As depressing as this newsletter was to read, we are up 2-1 going into Game 4. I think we need to let that sink in. We've got the talent - and, it seems, the newfound grit - to win tonight.
The game on Saturday was brutal. But so was the Cavs-Pacers Game 3, which had everyone saying the Cavs were now back and about to steamroll the Pacers...until Game 4 came around.
So, let's have some hope. Playoff basketball is fun because it's unpredictable. Based on the wins we've seen so far, I've got a feeling this team has at least one more in them (with, yes, Hart at the very center of it all, too).
* (with the possible exception of our starting center - who forgets the defensive assignment immediately at tip. Defense wins championships.)
Also, the reason KAT doesn’t get a favorable whistle is he puts the ball too far in front of himself. Tatum has been anticipating where it will be almost every time. I’ve complained about his whistle all year, but he hasn’t deserved it all series
As much as ppl are stuck on his scoring, I've always thought this to be a "little things" series for him. The response to having Tatum and Dru on him is the glass.
Jonathan, I wish you were sitting next to Thibs at tonight’s game as your suggestions are probably the only way the Knicks stand a snowballs chance of winning. Many fans on this board (and others in my Knick universe) have said the same thing about getting Mitch on the court in the early part of the quarters.
If Boston wants to continue fouling Robinson immediately at least the Knicks will be in the bonus immediately.
PS—unless Robinson spends every waking moment at the foul line this Summer, he is going to be of limited use to the Knicks or any team they might decide to trade him for him.
I guarantee you Mitch spends a lot of time working on free throws, and I bet he hits them in practice. But in the games, it's a different story.
But to me, you live with 4-12 from the line. It's the same as going 2-6 from the floor. Big fucking whoop! I'll take that from an elite defender and offensive rebounder.
Another thing - keep putting him on the line, Celtics. Keep giving him practice at taking high pressure, high adrenaline free throws. There's a pretty good chance he'll get better at it as the series goes on. Maybe that won't happen, but that happening is our best shot to go all the way this season.
Here's an entirely plausible scenario: The Knicks play Mitch 30 minutes. He takes 18 free throws and hits 10 of them and the Knicks win by 1 point and are up 3-1.
I too can appreciate Thibs' "Stay the course" mentality. He's not quick to change and while that's frustrating sometimes, in the long term I think it's good.
But starting Mitch would not be a quick change. This starting lineup, though it can finish games well, has not been starting games well since the midpoint of the season. I feel like they never jump out to a lead.
Watching that game yesterday, I saw a Celtics team that had chemistry on offense. They got into a groove which they hadn't managed to find so far in this series. The Knicks looked a step slow and failed to disrupt the Celtics chemistry. That's OK. The Celtics do this.
Theoretically the Knicks starting lineup could play 5 out and do what the Celtics do. But they don't do that, unless the opposing defense is trash.
The Celtics came out determined and focused, as you would expect. Had Thibs made the move to start Mitch, it would have been like Reed walking out from that tunnel (Temu version, but still). The Celtics would have had a little "Oh shit" to start the game. Might have been a whole different scenario.
I have long been an advocate of starting the game with the best defenders. You don't want the other team to get comfortable, because it's hard to get them uncomfortable once they're comfortable. But what's really frustrating is that the Knicks' starting lineup, with it's 5 supposedly best offensive players, doesn't even play good offense against good defensive teams.
Honestly, I don't think it matters whether he sits Hart or Mikal. It could work either way.
As for the free throws, well, Mitch shot 4-12 which sounds terrible, except it's like shooting 2-6 from the field. It's not a good percentage but it's not a game killer for a plus defensive player, especially when you consider the offensive rebounds.
Also not trying to be hyperbolic, but these next three games also seem like the most consequential since the turn of the century.
Depending on how they go, it may lead to:
1) Thibs getting fired
2) Someone in the FO getting fired
3) Bridges/KAT on the trade block
4) Thibs having job security through his contract
5) No one in the FO getting fired
6) Bridges extended, KAT not on the trade block
If they get blown out these next three games, then we won't really interpret Games 1 and 2 as much more than really fun flukey finishes to games, but still -- the team just isn't good enough and last offseason was a failure/the coach can't make the adjustment.
