On a lighter note, anybody notice Josh Hart staring at his own hand when Jimmy Butler didn't shake it (too busy jawing at refs)? Great how such an intense player has these great comic moments every now and then.
I want to say Biggup and much love to my brother, Macri, and the entire KFS family and network. I also want say "thanks for nuttin" as I can no longer engage in basketball conversations with non-KFS people....lol Last night when Hart went coast 2 coast and yammed it home, I noticed the defense reacted to IQ who was hustling to fill the lane. The defense reacted leaving the lane open for an easy flush. I NEVER would have noticed this (I saw it in real time mind you) if Katz (what a brilliant mind and writer btw) didn't bring to light that Mitch hustles down the court not to receive the ball, but to attract attention.
Look up Game 5, 1970 finals for a comparison to last night. Willis gets hurt, Knicks look terrible, no one to guard Wilt. Holzman went with a very small lineup of Clyde, Barnett, Bradley, DeBusschure and Stallworth. Knicks come from behind and win. This wasn't a game of the same magnitude, but it's the best I've felt since those days. IQ is the star, the Hart Foundation is every basketball fan's fantasy, and Grimes is coming on fast.
Is Quickley emerging as the best all-around player on the Knicks? His defense is light year’s ahead of Brunson and Randle; his shooting is likely better than J&J; and his passing is at least even with those two guys. Quickley is a jolt of energy and focus whenever he enters the game and his upbeat and smiling personality is just a revelation.
The Knicks better be serious about giving him a long term deal in the off-season as I agree with Jonathan.
I agree Tim. When you see what Mitchell was traded for, it has to make you hesitate. Why give away the farm -- develop your own guys and find players like Hart who fit the system and the state of mind.
A statement win. Hopefully it’s only a sprain, and not ligaments. If that’s so, then Randle should be ready for Cleveland.
2.5 ahead of Brooklyn with 5 to go. We go to Cleveland on Friday night while Brooklyn hosts Atlanta, who needs the game in order to stay in the top half of the play in. Still a little work to be done, but we should be okay.
Huge W and great job finishing off the Heat and taking the season series 3-1!
I don’t think we will see Randle for a while and hope the priority is getting him (and Brunson) healthy for the playoffs. It will be very interesting to see how the team continues without Randle. I would love to see Obi step up, but even if he starts, I expect Thibs will be giving a lot of Randle’s minutes to Hart and using RJ too close in his place.
This game should put the rumblings about avoiding the Heat to rest. The Cavs and 76ers will be playing hard to get the 3 seed and avoid the Knicks in the Round 1. The Heat are not scaring anyone with Love, Lowry and Oladipo in the rotation struggling to keep up and shoot 40%.
Seems so simple, yet, Thibs formulation is true: if you play defense, rebound, minimize turnovers, and make the right reads [share the ball]... good things happen. Individuals are the difference makers among contenders, but systems that emphasize team work are the foundations of winning. And, no club can win [in any of the 4 major sports] without quality depth. I hope this season puts to bed the notion that the Knicks should ravage their roster [and future picks] for a star. Nobody's trading them superman. And, any star they could acquire has baggage [age-attitude issues-durability questions]. Thanks, KFS, you've helped to make following "this fucking team's" journey a collective joy.
No substitutions in the fourth quarter is wild! Miami isn’t all that great this year (too slow) but still. Good to see that Brunson seemed totally on board with how Thibs coached the last 12 minutes-not every lead player in the league would be so accepting.
Was following a Heat fan YouTube post game show late last night (“five on the floor”). They had four guys on, all whining about the Heat’s “lack of energy” and how they “quit on the season a long time ago.” The NBA is great for that-when teams lose, it’s always “we didn’t bring it.”
Although Jimmy Butler’s reason given for the loss last night seemed more valid:“I don’t know why we didn’t win. Probably because the opposing team scored more points than we did. That’s literally what happened.” lol
I think sitting Brunson out in the 4th was more about not wanting him to get hurt after Randle got hurt, which would’ve been a disaster. I don’t think that was the explicit intention at the start of the quarter, rather what Thibs was thinking was, we have a lead, at home, against a team on the 2nd night of a back to back, so inside of 6 minutes, once we got a little separation, it was a minute to minute evaluation. If we were down by 3, Brunson would’ve been in.
