Life Without OG

It looks like the Knicks will be without their starting wing for at least the next two games. Today, I go in depth on how they can survive his absense.

Good morning. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to start this newsletter off on a personal note…

Today is my 41st birthday. As those who have followed me for some time know, this is not a fact I’m usually up for sharing, mostly because I don’t like attention and would just as soon pretend like it’s any other day.

The reason I’m bringing it up here is that today begins my 32nd year watching, rooting for, living and dying by this basketball team. Over that time, like most of you reading, I’ve experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

But in all that time, I’ve never felt the way about a basketball team that I do about this one, and I’ve never felt the way after a game that I did after Wednesday night. It may have come two days early, but that was the best birthday present I’ve ever received, and frankly, there’s none I could imagine cherishing more.

Sports shouldn’t hold this level of outsized importance in our lives. That goes triply so for me, someone lucky enough to have a wife that I love and adore and two children who light up my world. And yet, there is something about my connection to this team that defies logic. Again, I say this here because I know this is only place in the world where people will get where I’m coming from and not think they’re reading the words of a complete and total loon. Here, lunacy is not only allowed, but a requirement for admission.

To stick with a team for this long, and be left disappointed so often, it can leave you beaten down…wondering, as I wrote yesterday, when the other shoe will drop.

(I’m choosing to believe that this final rash of injuries is not that other shoe)

Even with the ultimate result of this series still in doubt, I can confidently say that nothing they do (or don’t do) from here on in will diminish what they’ve already given us, not just in how they have made us feel today, but in the memories we’ll carry on for as many birthdays as we’re all lucky enough to celebrate.

Last but certainly not least, I’m so thankful that I get to share this day with all of you, the only community of people I’ve ever really felt like I belonged to. Thank you for allowing me to try and put these experiences into words. I hope, as always, the best is yet to come.

- Jonathan

Game Night

TONIGHT: Knicks at Pacers, 7 pm, ESPN

SUNDAY: Knicks at Pacers, 3:30 pm, ABC

Halftime: No Zoom tonight, but I’ll be back on Sunday. Here’s the link.

Injury Report: We have a bit more clarity on the injury situations for both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, but not much.

Brunson is listed as questionable for Game 3 while OG has already been ruled out. Woj is also reporting that Anunoby is likely out for Sunday’s Game 4 as well as New York continues to evaluate his situation. There has been no further information given on the degree of OG’s hamstring strain. We can bet that internally, the Knicks are preparing to be without Anunoby for the foreseeable future.

For more information on what else we may be able to expect, check out my conversation with Dr. Brian Sutterer on yesterday’s KFS Pod.

What to watch for: Pretty simple: Does Brunson give it a go, and if so, how effective will he be? According to Dr. Sutterer, this sort of foot injury will most significantly impact JB’s side to side movement, which is not only a massive part of his offensive game, but his defensive responsibilities against Indiana as well.

I’ll have more thoughts on the other trickle down effects of these injuries below, but first, one more round of applause for the heroes of Game 2…

💫 Stars of the Game 💫

A day late and a dollar short, but let’s hand out some hardware…

⭐️ Donte DiVincenzo

⭐️ Josh Hart

⭐️ OG Anunoby

⭐️ Isaiah Hartenstein

Rules are made to be broken.