If they dare to pull off two more wins, we'll see the FO's vision of a contender finally worth it + maybe the acquisition/opportunity cost of the trades as not bad. Thibs cemented as teh coach.
If they lose but its competitive? Probably the above.
Its definitely the most likely, despite whatever result there is. I find KAT's trade value to be a riddle. Hard to understand what it is -- ironically, Randle's was as well. lol
As William Goldman (screenwriter and Knicks fan extraordinaire) once said about Hollywood, “nobody knows anything.” Anyone who predicts how the 2024-2045 Knicks will play on a given night is either kidding themselves or a fool. This team is inscrutable. The healthiest approach is to hope for the best, and expect the worst. I will cheer when something good happens and yell at the refs, but I am through scratching my head at them. If they lay it all out on the floor or don’t, I won’t be surprised.
Basketball is mysterious! That's what I love about it. Put the right group of guys on the floor and they all exceed expectations. At the same time, some groups of very good to great players never get great as a team.
We all would have signed up for being up 2-1 after three games. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned it, but we are up 2-1. I still have faith.
I really hope we go back to the switching scheme from the jump. Just like Games 1 and 2 weren’t only about Boston missing shots, Game 3 wasn’t only about them making shots. I could tell from the first few minutes the kinds of shots they were getting were different. They felt comfortable and more in rhythm. Switching has kept them in check. Don’t go away from that.
Momentum does not carry over between games in a series. If it did, we would have blown Boston out on Saturday. Execute defensively, make shots and we will be fine. Come out with desperation like the Pacers did last night. I was disappointed to hear Brunson say they were “subconsciously satisfied” being up 2-0. You can’t give away playoff games like that. Job’s not finished.
I like you. I like the effort. I like how every Knick fan ( including me ) are searching for that key change of strategy which will make it all better. Mitchell Robinson is not the answer to unlocking anyone’s offense, let alone our Knicks. Our next win will come from hitting more shots than they do. How many open threes did we clank in the first quarter. The opportunities were there. We didn’t hit the shot, they could hardly miss. Bingo, a blowout. then let the angsty analysis begin. Hit the open man who hits the open shot. Then get back on D and get into their faces. Play basketball. That’s all the Celtics did Saturday. Either we start or we go home.
Can we make the chicken salad from chicken feathers. Who are we shaken in that really makes up the imbalance. Deuce can't handle Pritchard ( I recall we both were hoping for Harold Bane but…..). We don’t have the ammo. BTW, you gave up on draft analysis way too early. Your interviews with Okoro, Bane, and Vessel were superb.
The simple fact is you can throw all the numbers out. This team does not win or lose pretty. Totally support your Mitch idea as you know you're going to have have Mitch logging minutes, why not log those minutes early and as you noted and force the Celts to get in an early penalty scenario if the choose to hack? My dark mind has already drifted to the internal debate of if it is better to win two games and then get swept by the Celts or just simply get swept as many of us expected us to. I know, that's not living in the moment or soaking up the joy but...I've been a Knick fan all 51 of my years on this planet, so I have trauma. In the end, I think we're playing with house money at this point and as tragic a missed opportunity it would be to lose unceremoniously after hopes were elevated (and as bad as I want this series particularly with all the other top seeds appearing to be vulnerable)...this would still be progress. That being said...LFG win this series and make some more teams uncomfortable.
My mind goes to similar places, but they have a REAL chance to make the Finals this year. Shit, a twisted ankle from the wrong opponent might be enough. Just [find a way to] win, baby.
For no reason at all, I went on fanspo and made a four-way trade where we get Giannis/Dillon Brooks, PHX gets KAT, HOU gets Bridges and Durant, and MIL gets Sengun/Eason/Shepherd. A man can dream.
