It may not be your Monday-after-a-two-game-weekend protocol, but I think you should have separated out game stars for each game to give the guy in the 55 jersey his for last night.
All season he has pissed me off for playing like a guard in a big man’s body, but at some point in the last couple of weeks he must have hit his head on a door frame that the rest of his teammates and opponents cleared unscathed, and in his state of discombobulation, remembered that he is a centre and not a pound shop (“dollar store”) Jokic or Porzingis. At least one of the stars circling around his head at that moment should be on his record for the season for last night.
(Concussion is serious, not trying to make light.)
Man did I think about it. I really did. I've split stars before too. I wanted to keep integrity in the system...like, when 2 actors give 2 of the best performances of all time, and they happen to be in the same year, only one gets the Oscar.
What a wild ride lately and like you said Macri...no blowouts! You must be loving this! This stretch of games is the most exciting, most relevant, best basketball the New York Knicks have played in about as along as I can remember. Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn, Lakers, Miami, Clippers and Sixers and we go 4-3 with two losses being OT losses? We can talk about this guy, that guy...truth is all the guys are playing hard, competing, being relevant. This is a team that is playing even with the best in the league at this moment. This is a team playing six draft picks last night. This is a team built by Leon Rose and coached by Tom Thibideau and let by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. This is the scrappy, hard-nosed, physical team that Scott Perry talked about. How do you build a team without a lot of high draft picks or superstars...well Knicks fans...it's happening right now. These New York Knicks are for real!
As far as I’m concerned, Brunson has been calling his own number exactly the right number of times. He is their best and most reliable player by a long shot. Who should get more shots, RJ who can’t hit the side of a barn? Or Randle who certainly takes as many shots as he possibly can?
And to make my comments totally Jalen-oriented, he should definitely be the substitute for Irving. Course putting two all-stars on a team that is only three games over .500 might be a stretch.
Love Brunson, but can we not turn everything into an attack on other players, especially Randle? Trust me Randle could take more shots if he wanted to. There aren't a lot of bigs who are passing up as many shots and putting up the assist numbers he is. If anything, other than 1st Quarter Randle, Randle spends a lot of time trying to share the ball and passes up plenty of shots. If you adjust for the fact that Randle averages more minutes a game, Brunson takes more shots per minute played than Randle. I agree RJ is more of an issue, but I think that because he's trying to find his way in an offense where he's not a good as the other 2 guys.
Not only is Randle not taking "as many shots as he possibly can," but he's efficient when he does shoot, and the team needs him to shoot. If the threat that he will score wasn't attracting a higher percentage of double teams than anyone other than Giannis by opposing coaches who want to stop him, Brunson would have a much harder time getting his shots. Despite those doubles, Randle has been more efficient than Brunson this year (other than admittedly at the end of the game). Randle's Points Per Touch and Points Per Shot Attempt are higher than Brunson's. So are this eFG% and his TS%. Both players are important to the Knicks and they and Thibs are doing a good job of balancing their shots and roles, which is what I think the article was trying to say.
Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023Liked by Jonathan Macri
Early in the season, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued when Randle was going deep into his bag and was pulling out his floater. And then it basically disappeared for the past few months. But it's now back and I hope it stays. It certainly seems like something he could utilize here and there to mix it up and it definitely catches defenses off guard.
When I wrote the comment several paragraphs below on January 3 about our inconceivable and close losses, we were 20-18, with two of the losses fitting into the inconceivable category and another four fitting into the “we only needed one more bucket or stop category”. Since then, we are 9-8, with the three OT losses clearly fitting into the one more bucket or stop category and Milwaukee (down two with 10 seconds left) in the group also.
The six out of 38 thru January 3, represented 15.7 percent of the games. The 4 out of 17 represents 23.5%. I don’t know whether we have engaged in more one shot and OT games then is average (John probably does), but if you win the two games that were almost impossible to lose and split the other eight we would be 35 and 20. Which is another way of saying on glass half full day that we are close to being a really good team.
I suppose, to be more balanced about it, thru January 3 we had two OT wins and another three wins where the loser was a bucket or stop away from beating us in the last minute.
Since January 3, we have added an OT win and five additional close victories that made the one bucket or stop list in our favor. So five out of 11 thru January 3 and six out of 10 after. An 11-10 record overall in these games is better than I expected.
Ken
Jan 3
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It is so hard to get a handle on this Knicks team, but sometimes I feel like they are a 50 win team instead of the.500 team expected out of the gate.
