Remember those Howard Eisley / Shandon Anderson years when we would put up a great fight against really good teams only to falter down the stretch? It seemed like it happened almost on a nightly basis. Why was that? Because the opposing teams always played down to us for a decent chunk of the game which sometimes gave us a chance to win, only to be out talented when the game mattered.
This is what I’ve chalked up these past two games to be, nothing more. Yes the Mikal stuff is troubling, but playoff Mikal is the only Mikal that matters and I recall him doing quite alright last year.
It’s the final stretch of a very long season and we are clearly tired and coasting. Some of us can drive ourselves crazy by continuing to microanalyze every possession, quarter, and lineup, but at this point we know how good this team could be and the only thing really left to see is if they can put it together in April/May/🤞🏻June 🤞🏻.
I appreciate this comment because I, like you, haven't been all that bothered by the recent LA games and then these close wins over bad teams. That could also be because I've used up all my negative emotional energy on this team already and have none left to give, but I suspect they're just counting down for when the playoffs start.
Cosign. I do not remotely miss the good old days, when we would mount fake comebacks against other teams that were not taking us seriously, letting go of the rope, only to smack us back into submission when needed.
Nor do I miss the good old (Thibs) days, including heroic overtime wins against lottery teams who were not taken seriously (and sometimes were taken seriously too late), leaving starters run into the ground with 40+ minute games (and which implies that maybe, just maybe, Mike Brown isn't the problem).
I also watched this game with the sound off. The Oscars got the big screen while the Knicks were relegated to the tablet. I love movies as much as I love sports so I wasn't gonna miss the Oscars (I will always appreciate your Detroit crashout because you gave a fellow cinephile a book recommendation when you mentioned The Last Kings of Hollywood on that postgame).
Based on the bits and pieces of this game that I saw, it looked like the players had a few small beers before tip off.
I think it's great Coach was angry after this one, but I'm not up in arms. Maybe it's because I wasn't really paying that much attention to it. I've decided to dub this stretch of games Senioritis Week. You know when you're a senior in high school or college and you lose all motivation right at the end of the semester because you just want to get to graduation? That's this team right now. Graduation (the playoffs) is right around the corner and the players are looking forward to that. But first, they have to power through these last few assignments (7 straight games against bad teams). They don't really want to do them, so they'll do the bear minimum to get by with a passing grade (the win) and move on.
Not trying to make excuses for them. There's no reason why this game should have been remotely close. But Cleveland lost to the Mavs last night. I'm never gonna feel bad about a Knicks win.
Have you grabbed the book yet Chris? Would love to know what you think if so. Started watching Hearts of Darkness since I finished it...FFC was certainly one of one.
Great call on the small beers lol. And senioritis. And the Cavs loss. Good stuff all around.
I haven't picked up the book yet. Planning on getting it in the offseason for some summer reading. Excited to dive into it. When you said it was about Spielberg, Lucas, and Coppola, I knew it was something I wanted to check out.
I never thought we were losing this game, I once again feel like all guards need to be cognizant or when KAT has a guard on him. GTA is the best at it now but that's easy money to me, also it would (in theory) put fouls on those troublesome liluptutians.
Thank you, Jonathan, for the reminder of what a great movie that is. Right up there with Tombstone in the all-time “every scene has a quotable line” category.
As for the slow start… it was and it wasn’t. The game was 11-11 three minutes in. Both teams were throwing up prayers and cashing them in early. The difference is the Knicks stopped getting their calls answered.
Also worth remembering: as beat up as the Warriors are, they still employ the best coach on the planet. Kerr saw what wasn’t working for them, adjusted, and suddenly the supposedly deeper, stronger Knicks were the ones scrambling. That timeout where he unloaded on Leons? Let’s just say HR would like a word. Not safe for work, Steve.
Loved the Clarkson energy, the Brown rotation gambles, and the general playoff-level grit. This is the NBA. Nothing comes easy, even against a team held together with tape and memory.
And I’ll say it. Podziemski is creeping onto my list of favorite non-Knicks. Annoying when he’s playing you, which usually means he’s good.
Tombstone! *probably* a top 10 all time movie for me. Funny enough, for as much as that movie has great lines (topped by, of course, by "i'm your huckleberry" followed closely by "Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave") its more a vibes movie for me (and I give a TON of credit to the score & setting for that).