As someone who worries about Thibs’ tendency to settle into set in-game rotations and always fall back on his guys regardless of what is going on, seeing him leave Brunson on the bench was oddly reassuring. This is not me advocating for Brunson to be left on the bench more lol, but its nice to see Thibs read and react and be willing to operate out of his norm (in this case to the extreme).
The “what RJ Barrett does at HT” chronicles written by some random beat writer will be fascinating, if they can find out what in fact happens. Like what does he do in there to just change everything around? Never seen anything like it on such a consistent basis over the course of an ENTIRE career.
Also it might not be the worst thing in the world if Randle misses the Cavs game. Yes, it allows the Cavs to focus on Brunson more, but it also doesn’t allow them to fully experiment with anything in terms of playoff prep plans for both Brunson+Randle on the court.
Said it before and I'll say it again, Donovan Mitchell is a star but as things stand I'm happy we kept this roster as is. Putting aside how awesome it feels to have this group that no one but us fans gave a chance of being great do amazing things, from a negotiating perspective this summer we'll be in a much stronger position to make trades.
So listened to a Heat podcast this morning. Much knashing of teeth and moaning. Said Josh Hart is 'barbecued chicken ' for Jimmy Butler. I'm realistic enough that I don't think Josh is Bill Russell on defense, but I can't imagine anyone says 'great they got Josh Hart on me tonight '.
Also they think their coach is an idiot and players quit. What happened th Heat Culture- lol.
I missed the 4th quarter and postgame stream. Just catching up. Heard you say that IQ passed Harper for all time Knicks scoring. I don’t know how IQ isn’t already a top 60 Knick. And he could move up higher with a good post season
Mar 30, 2023·edited Mar 30, 2023Liked by Jonathan Macri
The "Before Our Very Eyes" portion of this morning's post was for me the most prescient piece you've done in a long time.
Everyone loves stories, especially basketball fans. When a young player unexpectedly emerges from his first couple seasons to begin to reveal the star he has within, the fan delights--and in the case of Immanual Quickley, the garden erupts. Who among us Knicks fans would rather have a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving wearing the orange and blue? NOT ME!
Give me a story with my star. Bad enough that refs shade calls against struggling young players to elevate stars in this league. That there are fans who accept and even demand that kind of officiating is to me repugnant. This era can't end soon enough for me. Nothing in my Ideal Game trumps honesty in officiating. But, in the meantime, Knicks fans will watch RJ, IQ, Grimes, Hart, iHart, etc. battle and overcome. Knicks' stars are in their fans' eyes.
I was fortunate to be there last night. You were right in calling it a strange game. From the Knicks scoring the first eight to the Heat responding with 14 unanswered; the turnovers; the missed FT’s; getting essentially nothing from the starters with the exception of Grimes for most of the first half; the Julius injury. Sitting there for most of the game, you had no sense where it was going to end up. I never felt the Knicks were going to fall out of it but also never felt the game was going to turn their way until midway through the fourth. But in the end, just a huge win and effort. IQ continues to shine and I’m elated to see Quentin’s emergence. He had seemed to lack confidence after a miss or two for a stretch of the season but no more. Keep firing away...love seeing the 10 three-point attempts from him and the defense on Butler was outstanding. Get well, Julius.
Mar 30, 2023·edited Mar 30, 2023Liked by Jonathan Macri
Good post. Volume shooting from Grimes is huge. You are right about the flow of the game. I felt the same way at home. I didn’t feel anyone had momentum after they traded warily runs until the back to back dunks in the 4th then that happened and it felt like it was over lol
On a lighter note, anybody notice Josh Hart staring at his own hand when Jimmy Butler didn't shake it (too busy jawing at refs)? Great how such an intense player has these great comic moments every now and then.
The video is LOL funny
Saw it and laughed! I don’t think Butler did it on purpose but it was funny nonetheless
I couldn’t believe that Butler was going from ref to ref after the game to complain, searching for someone who would listen to him whine.
I want to say Biggup and much love to my brother, Macri, and the entire KFS family and network. I also want say "thanks for nuttin" as I can no longer engage in basketball conversations with non-KFS people....lol Last night when Hart went coast 2 coast and yammed it home, I noticed the defense reacted to IQ who was hustling to fill the lane. The defense reacted leaving the lane open for an easy flush. I NEVER would have noticed this (I saw it in real time mind you) if Katz (what a brilliant mind and writer btw) didn't bring to light that Mitch hustles down the court not to receive the ball, but to attract attention.
