 times in the playoffs, but they got it down to 13 by the half!
Now in the 3rd quarter nothing mysteriously changed as for most of it, they were still down 13-15 points. But by the end of the quarter they got it down to a 10 point deficit & I starting thinking maybe, just maybe! With JB saddled to the bench & no one else looking to provide offense on the court (Bridges had only 2, Hart hit 4 foul shots & OG didn't even attempt to take a shot!), KAT could take charge & he did with 20 points in the 4th quarter as the Knicks outscored the Pacers 36-20 in the final quarter. KAT was 6-9 from the field, 3-4 from 3, 5-6 on FTs & 8 rebounds. A truly magnificent performance in the 4th quarter!
Thibs??? WTF goes on in that mind of his???At the start of the playoffs, I was crying for more minutes for Shamet, as he had found his shooting groove in the last few regular season games & looked like he could be a good weapon off the bench. After playing 10 minutes in Game #1 vs the Pistons, his next games were 4M,3M,44 seconds, bench. So, after that he was buried in the graveyard of Thibs questionable decisions, except for garbage time minutes. Now, Delon Wright??? We all knew defensively he could add something to the rotation, but just wrote him off, because, well Thibs! Last night he played 13 solid minutes on defense & hit his only shot, a layup on a gorgeous pass from KAT. And, Cam Payne was solidly on the bench, seeing no time last night! Another good move!
So far this series is mirroring the Celtics Series, with the Knicks playing the role of the Celtics after 3 games! But, this is where that has to stop! If Game #3 was a must game, Game #4 is a MUST game. We need to go back to MSG tied 2-2 & then try to improve on our 3-5 playoff record at The Garden! What happens in Game #4? Who does Thibs play? (Be ready PJ!) Who knows? But as Dbn123 posted about this team, "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in..."! Keep pulling Knicks! @LGK
P.S.- Just a horrendous job by last night's refs. Every appeal went the wrong way. Touch fouls on the Knicks were constantly called, while the Pacers working on their WWE moves were ignored. Despite the refs incompetence, we still prevailed!
🔥 Pacers’ turn! Epic loss on their home court. Always cosmic law in action for everyone ~ expect the return 10-fold, 100-fold, 1000-fold of the same energy you put out with your choke holds and stupid t-shirts. Amazing crazy games in each playoff series: each team gets servings! Knicks, continue to be wiser and to sustain with successful achievement 🙏🏻
Fantastic win! I really hope Thibs learned something here. Wright should have been playing instead of Payne two series ago. Thibs watches the same game that we are. Shamet has been a good three and D wing in the league who shoots threes well. Thibs also should have put Deuce in much earlier. He kept him out for like almost two quarters with three fouls. Any sub on any team can play a 3-5 minute shift without things going south. And if it looks bad you take them out. Anyway. They are back in it. And I hope that Thibs goes with that defensive lineup around KAT for the same minutes. That group won them the game. OG also with a sneaky good game. Also the Nesmith injury is massive. JB torches every other one of their defenders.
There I was in the midway through the 3rd quarter looking up Indy’s cap sheet, getting ready to praise the combination of their front office and coaching staff of building a team this deep without being in apron-hell. Ready to make the point this morning that the Knicks *have* to start turning their current crop of rookies into rotation players if they want to make more deep playoff runs in future.
All of that is true, and yet the Knicks just have to go steal Game 4 and they’ll be back at MSG all tied up.
It’s going to get lost to the dustbin of history, but Ed Malloy calling that touch foul on Bridges with under 10 seconds up 4 may have been the most egregious call I’ve ever seen. That “are you fucking serious” scream in front of my 8 year old was regrettable, but warranted. Thibs needs to send that in to the league because if that’s a foul, in THAT moment, Nesmith and TJ would commit 18 fouls per game.
I was still fuming after the game about the travel Scott Foster called on KAT after Turner complained. I really thought that was going to cost us the game.
You just made your eight year old a Knicks fan for life. Congratulations and sincerely sorry.
It was an absurd call in the moment, even more than the KAT travel.
I agree with every word from both of you. Thankfully my 8 year old was asleep.
And don’t forget Brunson’s fifth foul that was clearly an offensive foul. It seemed like the refs wanted to give this game to Indy!
And on top of this it seemed the refs held the ball FOREVER to give the Pacers chances to challenge when those popped up. It was almost like ‘are you suuuureee you don’t want to challenge this play’.
I learned all my cursing from my dad watching the Knicks!
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. . . .”
Keep your friends close and the refs closer!