Also, don't tell a Warriors fan Kerr is the top coach. Many of them have wanted him fired for years.
Four NBA titles. A 65% W-L record as head coach. Plus 104 playoff wins. Yeah, I want to fire that guy.
Also - a podcast recommendation if you love old movies. "The Rewatchables" on The Ringer. Almost always a fun conversation. "The Tombstone" episode is especially good. I think Jalen should channel Wyatt Earp/Kurt Russell in that scene: "You tell 'em I'm coming. And hell's coming with me you hear? Hell's coming with me!" And then he pops a vein in his forehead.
And the Rewatchables is either 1A or 1B for my favorite podcast, with The Big Picture being the other. The best compliments I can give the Rewatchables are that a) I'll listen to episodes where I have only seen parts of a movie or barely remember it and b) have watched or re-watched movies specifically because they are doing them on the show.
How often in the last 2 years have all 5 starters had good games, or even 4 of them. Someone always seems to be in a funk. KAT was bad half this season, OG has had a couple of bad weeks, Brunson was off recently and now Bridges doesn’t look good.
I get seasons are long and things like this happen, but it’s ugly.
Doesn’t help that Shamet, Alvarado are also cold from 3.
Do we think it’s something about the way Brunson plays that leads to slow starts? It feels like the team is deferential to him because he’s obviously the best option on most possessions, and they almost don’t shoot it with conviction. To start the second half we’ve been playing through KAT and seem to have more initial success.
Defensively, I’ve got even less of a solution. It’s insane that I was put in a position to absolutely fear Santos, Podz and Post, which sounds like a Mineola law firm near the courthouse. The Knicks just felt very small last night, and every night.
I don’t think it’s that because the team is deferring to Brunson. Because when the team WASNT starting slowly early in the season Brunson was the second highest scorer in the first quarter behind Luka. I think it’s Mike Brown. He wants everyone to touch the ball. This is leading to longer possessions and shots late in the clock. And Jalen is deferring much more in the first few minutes of the first until the suns happen, IMO
Yea I mean I’m not blaming Jalen for it. We know what the best version of him is and it’s as a scorer. I’ve long said that the Knicks need a JDub like scorer to play parallel to him, more than they need spot up shooters
At this point it would be crazy to expect any different result from this starting lineup. We have almost 2 seasons worth of evidence that this group isn’t a fit. The quick fix now is try inserting Landry into the starting lineup for Bridges, if that doesn’t solve it then move Hart to the bench instead. The 3 best players on the team are clearly Brunson, KAT and OG - Brown needed to figure out the best 5 man lineup to maximize those 3 and so far he has failed to do so.
As it currently stands, what was the point of firing Thibs? Yes the minutes distributions are slightly different, guys aren’t playing close to 40 minutes every night, but has anything really changed? This season looks and feels a whole heck of a lot like at the same point last year. Maybe the coach wasn’t the issue…
But you would expect some defensive improvement just from getting a fair bit of regular season Mitch and Shamet. The only significant changes to me are two that you noted-Kat is playing some D in the second half ( though that has been attributed, like the defensive upswing generally) to going away from the D Brown was trying to install and back to funneling players to the sidelines instead of the middle (which was a Thibian philosophy). The other change is one you also noted-a seemingly happier and more productive Bridges has disappeared at least for the moment.
Thank you! This was spur of the moment. I obviously love the Oscars, but no, I wasn't planning on describing this game in 6 OBAA quotes. They needed to give *that* performance to earn it.
When it comes to these slow starts against lesser teams I get a real vibe (and I'm not really a "vibes" person). At this point in the season in particular, the differences in effort between established players and younger or unestablished players becomes even more pronounced. The Knicks are a very good team, but they're not a great team. Coasting doesn't really fly.
So when teams start the game with a bunch of young players (especially if joined by 1-2 borderline starters/veteran role players) with nothing to lose, everything to gain, trying to prove themselves in an environment with zero expectations... they frequently start off well. The Knicks don't respect them and expect (correctly usually) that they can turn it on if these guys ever do take the lead.
