My off topic fun fact is that in a game that never looked close for most of the 4th quarter, the most minutes, a total of 43, were played by…Jason Tatum.
Besides the fact that we’re missing three starters, it’s also important to consider that the Piston acquisitions haven’t found their footing yet. Each has had one good game. If they can get comfortable and start to produce at the same time (hopefully playing the bottom-feeder they used to call home is a step in that direction), it will go a long way toward keeping us afloat or better while we wait for OG and Randle. We need Bogey to be his 15-20 PPG self, and we need Burks to be ‘20-21 Burks.
Hang on, get healthy, be in the groove when the playoffs start. I think OG will fit right in immediately, Julius needs a few games to find his way, I doubt we see Mitch until next year.
Julius will want to play, but Knicks have to look at the big picture which means he may be out until next year.
For me, games like tonight's are always the ones I fear. A loss will be seen as catastrophic and fodder for all national podcasts to do a segment on the Knicks (without fully accounting for the fact that they're missing their starting C, three time All Star PF and defensive ace at SF). Meanwhile, the fanbase will go crazy if it isn't a blow out.
Up until this point, this team has been able to avoid trap games for the most part, but they don't always make it look easy. I would be surprised if this one isn't close (at least for awhile), but will be grateful if they get the win.
We remain exactly where I figured we’d be at the start of the season, heading in to 49.5 (50) wins. We’re winning the games we’re supposed to win, for the most part, and beating more than our share of teams in “toss-ups” and giving the rest a run for their money. Injury decimated, this team works because they leave nothing on the table… sometimes to their own detriment, admittedly, but largely bc our depth is nonexistent at this point. Just imagining a lineup that includes POA D in the backcourt AND frontcourt with rim protection when we’re healthy should scare the hell out of the 99% of the league.
And along those lines, I’ll tell you a non-secret - I want to take on the Celtics in the ECF. I do not believe they are unbeatable. In fact, I think they are easier to take down in a long series than in a single game. Brunson showed us a bit of the way at the start of the game. He attacked Porzingis. I know this seems counterintuitive- KP is a decent defender and longer than my sentences, has some mobility. Offenses avoid him, bc on any single play he’s got a very good shot at stopping almost anyone. But it isn’t about any single play… it’s about chipping away at him over time. He gets frustrated, and timid when things aren’t working out for him. He backed off a ton when attacked, giving Brunson room bc he didn’t want to foul or get blown by. He avoids fouls - so we should make that an issue. Our bigs should play him physically. Our forwards should attack him on drives and force him to foul or make a play. He should be targeted by everyone bc, in my opinion, he is the weakest link mentally and gets into his own head when he struggles. We have to kneecap him psychologically. I’d say we should do so physically, but snakes have no knees.
So, I hear you on the long series vs 1 game thing. It's not nuts, and this celtics team is not unbeatable because they don't have a closer. All that being said, I'm more worried about preventing them from having 2-3 offensive performances that are so good that nothing you do on either end is going to matter. Let's say they only get 2 of those. Then they just need to win 2 more games with their defense / closing out a tight game / hoping the other team has bad shooting luck / etc.
Definitely not an easy task. Not at all. They are not an easy team to beat… and they have far too many weapons for my taste. I’ll be honest… the two players that actually scare me on that team in a series are Jrue, for mental toughness, and White, bc that bald, mad gnome is insanely disruptive. I think we have the defensive pieces to make it hard on Tatum and Brown. And as I’ve said before, I don’t think the Celtics are a mentally tough team that has had to handle any adversity… they’re just out-talenting everyone. Knocked on their ass and challenged - like Jimmy Butler does every damn time he gets his Big Brother Bully act on - and most of them struggle. But Jrue gives them that mental toughness and leadership, if they listen to him (which is not a given). So no, not at all easy. But I’m thinking of it this way - if they have to hope that the we have bad shooting luck, then it’s already a much closer series than most folks are crediting. And if it comes down to their D closing us out or tight games, then we’re in it. And if healthy, they have to be saying the same thing - they have to be worried about JB and JR having 2-3 offensive performances that are so good that they can’t stop them for a couple games and finding themselves pressed to score against a defense that, however briefly, was at/near the top in the league when we had OG. This is no longer David vs Goliath, or even Tyson v Buster Douglas. This is closer to Tyson v Holyfield. They just haven’t been hit enough to know it yet.