This was never going to be easy and being up 2-1 even with most of this series being controlled by the Celtics is all that matters. Look at Cleveland right now down 3-1, okc is in a dogfight with a nuggets team playing with it seems 5 or 6 guys so this is our chance. Tonight i wouldn't say is a must win but its as big a game I can remember, I sort of expected a game 3 shellacking by boston so again tonight is the night. I have always felt this game tonight will be tight and have to hope our best player is better then theirs. I believe in this team and this coach and tonight I hope to see this continued dream continue!! Lets go Knicks!
"Play tonight like it's win or go home, because that's exactly how it feels." Certainly has that feeling in the last 48 hours. From the high of pregame Saturday afternoon to the lowest of lows after the game, the rollercoaster season of the 2024-25 Knicks continues! After every game, Jon & the rest of us try to come up with reasons as to why the Knicks didn't do this or why certain players aren't playing up to their potential. It's exhausting! There was NO fire coming out for Game 3 from the Knicks, as it was easy to see that the Celtics came out with a resolve to win the game! When you only have 1 & 1/2(Hart) alphas in the starting lineup, it's hard to light that fire. KAT, by his size alone, will usually put up numbers in the double/double range or close to it! But he's as far from an alpha as a 7 footer could be! Now OG has completely disappeared the last 2 games. He took 6 shots on Saturday, scoring all of 2 points. He had zero fouls in the game, not the way OG usually plays defense. Bridges finished at 6-10, but missed shots early when we were still in (for a VERY short time!). Hart is hit or miss offensively & was 3-9 with an 0-3 on 3's. We were 5-25 on 3's while the Celtics were 20-40. Not a winning formula.
And Jon, I'd argue that the defense was somewhat resurrected in Game 2, but it disappeared again in Game 3. Way too many uncontested 3's for the Celtics (and if this had been an area that was addressed by Thibs, they've tuned him out!). Tonight, they need to come out & be competitive in the first half. Maybe even have a lead going into halftime! Everybody has to step up tonight or win or go home becomes a distinct reality! Just a sidebar- watching last night's Pacers/Cavs game, reminded me how pissed I was when Leon traded Obi Toppin for 2028/2029 2nd round picks. I always felt Thibs was behind it, as he could never find a way to use Obi correctly, as Rick Carlisle has done! Thibs always had a hardon for Obi & if Obi made one mistake, Thibs was pulling him out of the game. Imagine for a second, if we had kept him & he was coming off our bench. The big wing I & others kept praying Leon would add this season. Kid just needed a coach that would believe in him, not one who didn't (Didn't the same thing happen with KAT in Minnesota?).
My only contribution here is that Knicks fans calling for Mitch to start--and I'm more or less there myself, though slightly more in favor of Deuce--are also calling for 15+ Precious minutes when Mitch picks up fouls. That's a package deal. I'm okay with that, but I need to hear ppl say THAT out loud; before they trot up into the post-game all self righteous about a Precious and KAT disaster on defense.
If Mitch starts and plays 30 minutes instead of 20, how does that make it MORE likely that Precious plays more minutes? Mitch's extra 10 minutes would come at the expense of some combo of Kat, OG, Hart, and Mikal. If he's in foul trouble, those guys will play more - like they are now. The only reason you'd see Precious is if both Mitch AND Kat are in foul trouble, or if Kat was in foul trouble and the Knicks wanted to get Mitch off the floor because of Hack-a-Mitch.
I believe Thibs would view starting Mitch as a commitment to the double big approach rather than merely benching Hart. Playing Precious in a backup role would come with that commitment.
There are rotation changes that are needed to give us a better shot, I agree with you, but it honestly feels like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. There’s a reason Knicks are significant underdogs, and it’s not the tactical proclivities of our coach. The talent disparity is real. And I’m honestly coming to terms with the fact that we shouldn’t freak out. This Knicks team is not in final form, and it’s no shame that we’re just not as good as this year’s Celtics, who are a machine.
You're not entirely wrong. And to add to what you're saying, the Knicks must play a near-perfect series to win. The Cs have a much larger margin of error. The balance observers must strike is holding the team "accountable" for staying disciplined and on the path without dogging it for imperfections.