Which is pretty much what's happened for the past 2 years. We've seen repeated "this fuckin guy?" situations, with a 3rd string 2-way player shooting like Ray Allen or playing like a jumping bean and winning every loose ball and rebound. The Knicks' ego eventually kick in and they usually win the game.
If it's the coach, both Thibs and Brown are guilty. But I think it's just psychology. I find it incredibly dull (and sometimes frustrating) to watch, but it doesn't particularly have much of an effect on my estimation of the team's ceiling. We've seen these guys in the playoffs. They give it their all and will do so again.
I do wish that Brown would consider some more situation-driven use of the young guys. For example, in a game like last night I'd love to see a bunch of, in particular, Kolek, KM Jr, & Trey Jemison (though the latter two were inactive). Not just young guys, but young, hungry, energy guys (note: no Huk or Dadiet). Keep 1-2 starters on the floor, but have the other guys whipping around like crazy to counterbalance the opponent's phrenetic energy. The play style is infectious.
Either something like that, or yank your starters when they look listless. That could light a fire.
I would argue he came as close as he has all season to yanking the starters by playing Mikal as little as he did in the 1st half and not re-inserting KAT to close the first half when he wasn't in foul trouble and had only played 12 minutes.
I wonder if the Knicks are too nice. When I was 30 or so (ahem, a long time ago), I realized that I had this annoying habit of letting up when I or my team was having success on the basketball court. It's almost as if I subconsciously felt sympathy for my opponent and felt bad about beating them.
I had to consciously remind myself that beating my opponent was not enough - I had to endeavor to beat them MORE. If I was up 7-0 in a 15 point game, I had to endeavor to win 15-0 and accept nothing less.
My goal had to be to utterly humiliate them - to crush their very souls. And I had to endeavor to remain steadfast and consistent in that goal. In real life? No way. But in a basketball game? Yes, absolutely. CRUSH THEM!
I feel sometimes these Knicks have the same issue. Brunson is definitely a killer - on offense. But I'm not sure they have it collectively on the defensive end. OG, Mitch, Mikal - these guys are capable of amazing defensive plays. I watched the replay and I saw several instances in which those three guys were positioned well enough, but I always look at their arms, and I saw even Mitch not raising his arms, which can really make all the difference in being in position to block or alter a shot or pass. Mitch seemed to pick it up in the 2nd half.
But once they let any team get their way early, the team gets hyped up and confident. And it's hard to put that cat back in the bag, so they were in for a struggle. Luckily, they got away with it.
I'm not super concerned because I think the playoffs are so different - playing the same team for a number of games, knowing what you'll be facing, knowing it's win or go home. I am a little concerned though. I wouldn't mind Coach Brown mixing up the starting lineup a couple of times down the stretch, just to give it a look and send a message to the starters that they shouldn't be complacent.
In a nutshell, I think you have summed up why Wilt Chamberlain isn't the GoaT, full stop. He was easily the most extraordinary combination of physicality and talent that has ever graced a court (and I think he would still hold up well in the contemporary Association). But nobody roots for Goliath, and he had that way of coming up short when the chips were down and something big was on the line. For example, I'm endlessly grateful that he gave up and didn't even try when Willis walked through the tunnel on one leg, but really, Wilt should have obliterated him off the face of the earth with a Game 6-level performance.
Which is a different deal than the Heatles deciding to play when it pleased them to play. Though I agree that I am frustrated by this casual attitude to a game that they get paid millions of dollars to play (yes, even the vet mins and maybe even the two-ways?)
Again, I missed the first half of the game, because of a music commitment (because I do have a commitment to opera and classical music, if not to ballet). But I have seen this story before. Late, lazy rotations leaving shooters wide open on defense. Standing in place without cutting or ball movement on offense. Maybe it's a sign that they're gassed (though at this point, I am not sure whether Bridges needs to be played 39 minutes a night or 35 minutes a night or what to play with force). Maybe it's a sign that some players don't feel like they need to earn their keep because of the magnificence of being them (which I'm sure they wouldn't say if you asked them to their faces, but it's the vibe I get).
I wonder if it's a function of the group still trying to figure out who's who and what's what. Bridges and OG get the ball a lot with a movement offense at the start of the season, and KAT gets historically low touches, offensive effectivenses, and maybe effort on D. Make a few switches, now KAT is getting the ball with less time to think and in motion, scoring more effectively, and Bridges is now in the cold. Is it possible that there is no system in which everybody's happy? Is it possible that a healthy Deuce fixes all of this?