Agree they are not the most mentally tough group. Also agree we'd be in it all the way if we're healthy. I just have them as a clear East favorite at this point, and while I wouldn't count us out by any mean, I'd make us clear underdogs. Tyson Holyfield is a great comp!
I was in favor of the trade but both Burks and Bogey have looked really bad on defense. Hopefully, they will settle in. Was originally assuming that Deuce and Precious would be phased out when JR, OG and Mitch return. But, now wondering if Deuce and Precious will be ahead of Burks and Bogey. Hopefully, Thibs will embrace all the optionality.
After a touch stretch of games I want to bring back up a comment I relayed following the win against the Jazz during our win streak. The short version is that we need to realize that when healthy this is a good, potentially great team with a chance to do something special..
"Having had a few days to to think about things - and listening the GMAC/Mensa post-game pod after the Jazz game - made me realize this team could win a title right now - not saying they will but they can. And I say this because of what we just saw in January. 14-2 and just flat out destroying teams earns you that distinction. Now I don't think they will continue to play like that (they won't) or that they won't have losing streaks or horrible stretches of basketball (they will). Since the OG trade the Knicks have shown they have the right mix of players to complete and beat just about any team in the league. And not just as a one-off where you catch a team on a night where they are off their game because the way the Knicks play defense it is in their DNA to get teams off their game. Basically, I'm at the point where I'm saying "Why not us?" but doing so in a way that isn't whimsical or just playing around. I'm saying "Why not us?" because we are that good and the idea of us winning it all should be taken seriously."
We all keep saying the Knicks need to get healthy, and obviously that’s true. My worry is that this won’t or can’t happen until the offseason. If Randle needs surgery on his shoulder to really get back to 100%, but he wants to play through the pain, the Knicks are kind of stuck where they were last year in the Heat series.
And you might say, “But Daniel, this year’s team will have OG instead of RJ.” And you’d be right.
But RJ played absolutely out of his mind in the playoffs last year. So with a banged up Randle, the Knicks are kind of in the same boat this year as they were last year. Divincenzo instead of Grimes, Bojan/Burks instead of Quickley, likely Precious instead of Mitchell Robinson.
Are they better in some spots? Sure. Are they worse in others? Even the most optimistic has to say yes.
And all this in the best year of Brunson’s career. Does he get better next year? Can he even get better? We can’t know. It just stinks that injuries are likely to rob us of knowing how good the Knicks could have been this year.
I hear you, but even considering the year JB is having and how good they looked after the OG trade, my mind never went over to "this is the year". I have always thought and still think that our window opens in full next season, which is probably why I'm taking all of the injuries in stride more than most.
Not that I’ve ever known you to lie on this Substack or in your podcast, but you can’t really be totally honest with me if you’re saying you watched this team go 14-2 in January and didn’t think that they moved their window up to possibly include this year.
I thought (and still think) they upped their title chances from 0% to something above 0%, but that number never got very high for me. *Maybe* close to 5%? I just have too much respect for NBA history and the way the vast majority of tile teams are constructed, which is that if you don't have a top 3-5 player, you need multiple all-timers in their prime or relative prime. So I guess what I'm saying is that I still think Jalen needs a better No. 2 than Julius.
so let's split the difference. I think it's fair and reasonable to suggest that during the 14-2 stretch the concept became "this could be the year." Note, not saying "is the year" cause I don't think anyone feels that way. But a fully healthy team, with the additions, I still think we could match up with anyone. Losing 5 of 6 while not even being close to full strength hasn't deterred me from that notion.
My off topic fun fact is that in a game that never looked close for most of the 4th quarter, the most minutes, a total of 43, were played by…Jason Tatum.
Brunson played 38.
