One Battle After Another

"You make a guy work hard for one of these..."

Good morning! Please don’t cut me off, I promise my speech is a short one…

Knicks 110, Warriors 107

44-25 (W3); 24-9 at home

I have to start today with six confessions, one for each Oscar won by One Battle After Another:

Confession No. 1: I did not watch this game with the sound on, nor did I have it on my big TV. Last night, the 98th Academy Awards took center stage, while the Knicks were relegated to the small television beside it.

Confession No. 2: At no point during this game did I even remotely regret my decision.

Confession No. 3: When the Oscars ceremony ended, there were still 6.2 seconds remaining and OG Anunoby had just been fouled. I unmuted the game, immediately heard Reggie Miller’s voice tell me that the Warriors should be happy OG was going to line, “not that he can’t make both,” and turned the sound back off as quickly as I had turned it on.

Confession No. 4: You can blame me for this being as close as it was. I pre-wrote a segment that I was going to plop into today’s newsletter because I figured this would be a walkover win over a Golden State team missing eight players and there wouldn’t be much to analyze. Shame on me for being so ignorant.

Confession No. 5: I, too, do not care about the ballet or opera.

Confession No. 6: Putting aside the obvious (the starters’ struggles becoming as predictable as Jessie Buckley winning for Hamnet; the complete lack of energy compared to Golden State until Jordan Clarkson checked in), I think this game absolutely offers some real takeaways, both good and bad.

Let’s go through those takeaways right now. Keeping with our theme, we’re using six OBAA quotes as inspiration, starting with…

“Freedom is a funny thing, isn’t it? When you have it, you don’t appreciate it, and when you miss it, it’s gone.”

When Tom Thibodeau was let go following the Eastern Conference Finals, no one figured to benefit from that change more than Mikal Bridges. Thibs, after all, had placed the offensive shackles on Bridges, who never seemed to have the freedom he desired on either end of the court. Sure enough, early on this season, Mikal looked like a different player. He was confident, assertive, and playing with joy. It looked like a match made in heaven.

My oh my, how the times have changed.

Last night, Bridges saw the court for just 21:23. He wasn’t hurt. He didn’t get into foul trouble. I don’t even think he was any more lackadaisical than the rest of his teammates out of the gate.

Nonetheless, Brown sought fit to give him by far his fewest minutes as a Knick in a competitive game¹. Landry Shamet, meanwhile, played 26:54, while formerly out of the rotation Jordan Clarkson played 21:45. I would be surprised to find a Knick fan who had a serious issue with that distribution.

I don’t know what’s up with Bridges, but I don’t think Brown has lost faith in him. Still, it must be jarring for a guy whose superpower has always been his stabilizing two-way presence to now be losing minutes to two undersized guards on minimum contracts.

Here’s what I do know: Leon Rose paid such a high price to get Mikal not because the Knicks wanted him, but because they needed him. There is no world where New York can win anything with the diminished, marginalized version of Bridges we see before us.

“If you don't give me the rendezvous point, I swear to God I will hunt you down and stick a loaded, fuckin' hot piece of dynamite right up your fuckin' asshole.”

If there’s one guy on the Knicks who played every second of last night’s game with the intensity that Leo displayed in this moment, it was JC.

Never in a million years would I have guessed that this version of the Knicks would be relying on Jordan freaking Clarkson to give them a spark on a nightly basis, but here we are. When Clarkson checked in with 9:58 to go in the second quarter for Bridges (naturally), New York was down by 19. After OG immediately turned it over for a pick six, the score was 46-25.

From that moment on, something changed. It wasn’t just that Clarkson brought that desperately needed energy himself; he legitimately lifted the effort level of those around him, and its the only reason they won the game.

If I’m Mike Brown at this point, between Mikal’s funk, Deuce’s (hopefuly) impending return and Mohamed Diawara showing some predictable rookie seams, do I pencil in Clarkson as a part of my postseason rotation? Unless he changes the starting five, I just don’t see a world where that’s possible. Then again…

“Yeah, I know how to drink and drive, honey. I know what I'm doing.”

As Ian Begley pointed out, the Knicks starters have been outscored by a combined 34 points in 74 first quarter minutes since the All Star Break. After the game, Mike Brown said that while he’s not thinking about making a change, “it’s not too late to do anything and if I feel the need, I will.”

