Man awesome stuff JM you are just as relentless and awesome as the team we all love . Just amazing to have this team and someone chronicling all this as we go along ! Great great stuff get some rest my dude !
Jon, having the ability to write an article like this (and on the opposite end of the spectrum Wednesday AM) and put down coherent thoughts, while understanding what the majority of the room is feeling, is such an amazing quality. My thoughts are stuck on..."this fucking team" accompanied by a smile. I just can't move past that yet. Then I read your article and you encapsulate what I am actually feeling beyond 3 words. I feel like I'm not alone in that thought. We are lucky to have you and your whole KFS team. Thank you, and hopefully you get to enjoy a day or 2 off before we start this again on Monday.
Way way way too kind. Was indeed a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. On to the next step in the journey. And as for "Why not Alec?" I think we're going to see him!
After the horrific ending to game five in MSG and wrapping up the streaming of 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull with commentary by Jake LaMotta I graduated from boxing to war. Although both boxing and basketball have many great analogies about war they cannot possibly replicate the sheer horror of it all.
Long suffering Knicks fans however, can tell you after such a brutal last second loss in what would have been a promising series clinching game 4 win at home, that many of us were feeling nothing but “The horror….the horror.”
Feeling like I had lost a limb or two myself I dove into the epic Civil War movie Gettysburg from 1993 with Martin Sheen and Jeff Daniels. After all, with game 6 approaching, it was the pivotal battle of that epic conflict and it was fought on Pennsylvania soil.
After Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia had invaded the North the Union Army rushed to cut him off before he could make a run on Washington D.C., and end the war on his terms, thus preserving the Southern institution of slavery.
Lee’s hopes were crushed when his charge after charge up the steep slopes of the hills near the town were repelled by the deeply entrenched Union Army. In maybe the most decisive part of the battle Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine had completely run out of bullets and led a bayonet charge down one hill to keep the Rebels from flanking them.
Chamberlain made the decision to charge when he realized that the Confederates were also very close to running out of ammunition themselves. The gamble worked and the North swept the hill, the day, and the battle. Talk about courage, it would make a Josh Hart three pointer with game 6 on the line at the buzzer seem like a walk in Central Park.
The war would continue to grind on because General Lee was allowed to escape back into Virginia but it led to the promotion of U.S. Grant after his victory in Vicksburg to chase him down and end it all at Appomattox.
The true beauty of sports is that it takes male energies that would otherwise lead to violence and bloodshed and channels them into something much more productive and less harmful. We don’t need to face off across a line of musket fire, or charge on horseback with swords drawn to obtain glory in the modern age.
We do need to fight till the end in a contest of wills in order to win a great prize. So then I see a Knicks team face what seems like insurmountable odds again and again and yet walk away victorious. Sorry, but I can’t help but see conquering heroes in rag top convertibles in a skyscraper canyon with confetti raining down.
This is a team of warriors with no fear. They wade into battle again and again only to outlast their opponent with bigger hearts, more effort, and a little luck. With a favorable matchup coming next against Indiana the battle moves on to round two and it should be more of the same: blood, guts, grit, and gumption. I’ll be there for all of it with you, for GLORY Hallelujah, mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Knicks, their truth goes marching on.
I seriously don’t know how I would have made it to - no less through - a game 7. I had so many doubts where this series was going after game 5 but I should know better than to doubt the resolve of this team. What a special group. Thanks, Jon, for your dedication and talent to always capture the team’s spirit and the feelings of the KFS community. Onward we go.
As I said, deep breath, and good karma. Article encompasses it all .Thank you. After taking multiple texts from my cousin in Philadelphia I will share your article so he can have a happy ending.🤪
I sometimes listen to your articles voiced by the substack ai while shaving. Today I couldn’t, it interfered with the background music your words were conjuring in my head. Well done and thank you for finding a way to inspire us by building on the inspiration of the game!
First, Jon, amazing, amazing stuff. Early on in the American Idol phenomenon, Randy Jackson would often say "Dawg, you can sing the phone book." Well, Jon, you could write ONLY the phone book, and we would still hang on every word. KFS is our family, and you its patriarch. You INSPIRE us!
Second, this fucking TEAM :) Back in the 90s, my twin brother, Phl, and I would play NBA on the first iteration of the Ninetendo gaming system when we still had to put in cartridges. LSS, he was always Ewing, demanding the ball down low, and I was always Starks, raining three pointers from the logo, much to his ire and disdain. We'd go down by big numbers to the computer, but would always win in the end because despite our trash talking to each other, we were reltentless. It felt so good, but it was FICTION.