Besides the fact that we’re missing three starters, it’s also important to consider that the Piston acquisitions haven’t found their footing yet. Each has had one good game. If they can get comfortable and start to produce at the same time (hopefully playing the bottom-feeder they used to call home is a step in that direction), it will go a long way toward keeping us afloat or better while we wait for OG and Randle. We need Bogey to be his 15-20 PPG self, and we need Burks to be ‘20-21 Burks.
Great point. I expect both Bogey and Burks to look better as time goes by.
Hang on, get healthy, be in the groove when the playoffs start. I think OG will fit right in immediately, Julius needs a few games to find his way, I doubt we see Mitch until next year.
Julius will want to play, but Knicks have to look at the big picture which means he may be out until next year.
For me, games like tonight's are always the ones I fear. A loss will be seen as catastrophic and fodder for all national podcasts to do a segment on the Knicks (without fully accounting for the fact that they're missing their starting C, three time All Star PF and defensive ace at SF). Meanwhile, the fanbase will go crazy if it isn't a blow out.
Up until this point, this team has been able to avoid trap games for the most part, but they don't always make it look easy. I would be surprised if this one isn't close (at least for awhile), but will be grateful if they get the win.
We remain exactly where I figured we’d be at the start of the season, heading in to 49.5 (50) wins. We’re winning the games we’re supposed to win, for the most part, and beating more than our share of teams in “toss-ups” and giving the rest a run for their money. Injury decimated, this team works because they leave nothing on the table… sometimes to their own detriment, admittedly, but largely bc our depth is nonexistent at this point. Just imagining a lineup that includes POA D in the backcourt AND frontcourt with rim protection when we’re healthy should scare the hell out of the 99% of the league.
And along those lines, I’ll tell you a non-secret - I want to take on the Celtics in the ECF. I do not believe they are unbeatable. In fact, I think they are easier to take down in a long series than in a single game. Brunson showed us a bit of the way at the start of the game. He attacked Porzingis. I know this seems counterintuitive- KP is a decent defender and longer than my sentences, has some mobility. Offenses avoid him, bc on any single play he’s got a very good shot at stopping almost anyone. But it isn’t about any single play… it’s about chipping away at him over time. He gets frustrated, and timid when things aren’t working out for him. He backed off a ton when attacked, giving Brunson room bc he didn’t want to foul or get blown by. He avoids fouls - so we should make that an issue. Our bigs should play him physically. Our forwards should attack him on drives and force him to foul or make a play. He should be targeted by everyone bc, in my opinion, he is the weakest link mentally and gets into his own head when he struggles. We have to kneecap him psychologically. I’d say we should do so physically, but snakes have no knees.
So, I hear you on the long series vs 1 game thing. It's not nuts, and this celtics team is not unbeatable because they don't have a closer. All that being said, I'm more worried about preventing them from having 2-3 offensive performances that are so good that nothing you do on either end is going to matter. Let's say they only get 2 of those. Then they just need to win 2 more games with their defense / closing out a tight game / hoping the other team has bad shooting luck / etc.
Definitely not an easy task. Not at all. They are not an easy team to beat… and they have far too many weapons for my taste. I’ll be honest… the two players that actually scare me on that team in a series are Jrue, for mental toughness, and White, bc that bald, mad gnome is insanely disruptive. I think we have the defensive pieces to make it hard on Tatum and Brown. And as I’ve said before, I don’t think the Celtics are a mentally tough team that has had to handle any adversity… they’re just out-talenting everyone. Knocked on their ass and challenged - like Jimmy Butler does every damn time he gets his Big Brother Bully act on - and most of them struggle. But Jrue gives them that mental toughness and leadership, if they listen to him (which is not a given). So no, not at all easy. But I’m thinking of it this way - if they have to hope that the we have bad shooting luck, then it’s already a much closer series than most folks are crediting. And if it comes down to their D closing us out or tight games, then we’re in it. And if healthy, they have to be saying the same thing - they have to be worried about JB and JR having 2-3 offensive performances that are so good that they can’t stop them for a couple games and finding themselves pressed to score against a defense that, however briefly, was at/near the top in the league when we had OG. This is no longer David vs Goliath, or even Tyson v Buster Douglas. This is closer to Tyson v Holyfield. They just haven’t been hit enough to know it yet.