That said, "the game tells you what to do" is either true or false. And it often seems like our coach, who has made those words famous among the fanbase, can be too stubborn or vain to wear his hearing aid. He is acting like he cannot hear the game screaming at him that Hart may be a 25-35 minute player this series. (That one will resonate with those who have grand/parents at that age.) He's riding Hart out of devotion and not analysis.
I think we need to be fair and let the series play out before blaming it on the coach. If he makes no adjustments and we keep getting crushed, by all means. If he tries lots of stuff and we still get crushed, then it’s more complicated. We know that it’s going to be the annoying middle ground where he tries stuff too late (game 5 or 6), which puts us in the gray area lol
We have months of data now on the starters. It's less a question of whether to do something, but what to do. That could involve leaving the same guys in at tipoff and going to the bench earlier and longer. But we effectively know the staus quo cannot hold.
Also, that said, as I mentioned in a Substack thread, the best starting lineup would probably swap Mitch for KAT and Deuce for Hart. We obviously know KAT is starting, but its worth discussing
Was it God's punishment for going to a game on Shabbat. I don't think so. I've gone too many and played too many days of golf on Saturdays as well. Wanted to send you pictures of the garden from the inside Macri but didn't have the email. Everyone cheered even when we were down 25 and then went down to 23 and my buddy and I looked at each other like really are you kidding? This was the worst game I have ever sat through live in many years of watching the Knicks and being at the Knicks. Can we get off the floor like Indiana did yesterday, not if we played the way we played. Let us hope for the best. Let us pray. Amen
As depressing as this newsletter was to read, we are up 2-1 going into Game 4. I think we need to let that sink in. We've got the talent - and, it seems, the newfound grit - to win tonight.
The game on Saturday was brutal. But so was the Cavs-Pacers Game 3, which had everyone saying the Cavs were now back and about to steamroll the Pacers...until Game 4 came around.
So, let's have some hope. Playoff basketball is fun because it's unpredictable. Based on the wins we've seen so far, I've got a feeling this team has at least one more in them (with, yes, Hart at the very center of it all, too).
preach it/
WE BUILT FOR THIS*
* (with the possible exception of our starting center - who forgets the defensive assignment immediately at tip. Defense wins championships.)
Also, the reason KAT doesn’t get a favorable whistle is he puts the ball too far in front of himself. Tatum has been anticipating where it will be almost every time. I’ve complained about his whistle all year, but he hasn’t deserved it all series
As much as ppl are stuck on his scoring, I've always thought this to be a "little things" series for him. The response to having Tatum and Dru on him is the glass.
Jonathan, I wish you were sitting next to Thibs at tonight’s game as your suggestions are probably the only way the Knicks stand a snowballs chance of winning. Many fans on this board (and others in my Knick universe) have said the same thing about getting Mitch on the court in the early part of the quarters.
If Boston wants to continue fouling Robinson immediately at least the Knicks will be in the bonus immediately.
PS—unless Robinson spends every waking moment at the foul line this Summer, he is going to be of limited use to the Knicks or any team they might decide to trade him for him.
I guarantee you Mitch spends a lot of time working on free throws, and I bet he hits them in practice. But in the games, it's a different story.
But to me, you live with 4-12 from the line. It's the same as going 2-6 from the floor. Big fucking whoop! I'll take that from an elite defender and offensive rebounder.
Another thing - keep putting him on the line, Celtics. Keep giving him practice at taking high pressure, high adrenaline free throws. There's a pretty good chance he'll get better at it as the series goes on. Maybe that won't happen, but that happening is our best shot to go all the way this season.
Here's an entirely plausible scenario: The Knicks play Mitch 30 minutes. He takes 18 free throws and hits 10 of them and the Knicks win by 1 point and are up 3-1.
so that would mean Mitch shooting 55% from the line - something he has shown no ability to do
Mitch's career free throw percentage is 52%, and he shot 68.4% in the regular season this year. In the playoffs, it's 34% for his career.
I'm not usually one to poo poo stats but in this instance we all have eyes and can see Mitch has zero confidence at the line right now.
I too can appreciate Thibs' "Stay the course" mentality. He's not quick to change and while that's frustrating sometimes, in the long term I think it's good.