This feel so much better because it's REAL. Let's enjoy the next 96 hours :)
Thank you so much for the INCREDIBLY kind words Brian. It all comes from the passion.
This year almost feels like fiction because the truth can't be this good, not for Knicks fans at least. Maybe the tide is turning though. We've certainly paid our dues.
Last year during a loss to the Heat, Brunson didn't pass to Hart - he apologized to hart and berated himself for not trusting his teammates. Last night Hart's shot was meh and he had just missed two easy tip ins but at the end of the game Hart had the ball, from Brunson, philly daring him to shoot and SPLASH! Right there shows the growth and team mindset - love this team LFGK!
Another nail biter. Could only get through it volume off. Love Mike Breen, but he is just too objective in his observations. Had to trust my eyes. Defense by Mitch on Embid was outstanding. If only he could do what IHart does offensively, the Knicks would be on another level. Thankful for the Nova 3 and OG. Pacers series will be another kind of animal. I trust big minutes from the starters will be on the Menu. Glad not to have to hear about Embid knee and Bells Palsy. I Hart proved you don't play basketball with your face.
Whenever any of the Knicks is asked HOW about anything, the answer is always the same: a shrug and "We just keep fighting."
Now I'm thinking about the long road ahead. If they keep succeeding, three more series against the best of the best. I know they'll give everything. They're warriors.
The best Pacino that gets lost in my personal Pacino files, just because it's not a movie I've rewatched much (maybe ever since I saw it in the theater?). But a classic indeed, and I'm honored by the comp!
Man awesome stuff JM you are just as relentless and awesome as the team we all love . Just amazing to have this team and someone chronicling all this as we go along ! Great great stuff get some rest my dude !
Rested and ready for round 2!
Jon, having the ability to write an article like this (and on the opposite end of the spectrum Wednesday AM) and put down coherent thoughts, while understanding what the majority of the room is feeling, is such an amazing quality. My thoughts are stuck on..."this fucking team" accompanied by a smile. I just can't move past that yet. Then I read your article and you encapsulate what I am actually feeling beyond 3 words. I feel like I'm not alone in that thought. We are lucky to have you and your whole KFS team. Thank you, and hopefully you get to enjoy a day or 2 off before we start this again on Monday.
#Firethomas
#jalenswashed
#draftszn
#shouldweplayzoneagainstIndy?
Way way way too kind. Was indeed a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. On to the next step in the journey. And as for "Why not Alec?" I think we're going to see him!
Jon, the writing compulsion reminds me of another lawyer... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4E0d60mzc
Man...that's quite a compliment. Hopefully I don't die in a duel.
The good guys won.
When the final buzzer sounded, I just felt relief. So much relief. This brutal war of attrition is over.
This fucking team
After the horrific ending to game five in MSG and wrapping up the streaming of 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull with commentary by Jake LaMotta I graduated from boxing to war. Although both boxing and basketball have many great analogies about war they cannot possibly replicate the sheer horror of it all.
Long suffering Knicks fans however, can tell you after such a brutal last second loss in what would have been a promising series clinching game 4 win at home, that many of us were feeling nothing but “The horror….the horror.”
Feeling like I had lost a limb or two myself I dove into the epic Civil War movie Gettysburg from 1993 with Martin Sheen and Jeff Daniels. After all, with game 6 approaching, it was the pivotal battle of that epic conflict and it was fought on Pennsylvania soil.
After Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia had invaded the North the Union Army rushed to cut him off before he could make a run on Washington D.C., and end the war on his terms, thus preserving the Southern institution of slavery.
Lee’s hopes were crushed when his charge after charge up the steep slopes of the hills near the town were repelled by the deeply entrenched Union Army. In maybe the most decisive part of the battle Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine had completely run out of bullets and led a bayonet charge down one hill to keep the Rebels from flanking them.
Chamberlain made the decision to charge when he realized that the Confederates were also very close to running out of ammunition themselves. The gamble worked and the North swept the hill, the day, and the battle. Talk about courage, it would make a Josh Hart three pointer with game 6 on the line at the buzzer seem like a walk in Central Park.
The war would continue to grind on because General Lee was allowed to escape back into Virginia but it led to the promotion of U.S. Grant after his victory in Vicksburg to chase him down and end it all at Appomattox.
The true beauty of sports is that it takes male energies that would otherwise lead to violence and bloodshed and channels them into something much more productive and less harmful. We don’t need to face off across a line of musket fire, or charge on horseback with swords drawn to obtain glory in the modern age.