I'm happy to see KAT learning something about not fouling, verticality on defense, and becoming even more of a +/- monster while his numbers improve (that melding of KAT and Mitch that we were hoping for). I'm happy to see Mitch occasionally dribbling the ball effectively, setting up alley-oops, and even sometimes hitting free throws to make him even more of a +/- monster (more KAT/Mitch melding?). I wish we could see Bridges with a tenth of Landry Shamet's attack-dog attitude. And as noted, it might be time to give Tyler the Kreator a bit of a leash, too, and see if he can learn something in a meld with GTA-5.
I always wondered about Chamberlain. I’m not old enough to have seen him play, but my impression was that he liked the game when he was dominating it but if you were able to successfully make it tough on him he —ahem— wilted?
If the NBA is serious about putting an end to tanking, I have a solution. Just make every wannabe lottery team play the Knicks. They will immediately be transformed into a 70-win juggernaut.
Remember those Howard Eisley / Shandon Anderson years when we would put up a great fight against really good teams only to falter down the stretch? It seemed like it happened almost on a nightly basis. Why was that? Because the opposing teams always played down to us for a decent chunk of the game which sometimes gave us a chance to win, only to be out talented when the game mattered.
This is what I’ve chalked up these past two games to be, nothing more. Yes the Mikal stuff is troubling, but playoff Mikal is the only Mikal that matters and I recall him doing quite alright last year.
It’s the final stretch of a very long season and we are clearly tired and coasting. Some of us can drive ourselves crazy by continuing to microanalyze every possession, quarter, and lineup, but at this point we know how good this team could be and the only thing really left to see is if they can put it together in April/May/🤞🏻June 🤞🏻.
I appreciate this comment because I, like you, haven't been all that bothered by the recent LA games and then these close wins over bad teams. That could also be because I've used up all my negative emotional energy on this team already and have none left to give, but I suspect they're just counting down for when the playoffs start.
100% - playoff Mikal is the only Mikal that matters. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Cosign. I do not remotely miss the good old days, when we would mount fake comebacks against other teams that were not taking us seriously, letting go of the rope, only to smack us back into submission when needed.
Nor do I miss the good old (Thibs) days, including heroic overtime wins against lottery teams who were not taken seriously (and sometimes were taken seriously too late), leaving starters run into the ground with 40+ minute games (and which implies that maybe, just maybe, Mike Brown isn't the problem).
I also watched this game with the sound off. The Oscars got the big screen while the Knicks were relegated to the tablet. I love movies as much as I love sports so I wasn't gonna miss the Oscars (I will always appreciate your Detroit crashout because you gave a fellow cinephile a book recommendation when you mentioned The Last Kings of Hollywood on that postgame).
Based on the bits and pieces of this game that I saw, it looked like the players had a few small beers before tip off.
I think it's great Coach was angry after this one, but I'm not up in arms. Maybe it's because I wasn't really paying that much attention to it. I've decided to dub this stretch of games Senioritis Week. You know when you're a senior in high school or college and you lose all motivation right at the end of the semester because you just want to get to graduation? That's this team right now. Graduation (the playoffs) is right around the corner and the players are looking forward to that. But first, they have to power through these last few assignments (7 straight games against bad teams). They don't really want to do them, so they'll do the bear minimum to get by with a passing grade (the win) and move on.
Not trying to make excuses for them. There's no reason why this game should have been remotely close. But Cleveland lost to the Mavs last night. I'm never gonna feel bad about a Knicks win.
Have you grabbed the book yet Chris? Would love to know what you think if so. Started watching Hearts of Darkness since I finished it...FFC was certainly one of one.
Great call on the small beers lol. And senioritis. And the Cavs loss. Good stuff all around.
I haven't picked up the book yet. Planning on getting it in the offseason for some summer reading. Excited to dive into it. When you said it was about Spielberg, Lucas, and Coppola, I knew it was something I wanted to check out.
For those who expected anything else.
Hi Im Knicks fan.
You may know me from such things as.
How the F is this game so close?
And
How are we losing to these bums?