Hey hey! That means we're doing our job!!!
(And really, "they" not "we" because I don't see the game the way that the brilliant minds I work with do. They've taught me soooooo so much)
Look up Game 5, 1970 finals for a comparison to last night. Willis gets hurt, Knicks look terrible, no one to guard Wilt. Holzman went with a very small lineup of Clyde, Barnett, Bradley, DeBusschure and Stallworth. Knicks come from behind and win. This wasn't a game of the same magnitude, but it's the best I've felt since those days. IQ is the star, the Hart Foundation is every basketball fan's fantasy, and Grimes is coming on fast.
Love the historical perspective here Tim, thank you!
Is Quickley emerging as the best all-around player on the Knicks? His defense is light year’s ahead of Brunson and Randle; his shooting is likely better than J&J; and his passing is at least even with those two guys. Quickley is a jolt of energy and focus whenever he enters the game and his upbeat and smiling personality is just a revelation.
The Knicks better be serious about giving him a long term deal in the off-season as I agree with Jonathan.
Quickley is an emerging star.
Right now I much prefer riding with these guys for a year or two instead of star chasing. IQ may be 'that guy' and he's already here.
I agree Tim. When you see what Mitchell was traded for, it has to make you hesitate. Why give away the farm -- develop your own guys and find players like Hart who fit the system and the state of mind.
A statement win. Hopefully it’s only a sprain, and not ligaments. If that’s so, then Randle should be ready for Cleveland.
2.5 ahead of Brooklyn with 5 to go. We go to Cleveland on Friday night while Brooklyn hosts Atlanta, who needs the game in order to stay in the top half of the play in. Still a little work to be done, but we should be okay.
Suddenly, a huge opportunity for Obi Toppin.
Huge W and great job finishing off the Heat and taking the season series 3-1!
I don’t think we will see Randle for a while and hope the priority is getting him (and Brunson) healthy for the playoffs. It will be very interesting to see how the team continues without Randle. I would love to see Obi step up, but even if he starts, I expect Thibs will be giving a lot of Randle’s minutes to Hart and using RJ too close in his place.
This game should put the rumblings about avoiding the Heat to rest. The Cavs and 76ers will be playing hard to get the 3 seed and avoid the Knicks in the Round 1. The Heat are not scaring anyone with Love, Lowry and Oladipo in the rotation struggling to keep up and shoot 40%.
Let’s go Knicks!
Seems so simple, yet, Thibs formulation is true: if you play defense, rebound, minimize turnovers, and make the right reads [share the ball]... good things happen. Individuals are the difference makers among contenders, but systems that emphasize team work are the foundations of winning. And, no club can win [in any of the 4 major sports] without quality depth. I hope this season puts to bed the notion that the Knicks should ravage their roster [and future picks] for a star. Nobody's trading them superman. And, any star they could acquire has baggage [age-attitude issues-durability questions]. Thanks, KFS, you've helped to make following "this fucking team's" journey a collective joy.
Our pleasure!!!!!
No substitutions in the fourth quarter is wild! Miami isn’t all that great this year (too slow) but still. Good to see that Brunson seemed totally on board with how Thibs coached the last 12 minutes-not every lead player in the league would be so accepting.
Was following a Heat fan YouTube post game show late last night (“five on the floor”). They had four guys on, all whining about the Heat’s “lack of energy” and how they “quit on the season a long time ago.” The NBA is great for that-when teams lose, it’s always “we didn’t bring it.”
Although Jimmy Butler’s reason given for the loss last night seemed more valid:“I don’t know why we didn’t win. Probably because the opposing team scored more points than we did. That’s literally what happened.” lol
WOW....I didn't catch that. Amazing line from Jimmy
I think sitting Brunson out in the 4th was more about not wanting him to get hurt after Randle got hurt, which would’ve been a disaster. I don’t think that was the explicit intention at the start of the quarter, rather what Thibs was thinking was, we have a lead, at home, against a team on the 2nd night of a back to back, so inside of 6 minutes, once we got a little separation, it was a minute to minute evaluation. If we were down by 3, Brunson would’ve been in.
As someone who worries about Thibs’ tendency to settle into set in-game rotations and always fall back on his guys regardless of what is going on, seeing him leave Brunson on the bench was oddly reassuring. This is not me advocating for Brunson to be left on the bench more lol, but its nice to see Thibs read and react and be willing to operate out of his norm (in this case to the extreme).