LOL
LET’S GOOOOOO !! Still riding the high. Give me all the Delon Wright minutes (I called for him in a previous newsletter comment this series). His navigation of Indy’s screens alongside Deuce was simply exquisite. KAT gets so much flack, which is sometimes warranted, but that was one of the best individual displays you’ll ever see. He matched the whole Pacers team in points and outrebounded them by 1 in the 4th Q. His rebounding can’t get overlooked.
That was a NY win. We are in this series. Now time to get even.
Good job by you calling for Wright!
I’m with you. I liked Wright’s minutes at the end of the season against bigger guards.
When I tell yall I was in utter DESPAIR at halftime. DESPAIR!! I had my end of the season, silver lining social media post in the drafts. And then at my darkest hour, Deuce, KAT, DELON WRIGHT, Hart and OG saved the day. Just like we all thought! LOL
As Kenny Smith said “Thibodeau wouldn’t play nine if it was a baseball game.” And yet…
Kat is the most mystifying, frustrating and sometimes divine player I can ever remember. He makes Julius look like the model of consistency. Ten seasons into his career and Kat sometimes plays like he has not learned a single thing since his Kentucky days. And yet…
Kat plays better with Deuce. Brunson plays better with Mitch. I really honestly think it’s just that simple. Deuce gets KAT the ball in better spots for him.
That’s an interesting take and likely true. But I think it is probably less about Deuce, who is not known for running the point or creating for others and more about the lack of chemistry between Brunson and Kat. One thing Julius was really good at was getting into the paint and passing to the top of the key or corners for a three. That would work well with Kat who is fond of hanging at the top of the key. But Jalen does not make that pass well (or the lob-not that Kat ever makes himself available for those). So when they play together, they tend to take turns rather than enhancing each other.
By the way, I don’t think anyone on this team is good at creating those type of three point or top of the key opportunities. Josh does it occasionally off of an offensive rebound.
I absolutely agree with you! When Deuce is playing with KAT he knows that he is a starter and tries to make sure he gets his shots. Brunson on the other hand is also a starter and with that Mitch knows to set screens a roll towards the rim for a put back, lob or offensive rebound.
With Brunson on the bench they featured KAT in a way they just hadn’t. He wasn’t getting the ball 22 feet out on the wing anymore with the expectation that he would somehow dribble thirty times into a good shot. And I don’t believe Carlisle guarded him with a small once.
For personal reasons of taste i guess, I prefer Kats brand of chaos and inconsistency to Julius’- his highs are beautiful, and his faults don’t come with anger. But you’re right to compare them.
Thibs out-Carlisle’d, Carlisle - the spamming of random lineup combos until he finally found groups that relatively worked is textbook Rick
Remember in Annie Hall when Shelley Duvall says “Sex with you is really a Kafkaesque experience. I mean that as a compliment”? That’s what being a fan of these Knicks is like. Discovering an effective lineup when you’re down 13 with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd on the road behind 0-2 in the ECF is the most Thibs thing ever.
OMG…I am dead lol
That was KAT's signature game as a Knick. He took over the game, and stepped up big time. Delon Wright took it back to when he was a quality backup PG for the Hawks. Landry freaking Shamet....was Landry freaking Shamet.
I loved the point Jeff made in the post-game about using our depth to force Carlisle's hand. They always had a fresh body on the floor while we did not, until last night.
Watch Brunson get his act together come Game 4. We're not done yet baby! Let's go Knicks!
I expect a Brunson masterpiece tonight. And that was KAT's signature game as a PRO.
As captain of the “give Delon Wright playoff minutes” bandwagon I am so hyped right now.
I was very down in the first half. Went to some dark places. I cursed whoever came up with Early Bird Rights, I wondered if Giannis could play the 5 for us next season, I criticized Leon for choosing this over just paying Julius. I wondered what the hell happened to the team that beat Boston. I thought they didn’t recover mentally from Game 1.
I guess silly me for questioning this team’s mental fortitude. I’m not allowing myself to get *all* my hopes back up just so I don’t get completely crushed by a Game 4 loss. After we beat Boston, I allowed myself to buy all the way in for the first time all season and we all know what happened. But I’m more optimistic now, and if we win tomorrow, I might be all the way back.
Take a bow!
Crazy, unbelievable game!
7% of teams down 2-0 have come back to win in the NBA playoffs. “Less than Zero” when down 20 or with top players picking up 4 and 3 fouls before halftime in Game 3.
At 2-1 our chances only jump to 20%. We will all take it.