We do need to fight till the end in a contest of wills in order to win a great prize. So then I see a Knicks team face what seems like insurmountable odds again and again and yet walk away victorious. Sorry, but I can’t help but see conquering heroes in rag top convertibles in a skyscraper canyon with confetti raining down.
This is a team of warriors with no fear. They wade into battle again and again only to outlast their opponent with bigger hearts, more effort, and a little luck. With a favorable matchup coming next against Indiana the battle moves on to round two and it should be more of the same: blood, guts, grit, and gumption. I’ll be there for all of it with you, for GLORY Hallelujah, mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Knicks, their truth goes marching on.
Never seen Gettysburg...worth my time, it sounds like
I love this team. They have hearts made of the strongest steel in New York. They have the toughness of the city. They have the mentality of champions.
I seriously don’t know how I would have made it to - no less through - a game 7. I had so many doubts where this series was going after game 5 but I should know better than to doubt the resolve of this team. What a special group. Thanks, Jon, for your dedication and talent to always capture the team’s spirit and the feelings of the KFS community. Onward we go.
I would not have made it. And my pleasure :)
As I said, deep breath, and good karma. Article encompasses it all .Thank you. After taking multiple texts from my cousin in Philadelphia I will share your article so he can have a happy ending.🤪
I sometimes listen to your articles voiced by the substack ai while shaving. Today I couldn’t, it interfered with the background music your words were conjuring in my head. Well done and thank you for finding a way to inspire us by building on the inspiration of the game!
I hope it was good music! Now let's keep it going.
First, Jon, amazing, amazing stuff. Early on in the American Idol phenomenon, Randy Jackson would often say "Dawg, you can sing the phone book." Well, Jon, you could write ONLY the phone book, and we would still hang on every word. KFS is our family, and you its patriarch. You INSPIRE us!
Second, this fucking TEAM :) Back in the 90s, my twin brother, Phl, and I would play NBA on the first iteration of the Ninetendo gaming system when we still had to put in cartridges. LSS, he was always Ewing, demanding the ball down low, and I was always Starks, raining three pointers from the logo, much to his ire and disdain. We'd go down by big numbers to the computer, but would always win in the end because despite our trash talking to each other, we were reltentless. It felt so good, but it was FICTION.
This feel so much better because it's REAL. Let's enjoy the next 96 hours :)
Thank you so much for the INCREDIBLY kind words Brian. It all comes from the passion.
This year almost feels like fiction because the truth can't be this good, not for Knicks fans at least. Maybe the tide is turning though. We've certainly paid our dues.
Jon you captured it perfectly as why we watch and invest so heavily in this team.
Last year during a loss to the Heat, Brunson didn't pass to Hart - he apologized to hart and berated himself for not trusting his teammates. Last night Hart's shot was meh and he had just missed two easy tip ins but at the end of the game Hart had the ball, from Brunson, philly daring him to shoot and SPLASH! Right there shows the growth and team mindset - love this team LFGK!
Another nail biter. Could only get through it volume off. Love Mike Breen, but he is just too objective in his observations. Had to trust my eyes. Defense by Mitch on Embid was outstanding. If only he could do what IHart does offensively, the Knicks would be on another level. Thankful for the Nova 3 and OG. Pacers series will be another kind of animal. I trust big minutes from the starters will be on the Menu. Glad not to have to hear about Embid knee and Bells Palsy. I Hart proved you don't play basketball with your face.
Wouldn't be surprised if all 5 starters averaged 35 minutes.
How do you Think Thibs will reduce their minutes? Deuce and Precious getting minted?
IDK how much he's reducing anything. 44 a game for Hart, 40 or more from OG and JB, and however many he needs from DDV
Whenever any of the Knicks is asked HOW about anything, the answer is always the same: a shrug and "We just keep fighting."
Now I'm thinking about the long road ahead. If they keep succeeding, three more series against the best of the best. I know they'll give everything. They're warriors.
A bold win #4 on our way to 16!
Aptly summed up by Jon in his headline:
The Knicks closed out Philly as only they could.
Gonna need more Deuce (Precious too) and to get Alec Burks minutes against the Pacers. We are not gonna get thru the East playing 5 or 6.
Go NY, Go NY, Go
Jon, I just imagined you giving the "BUT THEY DID" speech Any Given Sunday style.
UNTIL THEY DID*
The best Pacino that gets lost in my personal Pacino files, just because it's not a movie I've rewatched much (maybe ever since I saw it in the theater?). But a classic indeed, and I'm honored by the comp!
If there's anything I deeply love doing, it's giving people deserved compliments. :)
I hear you completely. Keeps us all going!
And more people need to do it!!