LOL...quite the CV you have there
8 Oscars last night
For the younger folk, you may know me from the most recent
I hate this fing team and OK, I may not hate them as such.
Or more specifically, this is the most unlikable team I have ever seen and OK, I love these knuckleheads.
I never thought we were losing this game, I once again feel like all guards need to be cognizant or when KAT has a guard on him. GTA is the best at it now but that's easy money to me, also it would (in theory) put fouls on those troublesome liluptutians.
Almost like KAT and Mikal miss Kolek
Thank you, Jonathan, for the reminder of what a great movie that is. Right up there with Tombstone in the all-time “every scene has a quotable line” category.
As for the slow start… it was and it wasn’t. The game was 11-11 three minutes in. Both teams were throwing up prayers and cashing them in early. The difference is the Knicks stopped getting their calls answered.
Also worth remembering: as beat up as the Warriors are, they still employ the best coach on the planet. Kerr saw what wasn’t working for them, adjusted, and suddenly the supposedly deeper, stronger Knicks were the ones scrambling. That timeout where he unloaded on Leons? Let’s just say HR would like a word. Not safe for work, Steve.
Loved the Clarkson energy, the Brown rotation gambles, and the general playoff-level grit. This is the NBA. Nothing comes easy, even against a team held together with tape and memory.
And I’ll say it. Podziemski is creeping onto my list of favorite non-Knicks. Annoying when he’s playing you, which usually means he’s good.
Tombstone! *probably* a top 10 all time movie for me. Funny enough, for as much as that movie has great lines (topped by, of course, by "i'm your huckleberry" followed closely by "Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave") its more a vibes movie for me (and I give a TON of credit to the score & setting for that).
Also, don't tell a Warriors fan Kerr is the top coach. Many of them have wanted him fired for years.
What a great movie, with so many line! Doc Holiday in his standoff with Johnny Ringo. “I have two guns. One for each of ya!”
Four NBA titles. A 65% W-L record as head coach. Plus 104 playoff wins. Yeah, I want to fire that guy.
Also - a podcast recommendation if you love old movies. "The Rewatchables" on The Ringer. Almost always a fun conversation. "The Tombstone" episode is especially good. I think Jalen should channel Wyatt Earp/Kurt Russell in that scene: "You tell 'em I'm coming. And hell's coming with me you hear? Hell's coming with me!" And then he pops a vein in his forehead.
GREAT line from the movie.
And the Rewatchables is either 1A or 1B for my favorite podcast, with The Big Picture being the other. The best compliments I can give the Rewatchables are that a) I'll listen to episodes where I have only seen parts of a movie or barely remember it and b) have watched or re-watched movies specifically because they are doing them on the show.
Is Tombstone also ahead of High Noon for you? Where do you stand on Unforgiven and Silverado?
Once Upon A Time In The West for me.
What an inspired newsletter JM! This was a brilliant piece of writing. PS—Brown needs to change then starting lineup.
Thank you sir!
How often in the last 2 years have all 5 starters had good games, or even 4 of them. Someone always seems to be in a funk. KAT was bad half this season, OG has had a couple of bad weeks, Brunson was off recently and now Bridges doesn’t look good.
I get seasons are long and things like this happen, but it’s ugly.
Doesn’t help that Shamet, Alvarado are also cold from 3.
I'd sign for 3/5 most nights.
Do we think it’s something about the way Brunson plays that leads to slow starts? It feels like the team is deferential to him because he’s obviously the best option on most possessions, and they almost don’t shoot it with conviction. To start the second half we’ve been playing through KAT and seem to have more initial success.
Defensively, I’ve got even less of a solution. It’s insane that I was put in a position to absolutely fear Santos, Podz and Post, which sounds like a Mineola law firm near the courthouse. The Knicks just felt very small last night, and every night.
"It’s insane that I was put in a position to absolutely fear Santos, Podz and Post, which sounds like a Mineola law firm near the courthouse."
A+ work here Lee. Also, I share your sentiment.
lol definitely a joke targeted for a select few. We know the types of firms - they do a little of everything, will never say no to a case.