But starting Mitch would not be a quick change. This starting lineup, though it can finish games well, has not been starting games well since the midpoint of the season. I feel like they never jump out to a lead.
Watching that game yesterday, I saw a Celtics team that had chemistry on offense. They got into a groove which they hadn't managed to find so far in this series. The Knicks looked a step slow and failed to disrupt the Celtics chemistry. That's OK. The Celtics do this.
Theoretically the Knicks starting lineup could play 5 out and do what the Celtics do. But they don't do that, unless the opposing defense is trash.
The Celtics came out determined and focused, as you would expect. Had Thibs made the move to start Mitch, it would have been like Reed walking out from that tunnel (Temu version, but still). The Celtics would have had a little "Oh shit" to start the game. Might have been a whole different scenario.
I have long been an advocate of starting the game with the best defenders. You don't want the other team to get comfortable, because it's hard to get them uncomfortable once they're comfortable. But what's really frustrating is that the Knicks' starting lineup, with it's 5 supposedly best offensive players, doesn't even play good offense against good defensive teams.
Honestly, I don't think it matters whether he sits Hart or Mikal. It could work either way.
As for the free throws, well, Mitch shot 4-12 which sounds terrible, except it's like shooting 2-6 from the field. It's not a good percentage but it's not a game killer for a plus defensive player, especially when you consider the offensive rebounds.
Is it Mazzula's birthday? Stop giving him gifts.
Also not trying to be hyperbolic, but these next three games also seem like the most consequential since the turn of the century.
Depending on how they go, it may lead to:
1) Thibs getting fired
2) Someone in the FO getting fired
3) Bridges/KAT on the trade block
4) Thibs having job security through his contract
5) No one in the FO getting fired
6) Bridges extended, KAT not on the trade block
If they get blown out these next three games, then we won't really interpret Games 1 and 2 as much more than really fun flukey finishes to games, but still -- the team just isn't good enough and last offseason was a failure/the coach can't make the adjustment.
If they dare to pull off two more wins, we'll see the FO's vision of a contender finally worth it + maybe the acquisition/opportunity cost of the trades as not bad. Thibs cemented as teh coach.
If they lose but its competitive? Probably the above.
Very interesting to see what happens.
no disagreement.
I think 6 will happen with bench improvements in off-season.
Its definitely the most likely, despite whatever result there is. I find KAT's trade value to be a riddle. Hard to understand what it is -- ironically, Randle's was as well. lol
As William Goldman (screenwriter and Knicks fan extraordinaire) once said about Hollywood, “nobody knows anything.” Anyone who predicts how the 2024-2045 Knicks will play on a given night is either kidding themselves or a fool. This team is inscrutable. The healthiest approach is to hope for the best, and expect the worst. I will cheer when something good happens and yell at the refs, but I am through scratching my head at them. If they lay it all out on the floor or don’t, I won’t be surprised.
Have read 2 Goldman books. Wisest man there ever was.
The Scott Foster Special is pulling into Penn Station tonight. Fate has taken yet another turn….
Scott Foster has actually given us a fair shake in recent years. I have some renewed hope on this news. Thank you!
Basketball is mysterious! That's what I love about it. Put the right group of guys on the floor and they all exceed expectations. At the same time, some groups of very good to great players never get great as a team.
We all would have signed up for being up 2-1 after three games. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned it, but we are up 2-1. I still have faith.
I really hope we go back to the switching scheme from the jump. Just like Games 1 and 2 weren’t only about Boston missing shots, Game 3 wasn’t only about them making shots. I could tell from the first few minutes the kinds of shots they were getting were different. They felt comfortable and more in rhythm. Switching has kept them in check. Don’t go away from that.
Momentum does not carry over between games in a series. If it did, we would have blown Boston out on Saturday. Execute defensively, make shots and we will be fine. Come out with desperation like the Pacers did last night. I was disappointed to hear Brunson say they were “subconsciously satisfied” being up 2-0. You can’t give away playoff games like that. Job’s not finished.