Imagine they win the two games that no one should lose, Dallas and Chicago, and split the four other games they were one shot away from under a minute: OTs against Memphis and Portland,
The second Memphis loss (ahead one with 14.8 seconds before letting ja get offensive rebound)and tied with Milwaukee with 47 seconds left before Grayson Allen hits a three.
this is well done Ken, thank you. Just as far as the data goes, Knicks have been in 22 games where the score was within 3 in the last 30 seconds, which is 3rd in the NBA. They've played the most OT games in the league, with 9
I think RJ being out removed the “third banana” that needs his shots and sets. Led to more ball movement and the eventual win. RJ is expendable especially with the way he’s been playing & his regression + the epitome of inconsistency for someone who warrants so many shots and sets.
Unfortunately he was a # 3 pick, hyped up since he was a prospect- even called the “Maple Mamba” for some incorrect reason. I would love to see him play more as a role player (bridges?) than a main cog. His game & performance would benefit greatly and hence the team would run a lot smoother. No reason for him to be jacking up a million 3s’. Shoot only corner threes and be decisive with moves. No barreling and tunnel vision! Guy has cinder blocks attached to his ankles when he gets around screens or blowbys by the likes of a Joe Harris smh.
The role player archetype is never going to be RJ unfortunately, and I think this FO knows that he’s the piece that can yield some team building continuity. See you later RJ- eventually.
The Knickverse reminds me of the cautionary instruction given to stop obsessing about the past: What would have been... what could have been... what should have been. Except, that is, to the degree that one uses the past to inform present choices/plans - to reflect positively... These down to the last shot regulation and overtime contests are teaching these players what teams usually discover in playoff series: in a close game, everything matters.Don't hold back. Make intelligent plays. Use your team mates [no hero ball] because everyone shares in the glory of victory. And so on...
Speaking of Randle averaging 7 assists over the weekend, he's now up to 4.2 per game for the season. He started slow with 3.5 in October and 3.4 in November, but December went up to 4.3, January was 4.7 and in 3 games in February, he's averaged 6.7. If he were to average that same 6.7 or so for the remainder of the season, he would raise that to 5 assists per game. Not likely but the fact that we can even have a discussion about Randle putting up 25/11/5 numbers for a season shows how different this year is than last.
Did Quickley injure himself at the end of the third quarter last night? Looked like something happened there with either his hip or his leg. Didn’t see him at all in the 4th quarter (which could have been a byproduct of how well Deuce and Fournier were playing-not sure).
Fournier with a great line when asked last night if he thinks he’ll be back in the rotation: “Today was more like a one night stand.” lol
It won't happen but this game should give Thibs the confidence he needs to give more burn to bench players, even if it's a collective 10 minutes a game to Duece & Obi. The depth in this team is real.
The surprise of last week isnt Batum making his last second 3...its that Herro missed his...not with our luck...Also, I was stunned with Randle's defense on Leonard at the end stayed low moved his feet...he can do it!!!! Lastly, Barrett...I dont know what to think anymore...
It may not be your Monday-after-a-two-game-weekend protocol, but I think you should have separated out game stars for each game to give the guy in the 55 jersey his for last night.
All season he has pissed me off for playing like a guard in a big man’s body, but at some point in the last couple of weeks he must have hit his head on a door frame that the rest of his teammates and opponents cleared unscathed, and in his state of discombobulation, remembered that he is a centre and not a pound shop (“dollar store”) Jokic or Porzingis. At least one of the stars circling around his head at that moment should be on his record for the season for last night.
(Concussion is serious, not trying to make light.)
Man did I think about it. I really did. I've split stars before too. I wanted to keep integrity in the system...like, when 2 actors give 2 of the best performances of all time, and they happen to be in the same year, only one gets the Oscar.
You're giving me regret.
What a wild ride lately and like you said Macri...no blowouts! You must be loving this! This stretch of games is the most exciting, most relevant, best basketball the New York Knicks have played in about as along as I can remember. Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn, Lakers, Miami, Clippers and Sixers and we go 4-3 with two losses being OT losses? We can talk about this guy, that guy...truth is all the guys are playing hard, competing, being relevant. This is a team that is playing even with the best in the league at this moment. This is a team playing six draft picks last night. This is a team built by Leon Rose and coached by Tom Thibideau and let by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. This is the scrappy, hard-nosed, physical team that Scott Perry talked about. How do you build a team without a lot of high draft picks or superstars...well Knicks fans...it's happening right now. These New York Knicks are for real!