I don’t think it’s that because the team is deferring to Brunson. Because when the team WASNT starting slowly early in the season Brunson was the second highest scorer in the first quarter behind Luka. I think it’s Mike Brown. He wants everyone to touch the ball. This is leading to longer possessions and shots late in the clock. And Jalen is deferring much more in the first few minutes of the first until the suns happen, IMO
Yea I mean I’m not blaming Jalen for it. We know what the best version of him is and it’s as a scorer. I’ve long said that the Knicks need a JDub like scorer to play parallel to him, more than they need spot up shooters
If only they could've drafted Jdub AND signed brunson in 2022.
I have tickets for the Pacer game tomorrow. Hoping for a bounce back. I wish I could say I am confident.
Watch the Pacers play all their guys and try to get one final win this season.
At this point it would be crazy to expect any different result from this starting lineup. We have almost 2 seasons worth of evidence that this group isn’t a fit. The quick fix now is try inserting Landry into the starting lineup for Bridges, if that doesn’t solve it then move Hart to the bench instead. The 3 best players on the team are clearly Brunson, KAT and OG - Brown needed to figure out the best 5 man lineup to maximize those 3 and so far he has failed to do so.
As it currently stands, what was the point of firing Thibs? Yes the minutes distributions are slightly different, guys aren’t playing close to 40 minutes every night, but has anything really changed? This season looks and feels a whole heck of a lot like at the same point last year. Maybe the coach wasn’t the issue…
I would say that the offense is materially different in look and feel, if not results. The defense has also improved a lot, at least by the numbers.
But you would expect some defensive improvement just from getting a fair bit of regular season Mitch and Shamet. The only significant changes to me are two that you noted-Kat is playing some D in the second half ( though that has been attributed, like the defensive upswing generally) to going away from the D Brown was trying to install and back to funneling players to the sidelines instead of the middle (which was a Thibian philosophy). The other change is one you also noted-a seemingly happier and more productive Bridges has disappeared at least for the moment.
I'm curious, do you pre-plan the framing of some of these newsletters or do they just come to you between the hours of 10pm and 5am?
Either way, this was a nice Oscars tie in, well done.
Thank you! This was spur of the moment. I obviously love the Oscars, but no, I wasn't planning on describing this game in 6 OBAA quotes. They needed to give *that* performance to earn it.
For those of us who aren’t watching every movie as they come out providing source of the quotes would be nice. They mean little without.
My bad Luke. They were all from One Battle After Another. Should have made that clearer in the opening.
A wins a win lol 🤷
Especially on a night Boston wins and Cleveland loses. Let's go Knicks.
When it comes to these slow starts against lesser teams I get a real vibe (and I'm not really a "vibes" person). At this point in the season in particular, the differences in effort between established players and younger or unestablished players becomes even more pronounced. The Knicks are a very good team, but they're not a great team. Coasting doesn't really fly.
So when teams start the game with a bunch of young players (especially if joined by 1-2 borderline starters/veteran role players) with nothing to lose, everything to gain, trying to prove themselves in an environment with zero expectations... they frequently start off well. The Knicks don't respect them and expect (correctly usually) that they can turn it on if these guys ever do take the lead.
Which is pretty much what's happened for the past 2 years. We've seen repeated "this fuckin guy?" situations, with a 3rd string 2-way player shooting like Ray Allen or playing like a jumping bean and winning every loose ball and rebound. The Knicks' ego eventually kick in and they usually win the game.
If it's the coach, both Thibs and Brown are guilty. But I think it's just psychology. I find it incredibly dull (and sometimes frustrating) to watch, but it doesn't particularly have much of an effect on my estimation of the team's ceiling. We've seen these guys in the playoffs. They give it their all and will do so again.
I do wish that Brown would consider some more situation-driven use of the young guys. For example, in a game like last night I'd love to see a bunch of, in particular, Kolek, KM Jr, & Trey Jemison (though the latter two were inactive). Not just young guys, but young, hungry, energy guys (note: no Huk or Dadiet). Keep 1-2 starters on the floor, but have the other guys whipping around like crazy to counterbalance the opponent's phrenetic energy. The play style is infectious.
Either something like that, or yank your starters when they look listless. That could light a fire.
I would argue he came as close as he has all season to yanking the starters by playing Mikal as little as he did in the 1st half and not re-inserting KAT to close the first half when he wasn't in foul trouble and had only played 12 minutes.