I like you. I like the effort. I like how every Knick fan ( including me ) are searching for that key change of strategy which will make it all better. Mitchell Robinson is not the answer to unlocking anyone’s offense, let alone our Knicks. Our next win will come from hitting more shots than they do. How many open threes did we clank in the first quarter. The opportunities were there. We didn’t hit the shot, they could hardly miss. Bingo, a blowout. then let the angsty analysis begin. Hit the open man who hits the open shot. Then get back on D and get into their faces. Play basketball. That’s all the Celtics did Saturday. Either we start or we go home.
You might be right Martin. Just seems like all the evidence points to the need for a shake up.
Can we make the chicken salad from chicken feathers. Who are we shaken in that really makes up the imbalance. Deuce can't handle Pritchard ( I recall we both were hoping for Harold Bane but…..). We don’t have the ammo. BTW, you gave up on draft analysis way too early. Your interviews with Okoro, Bane, and Vessel were superb.
The simple fact is you can throw all the numbers out. This team does not win or lose pretty. Totally support your Mitch idea as you know you're going to have have Mitch logging minutes, why not log those minutes early and as you noted and force the Celts to get in an early penalty scenario if the choose to hack? My dark mind has already drifted to the internal debate of if it is better to win two games and then get swept by the Celts or just simply get swept as many of us expected us to. I know, that's not living in the moment or soaking up the joy but...I've been a Knick fan all 51 of my years on this planet, so I have trauma. In the end, I think we're playing with house money at this point and as tragic a missed opportunity it would be to lose unceremoniously after hopes were elevated (and as bad as I want this series particularly with all the other top seeds appearing to be vulnerable)...this would still be progress. That being said...LFG win this series and make some more teams uncomfortable.
My mind goes to similar places, but they have a REAL chance to make the Finals this year. Shit, a twisted ankle from the wrong opponent might be enough. Just [find a way to] win, baby.
💯. Chances like this don’t come up often.
So, do we need a Giannis thread 😅
Not yet lol
For no reason at all, I went on fanspo and made a four-way trade where we get Giannis/Dillon Brooks, PHX gets KAT, HOU gets Bridges and Durant, and MIL gets Sengun/Eason/Shepherd. A man can dream.
This was never going to be easy and being up 2-1 even with most of this series being controlled by the Celtics is all that matters. Look at Cleveland right now down 3-1, okc is in a dogfight with a nuggets team playing with it seems 5 or 6 guys so this is our chance. Tonight i wouldn't say is a must win but its as big a game I can remember, I sort of expected a game 3 shellacking by boston so again tonight is the night. I have always felt this game tonight will be tight and have to hope our best player is better then theirs. I believe in this team and this coach and tonight I hope to see this continued dream continue!! Lets go Knicks!
"Play tonight like it's win or go home, because that's exactly how it feels." Certainly has that feeling in the last 48 hours. From the high of pregame Saturday afternoon to the lowest of lows after the game, the rollercoaster season of the 2024-25 Knicks continues! After every game, Jon & the rest of us try to come up with reasons as to why the Knicks didn't do this or why certain players aren't playing up to their potential. It's exhausting! There was NO fire coming out for Game 3 from the Knicks, as it was easy to see that the Celtics came out with a resolve to win the game! When you only have 1 & 1/2(Hart) alphas in the starting lineup, it's hard to light that fire. KAT, by his size alone, will usually put up numbers in the double/double range or close to it! But he's as far from an alpha as a 7 footer could be! Now OG has completely disappeared the last 2 games. He took 6 shots on Saturday, scoring all of 2 points. He had zero fouls in the game, not the way OG usually plays defense. Bridges finished at 6-10, but missed shots early when we were still in (for a VERY short time!). Hart is hit or miss offensively & was 3-9 with an 0-3 on 3's. We were 5-25 on 3's while the Celtics were 20-40. Not a winning formula.