Agree they are not the most mentally tough group. Also agree we'd be in it all the way if we're healthy. I just have them as a clear East favorite at this point, and while I wouldn't count us out by any mean, I'd make us clear underdogs. Tyson Holyfield is a great comp!
I was in favor of the trade but both Burks and Bogey have looked really bad on defense. Hopefully, they will settle in. Was originally assuming that Deuce and Precious would be phased out when JR, OG and Mitch return. But, now wondering if Deuce and Precious will be ahead of Burks and Bogey. Hopefully, Thibs will embrace all the optionality.
After a touch stretch of games I want to bring back up a comment I relayed following the win against the Jazz during our win streak. The short version is that we need to realize that when healthy this is a good, potentially great team with a chance to do something special..
"Having had a few days to to think about things - and listening the GMAC/Mensa post-game pod after the Jazz game - made me realize this team could win a title right now - not saying they will but they can. And I say this because of what we just saw in January. 14-2 and just flat out destroying teams earns you that distinction. Now I don't think they will continue to play like that (they won't) or that they won't have losing streaks or horrible stretches of basketball (they will). Since the OG trade the Knicks have shown they have the right mix of players to complete and beat just about any team in the league. And not just as a one-off where you catch a team on a night where they are off their game because the way the Knicks play defense it is in their DNA to get teams off their game. Basically, I'm at the point where I'm saying "Why not us?" but doing so in a way that isn't whimsical or just playing around. I'm saying "Why not us?" because we are that good and the idea of us winning it all should be taken seriously."
We all keep saying the Knicks need to get healthy, and obviously that’s true. My worry is that this won’t or can’t happen until the offseason. If Randle needs surgery on his shoulder to really get back to 100%, but he wants to play through the pain, the Knicks are kind of stuck where they were last year in the Heat series.
And you might say, “But Daniel, this year’s team will have OG instead of RJ.” And you’d be right.
But RJ played absolutely out of his mind in the playoffs last year. So with a banged up Randle, the Knicks are kind of in the same boat this year as they were last year. Divincenzo instead of Grimes, Bojan/Burks instead of Quickley, likely Precious instead of Mitchell Robinson.
Are they better in some spots? Sure. Are they worse in others? Even the most optimistic has to say yes.
And all this in the best year of Brunson’s career. Does he get better next year? Can he even get better? We can’t know. It just stinks that injuries are likely to rob us of knowing how good the Knicks could have been this year.
I hear you, but even considering the year JB is having and how good they looked after the OG trade, my mind never went over to "this is the year". I have always thought and still think that our window opens in full next season, which is probably why I'm taking all of the injuries in stride more than most.
Not that I’ve ever known you to lie on this Substack or in your podcast, but you can’t really be totally honest with me if you’re saying you watched this team go 14-2 in January and didn’t think that they moved their window up to possibly include this year.
I thought (and still think) they upped their title chances from 0% to something above 0%, but that number never got very high for me. *Maybe* close to 5%? I just have too much respect for NBA history and the way the vast majority of tile teams are constructed, which is that if you don't have a top 3-5 player, you need multiple all-timers in their prime or relative prime. So I guess what I'm saying is that I still think Jalen needs a better No. 2 than Julius.
so let's split the difference. I think it's fair and reasonable to suggest that during the 14-2 stretch the concept became "this could be the year." Note, not saying "is the year" cause I don't think anyone feels that way. But a fully healthy team, with the additions, I still think we could match up with anyone. Losing 5 of 6 while not even being close to full strength hasn't deterred me from that notion.
I agree with you. My only point is that I don’t think we see “fully healthy” until a few weeks into the start of next season.
can't argue with that - but probably looking at a somewhat different team by the start of next season - can't see iHart/Precious/Mitch all being here