Thrilled KAT and Thibs miraculously saved their jobs and desperation revealed possibilities on our bench to match Indiana’s depth.
The rollercoaster ride continues.
Go NY, Go NY, Go
🏀🏀🏀
I wrote a piece yesterday in the Down Bad article excoriating KAT & his play. And although I still stand by it based on his overall season/playoffs, last night was his shining moment in the playoffs as a Knick. Actually, the 4th quarter was his shining moment because for the first 3 quarters he was MIA! Watching Jon & others 0n the postgame say that they didn't to commit emotionally last night because of the hurt they have been bringing, I was right with you. I started the game committed, but by mid 2nd quarter i was preparing myself for the off season. When they got down by 20, I said there's no way they can do this 3 times in the playoffs, but they got it down to 13 by the half!
Now in the 3rd quarter nothing mysteriously changed as for most of it, they were still down 13-15 points. But by the end of the quarter they got it down to a 10 point deficit & I starting thinking maybe, just maybe! With JB saddled to the bench & no one else looking to provide offense on the court (Bridges had only 2, Hart hit 4 foul shots & OG didn't even attempt to take a shot!), KAT could take charge & he did with 20 points in the 4th quarter as the Knicks outscored the Pacers 36-20 in the final quarter. KAT was 6-9 from the field, 3-4 from 3, 5-6 on FTs & 8 rebounds. A truly magnificent performance in the 4th quarter!
Thibs??? WTF goes on in that mind of his???At the start of the playoffs, I was crying for more minutes for Shamet, as he had found his shooting groove in the last few regular season games & looked like he could be a good weapon off the bench. After playing 10 minutes in Game #1 vs the Pistons, his next games were 4M,3M,44 seconds, bench. So, after that he was buried in the graveyard of Thibs questionable decisions, except for garbage time minutes. Now, Delon Wright??? We all knew defensively he could add something to the rotation, but just wrote him off, because, well Thibs! Last night he played 13 solid minutes on defense & hit his only shot, a layup on a gorgeous pass from KAT. And, Cam Payne was solidly on the bench, seeing no time last night! Another good move!
So far this series is mirroring the Celtics Series, with the Knicks playing the role of the Celtics after 3 games! But, this is where that has to stop! If Game #3 was a must game, Game #4 is a MUST game. We need to go back to MSG tied 2-2 & then try to improve on our 3-5 playoff record at The Garden! What happens in Game #4? Who does Thibs play? (Be ready PJ!) Who knows? But as Dbn123 posted about this team, "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in..."! Keep pulling Knicks! @LGK
P.S.- Just a horrendous job by last night's refs. Every appeal went the wrong way. Touch fouls on the Knicks were constantly called, while the Pacers working on their WWE moves were ignored. Despite the refs incompetence, we still prevailed!
I think Thibs only made the moves because of the foul trouble. He is one stubborn bastard.
"...you scream, I'm a hemophiliac!' and when he turns away in disgust, that's when it's time to kick some back!" ~ Homer Simpson
“Like a moth to the flame burnt by the fire”
🦋🔥 https://youtu.be/u9n7Cw-4_HQ?si=9X_iXEyLWVj76AbE
🔥 Pacers’ turn! Epic loss on their home court. Always cosmic law in action for everyone ~ expect the return 10-fold, 100-fold, 1000-fold of the same energy you put out with your choke holds and stupid t-shirts. Amazing crazy games in each playoff series: each team gets servings! Knicks, continue to be wiser and to sustain with successful achievement 🙏🏻
Let’s do it again 💖
Fantastic win! I really hope Thibs learned something here. Wright should have been playing instead of Payne two series ago. Thibs watches the same game that we are. Shamet has been a good three and D wing in the league who shoots threes well. Thibs also should have put Deuce in much earlier. He kept him out for like almost two quarters with three fouls. Any sub on any team can play a 3-5 minute shift without things going south. And if it looks bad you take them out. Anyway. They are back in it. And I hope that Thibs goes with that defensive lineup around KAT for the same minutes. That group won them the game. OG also with a sneaky good game. Also the Nesmith injury is massive. JB torches every other one of their defenders.
There I was in the midway through the 3rd quarter looking up Indy’s cap sheet, getting ready to praise the combination of their front office and coaching staff of building a team this deep without being in apron-hell. Ready to make the point this morning that the Knicks *have* to start turning their current crop of rookies into rotation players if they want to make more deep playoff runs in future.
All of that is true, and yet the Knicks just have to go steal Game 4 and they’ll be back at MSG all tied up.