And Jon, I'd argue that the defense was somewhat resurrected in Game 2, but it disappeared again in Game 3. Way too many uncontested 3's for the Celtics (and if this had been an area that was addressed by Thibs, they've tuned him out!). Tonight, they need to come out & be competitive in the first half. Maybe even have a lead going into halftime! Everybody has to step up tonight or win or go home becomes a distinct reality! Just a sidebar- watching last night's Pacers/Cavs game, reminded me how pissed I was when Leon traded Obi Toppin for 2028/2029 2nd round picks. I always felt Thibs was behind it, as he could never find a way to use Obi correctly, as Rick Carlisle has done! Thibs always had a hardon for Obi & if Obi made one mistake, Thibs was pulling him out of the game. Imagine for a second, if we had kept him & he was coming off our bench. The big wing I & others kept praying Leon would add this season. Kid just needed a coach that would believe in him, not one who didn't (Didn't the same thing happen with KAT in Minnesota?).
My only contribution here is that Knicks fans calling for Mitch to start--and I'm more or less there myself, though slightly more in favor of Deuce--are also calling for 15+ Precious minutes when Mitch picks up fouls. That's a package deal. I'm okay with that, but I need to hear ppl say THAT out loud; before they trot up into the post-game all self righteous about a Precious and KAT disaster on defense.
Extremely fair point. And a frightening one. Starting Deuce might be the better move.
If Mitch starts and plays 30 minutes instead of 20, how does that make it MORE likely that Precious plays more minutes? Mitch's extra 10 minutes would come at the expense of some combo of Kat, OG, Hart, and Mikal. If he's in foul trouble, those guys will play more - like they are now. The only reason you'd see Precious is if both Mitch AND Kat are in foul trouble, or if Kat was in foul trouble and the Knicks wanted to get Mitch off the floor because of Hack-a-Mitch.
I believe Thibs would view starting Mitch as a commitment to the double big approach rather than merely benching Hart. Playing Precious in a backup role would come with that commitment.
There are rotation changes that are needed to give us a better shot, I agree with you, but it honestly feels like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. There’s a reason Knicks are significant underdogs, and it’s not the tactical proclivities of our coach. The talent disparity is real. And I’m honestly coming to terms with the fact that we shouldn’t freak out. This Knicks team is not in final form, and it’s no shame that we’re just not as good as this year’s Celtics, who are a machine.
You're not entirely wrong. And to add to what you're saying, the Knicks must play a near-perfect series to win. The Cs have a much larger margin of error. The balance observers must strike is holding the team "accountable" for staying disciplined and on the path without dogging it for imperfections.
That said, "the game tells you what to do" is either true or false. And it often seems like our coach, who has made those words famous among the fanbase, can be too stubborn or vain to wear his hearing aid. He is acting like he cannot hear the game screaming at him that Hart may be a 25-35 minute player this series. (That one will resonate with those who have grand/parents at that age.) He's riding Hart out of devotion and not analysis.
I think we need to be fair and let the series play out before blaming it on the coach. If he makes no adjustments and we keep getting crushed, by all means. If he tries lots of stuff and we still get crushed, then it’s more complicated. We know that it’s going to be the annoying middle ground where he tries stuff too late (game 5 or 6), which puts us in the gray area lol
We have months of data now on the starters. It's less a question of whether to do something, but what to do. That could involve leaving the same guys in at tipoff and going to the bench earlier and longer. But we effectively know the staus quo cannot hold.
Completely agree.
Also, that said, as I mentioned in a Substack thread, the best starting lineup would probably swap Mitch for KAT and Deuce for Hart. We obviously know KAT is starting, but its worth discussing
Was it God's punishment for going to a game on Shabbat. I don't think so. I've gone too many and played too many days of golf on Saturdays as well. Wanted to send you pictures of the garden from the inside Macri but didn't have the email. Everyone cheered even when we were down 25 and then went down to 23 and my buddy and I looked at each other like really are you kidding? This was the worst game I have ever sat through live in many years of watching the Knicks and being at the Knicks. Can we get off the floor like Indiana did yesterday, not if we played the way we played. Let us hope for the best. Let us pray. Amen
Praise Jebus!
Say it again Bro
PRAISE JEBUS
Great article. I just hope that KAT gets a fair whistle for once. I do believe that we will win this game tonight!!! 🏀