The “what RJ Barrett does at HT” chronicles written by some random beat writer will be fascinating, if they can find out what in fact happens. Like what does he do in there to just change everything around? Never seen anything like it on such a consistent basis over the course of an ENTIRE career.
Also it might not be the worst thing in the world if Randle misses the Cavs game. Yes, it allows the Cavs to focus on Brunson more, but it also doesn’t allow them to fully experiment with anything in terms of playoff prep plans for both Brunson+Randle on the court.
He changes his shoes
Said it before and I'll say it again, Donovan Mitchell is a star but as things stand I'm happy we kept this roster as is. Putting aside how awesome it feels to have this group that no one but us fans gave a chance of being great do amazing things, from a negotiating perspective this summer we'll be in a much stronger position to make trades.
Give IQ the same contract Herro got. I don’t care if he’s the highest paid Knick
Where would our two 25th picks go in a redraft?
2020
1 Anthony Edwards (1)
2 Lamelo Ball (2)
3 Tyrese Haliburton (12)
4 Desmond Bane (30)
5 IQ (25)
6 Jaden McDaniels (28)
I think IQ has an argument for 4 after this year. He has also learned so much from Brunson already, it's awesome.
2021
1 Cade Cunningham (1)
2 Evan Mobley (3)
3 Josh Giddey (6)
4 Franz Wagner (8)
5 Scottie Barnes (4)
6 Jalen Green (2)
7 Johnathna Kuminga (7)
8 Alperen Sengun (16)
9 Trey Murphy (17)
10 Quentin Grimes (25)
11 Chris Duarte (13)
12 Cam Thomas (27)
This was a real good draft. Miles and Sims also move up.
I think you nailed both - top 5 and top 10
So listened to a Heat podcast this morning. Much knashing of teeth and moaning. Said Josh Hart is 'barbecued chicken ' for Jimmy Butler. I'm realistic enough that I don't think Josh is Bill Russell on defense, but I can't imagine anyone says 'great they got Josh Hart on me tonight '.
Also they think their coach is an idiot and players quit. What happened th Heat Culture- lol.
Amen to this!
Would you trade Brunson for Dame?
nah
Would IQ make Jon’s top 75 Knicks list already? Top 50?
I feel like a postseason update is needed
I missed the 4th quarter and postgame stream. Just catching up. Heard you say that IQ passed Harper for all time Knicks scoring. I don’t know how IQ isn’t already a top 60 Knick. And he could move up higher with a good post season
he's top 75 for sure
The "Before Our Very Eyes" portion of this morning's post was for me the most prescient piece you've done in a long time.
Everyone loves stories, especially basketball fans. When a young player unexpectedly emerges from his first couple seasons to begin to reveal the star he has within, the fan delights--and in the case of Immanual Quickley, the garden erupts. Who among us Knicks fans would rather have a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving wearing the orange and blue? NOT ME!
Give me a story with my star. Bad enough that refs shade calls against struggling young players to elevate stars in this league. That there are fans who accept and even demand that kind of officiating is to me repugnant. This era can't end soon enough for me. Nothing in my Ideal Game trumps honesty in officiating. But, in the meantime, Knicks fans will watch RJ, IQ, Grimes, Hart, iHart, etc. battle and overcome. Knicks' stars are in their fans' eyes.
Thank you so much Hamish, glad you enjoyed! And agree completely with your sentiments!
I was fortunate to be there last night. You were right in calling it a strange game. From the Knicks scoring the first eight to the Heat responding with 14 unanswered; the turnovers; the missed FT’s; getting essentially nothing from the starters with the exception of Grimes for most of the first half; the Julius injury. Sitting there for most of the game, you had no sense where it was going to end up. I never felt the Knicks were going to fall out of it but also never felt the game was going to turn their way until midway through the fourth. But in the end, just a huge win and effort. IQ continues to shine and I’m elated to see Quentin’s emergence. He had seemed to lack confidence after a miss or two for a stretch of the season but no more. Keep firing away...love seeing the 10 three-point attempts from him and the defense on Butler was outstanding. Get well, Julius.
Good post. Volume shooting from Grimes is huge. You are right about the flow of the game. I felt the same way at home. I didn’t feel anyone had momentum after they traded warily runs until the back to back dunks in the 4th then that happened and it felt like it was over lol