We are at the point where a change of some kind needs to be considered, and while that would be borderline unprecedented for a team with New York’s resume and statistical profile, one wonders if not doing so would be the definition of insanity. Can they sustain such a shock to their system? And would whoever is removed be able to overcome the demotion and channel any hurt feelings into motivation?

I don’t know the answer, but continuing on the current path seems about as wise as downing a half a bottle of Jack and then driving home in reverse.

“Every revolution begins fighting demons. Motherfuckers just end up fighting themselves.”

The defensive improvement that Karl-Anthony Towns has displayed this season has been undeniable. He is having the best season of his career on that end of the court, which is backed up by both the numbers and the eye test. Given the fears that existed when Leon Rose paired him with Jalen Brunson, KAT’s defense has arguably been the most meaningfully positive takeaway from the regular season.

And that’s what made last night so jarring. As the game went on and Golden State kept attacking the paint, Towns had a target painted on his back. It wasn’t for lack of effort, but the Warriors’ five-out offense kept turning New York’s defense into a pretzel, and several possessions ended with a driver going downhill with only KAT between him and the hoop. It rarely ended well for the Knicks.

It got to the point that Mike Brown had to go offense / defense down the stretch, at one point going small for a few defensive possessions with OG Anunoby manning the five. It brought back some of the fears we experienced during the Boston losses of last regular season, where you wondered if the Knicks could ever find the right balance between offensive and defensive trade offs.

Hopefully it was just an off night, but this is definitely something to monitor moving forward.

“I need a weapon, man! All you got is goddamn nunchuks!”

For the third best offense in basketball, this unit sure does seem to look out of sorts more often than you’d like.

This one isn’t that complicated though. When the threes aren’t falling (they hit just 10-of-32 from deep), the offense become very, very guardable. The Warriors zone really mucked them up. Towns gave them some nice low post possessions (as he’s been doing more and more, it should be noted) and OG is always good for some downhill drives, but that’s about it when it comes to getting to the rim. It’s why the reintegration of Clarkson has been so huge, because at least he can consistently slither into the paint for a high percentage shot from floater range.

The Knicks are far from the only team in the league that lives and dies by the three so it is what it is, but it does feel like they’ve become more one-note than in any prior year of the Brunson era.

Speaking of Jalen, let’s finish up on a positive note…

“My name is Junglepussy. This is what power looks like.”

For as much as their increased intensity created the wave that gave them a chance, someone still needed to ride that wave to victory. Did you really think it would be anyone else?

Jalen Brunson was brilliant on offense for stretches of this game, and while no one showered themselves in glory on defense (no DPOG hardhat was given out, per the head coach), Brunson battled as much as anyone after the slow start. He played 36 minutes when no one else topped 31. Brown knows full well how vital he is.

More than anything, my biggest takeaway from this game is that no matter how much this team occasionally fails to live up to their potential, Jalen Brunson’s presence will always give us a reason to be hopeful. The shots that were rimming out the last few weeks were going down in this one, and afterwards he sounded optimistic about where his offensive game was at.

One a night that was more stressful than it had any right to be, that alone makes it all worth it.

💫 Stars of the Game 💫

⭐️ Josh Hart: His third quarter was up there with any he’s played this season. Gave them everything they needed on both ends and played like there was a jet pack strapped to his ass. Not coincidentally a team-high plus-17.

⭐️ ⭐️ Jalen Brunson: Fell one assist shy of the 16th 30 & 10 game of his Knick career, but it was still great to see the shots go down, including a massive fadeaway with 1:04 remaining to give New York a 106-103 lead.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jordan Clarkson: 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a big-boy and-one early in the fourth that brought the gun show onto center court. This stretch of play alone make the Clarkson signing a successful one. He’s giving them the spark they desperately need.

Final Thought

I know this Knicks season has been a trying one, but I’m hoping we look back on it like the penultimate scene in One Battle, with our heart in our throat for every rise and fall of a life-or-death chase that ultimately ends in catharsis and relief.

And if the Knicks can hold a gold trophy above their heads when all is said and done, even better.

🏀

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

1. The only other games he’s played fewer than 24:33 minutes: his six-second showing in the final game of last season to keep his consecutive games played streak alive, and the Utah blowout earlier this season when they scored the first 23 points of the game.