I wonder if the Knicks are too nice. When I was 30 or so (ahem, a long time ago), I realized that I had this annoying habit of letting up when I or my team was having success on the basketball court. It's almost as if I subconsciously felt sympathy for my opponent and felt bad about beating them.
I had to consciously remind myself that beating my opponent was not enough - I had to endeavor to beat them MORE. If I was up 7-0 in a 15 point game, I had to endeavor to win 15-0 and accept nothing less.
My goal had to be to utterly humiliate them - to crush their very souls. And I had to endeavor to remain steadfast and consistent in that goal. In real life? No way. But in a basketball game? Yes, absolutely. CRUSH THEM!
I feel sometimes these Knicks have the same issue. Brunson is definitely a killer - on offense. But I'm not sure they have it collectively on the defensive end. OG, Mitch, Mikal - these guys are capable of amazing defensive plays. I watched the replay and I saw several instances in which those three guys were positioned well enough, but I always look at their arms, and I saw even Mitch not raising his arms, which can really make all the difference in being in position to block or alter a shot or pass. Mitch seemed to pick it up in the 2nd half.
But once they let any team get their way early, the team gets hyped up and confident. And it's hard to put that cat back in the bag, so they were in for a struggle. Luckily, they got away with it.
I'm not super concerned because I think the playoffs are so different - playing the same team for a number of games, knowing what you'll be facing, knowing it's win or go home. I am a little concerned though. I wouldn't mind Coach Brown mixing up the starting lineup a couple of times down the stretch, just to give it a look and send a message to the starters that they shouldn't be complacent.
In a nutshell, I think you have summed up why Wilt Chamberlain isn't the GoaT, full stop. He was easily the most extraordinary combination of physicality and talent that has ever graced a court (and I think he would still hold up well in the contemporary Association). But nobody roots for Goliath, and he had that way of coming up short when the chips were down and something big was on the line. For example, I'm endlessly grateful that he gave up and didn't even try when Willis walked through the tunnel on one leg, but really, Wilt should have obliterated him off the face of the earth with a Game 6-level performance.
Which is a different deal than the Heatles deciding to play when it pleased them to play. Though I agree that I am frustrated by this casual attitude to a game that they get paid millions of dollars to play (yes, even the vet mins and maybe even the two-ways?)
Again, I missed the first half of the game, because of a music commitment (because I do have a commitment to opera and classical music, if not to ballet). But I have seen this story before. Late, lazy rotations leaving shooters wide open on defense. Standing in place without cutting or ball movement on offense. Maybe it's a sign that they're gassed (though at this point, I am not sure whether Bridges needs to be played 39 minutes a night or 35 minutes a night or what to play with force). Maybe it's a sign that some players don't feel like they need to earn their keep because of the magnificence of being them (which I'm sure they wouldn't say if you asked them to their faces, but it's the vibe I get).
I wonder if it's a function of the group still trying to figure out who's who and what's what. Bridges and OG get the ball a lot with a movement offense at the start of the season, and KAT gets historically low touches, offensive effectivenses, and maybe effort on D. Make a few switches, now KAT is getting the ball with less time to think and in motion, scoring more effectively, and Bridges is now in the cold. Is it possible that there is no system in which everybody's happy? Is it possible that a healthy Deuce fixes all of this?
I'm happy to see KAT learning something about not fouling, verticality on defense, and becoming even more of a +/- monster while his numbers improve (that melding of KAT and Mitch that we were hoping for). I'm happy to see Mitch occasionally dribbling the ball effectively, setting up alley-oops, and even sometimes hitting free throws to make him even more of a +/- monster (more KAT/Mitch melding?). I wish we could see Bridges with a tenth of Landry Shamet's attack-dog attitude. And as noted, it might be time to give Tyler the Kreator a bit of a leash, too, and see if he can learn something in a meld with GTA-5.
Great teams meld talents.
I always wondered about Chamberlain. I’m not old enough to have seen him play, but my impression was that he liked the game when he was dominating it but if you were able to successfully make it tough on him he —ahem— wilted?
If the NBA is serious about putting an end to tanking, I have a solution. Just make every wannabe lottery team play the Knicks. They will immediately be transformed into a 70-win juggernaut.
LOL
They make free throws and they win the tight ones