I'm enjoying it David, not gonna lie! Agree its a full team effort. I hope it keeps trending in the right direction.
Don’t know what I ❤️ more:
1) Randle’s floater display
2) Jalen using the Harden package on Harden
3) Duece + Hart’s clutch play
4) Evan 🤯
#NewYorkForever
It's a 4-way tie!
Hart set a great screen to get Duece open on that play of the game. All 3 of the unsung heroes were amazing last night.
Great call!
What would the score have been if RJ Barrett was playing? 🤐
don't say the quiet part out loud shhhhhhhhhhh
As far as I’m concerned, Brunson has been calling his own number exactly the right number of times. He is their best and most reliable player by a long shot. Who should get more shots, RJ who can’t hit the side of a barn? Or Randle who certainly takes as many shots as he possibly can?
And to make my comments totally Jalen-oriented, he should definitely be the substitute for Irving. Course putting two all-stars on a team that is only three games over .500 might be a stretch.
Love Brunson, but can we not turn everything into an attack on other players, especially Randle? Trust me Randle could take more shots if he wanted to. There aren't a lot of bigs who are passing up as many shots and putting up the assist numbers he is. If anything, other than 1st Quarter Randle, Randle spends a lot of time trying to share the ball and passes up plenty of shots. If you adjust for the fact that Randle averages more minutes a game, Brunson takes more shots per minute played than Randle. I agree RJ is more of an issue, but I think that because he's trying to find his way in an offense where he's not a good as the other 2 guys.
Not only is Randle not taking "as many shots as he possibly can," but he's efficient when he does shoot, and the team needs him to shoot. If the threat that he will score wasn't attracting a higher percentage of double teams than anyone other than Giannis by opposing coaches who want to stop him, Brunson would have a much harder time getting his shots. Despite those doubles, Randle has been more efficient than Brunson this year (other than admittedly at the end of the game). Randle's Points Per Touch and Points Per Shot Attempt are higher than Brunson's. So are this eFG% and his TS%. Both players are important to the Knicks and they and Thibs are doing a good job of balancing their shots and roles, which is what I think the article was trying to say.
Early in the season, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued when Randle was going deep into his bag and was pulling out his floater. And then it basically disappeared for the past few months. But it's now back and I hope it stays. It certainly seems like something he could utilize here and there to mix it up and it definitely catches defenses off guard.
When I wrote the comment several paragraphs below on January 3 about our inconceivable and close losses, we were 20-18, with two of the losses fitting into the inconceivable category and another four fitting into the “we only needed one more bucket or stop category”. Since then, we are 9-8, with the three OT losses clearly fitting into the one more bucket or stop category and Milwaukee (down two with 10 seconds left) in the group also.
The six out of 38 thru January 3, represented 15.7 percent of the games. The 4 out of 17 represents 23.5%. I don’t know whether we have engaged in more one shot and OT games then is average (John probably does), but if you win the two games that were almost impossible to lose and split the other eight we would be 35 and 20. Which is another way of saying on glass half full day that we are close to being a really good team.
I suppose, to be more balanced about it, thru January 3 we had two OT wins and another three wins where the loser was a bucket or stop away from beating us in the last minute.
Since January 3, we have added an OT win and five additional close victories that made the one bucket or stop list in our favor. So five out of 11 thru January 3 and six out of 10 after. An 11-10 record overall in these games is better than I expected.
Ken
Jan 3
Liked by Knicks Film School
It is so hard to get a handle on this Knicks team, but sometimes I feel like they are a 50 win team instead of the.500 team expected out of the gate.
Imagine they win the two games that no one should lose, Dallas and Chicago, and split the four other games they were one shot away from under a minute: OTs against Memphis and Portland,
The second Memphis loss (ahead one with 14.8 seconds before letting ja get offensive rebound)and tied with Milwaukee with 47 seconds left before Grayson Allen hits a three.
this is well done Ken, thank you. Just as far as the data goes, Knicks have been in 22 games where the score was within 3 in the last 30 seconds, which is 3rd in the NBA. They've played the most OT games in the league, with 9
I think RJ being out removed the “third banana” that needs his shots and sets. Led to more ball movement and the eventual win. RJ is expendable especially with the way he’s been playing & his regression + the epitome of inconsistency for someone who warrants so many shots and sets.
Unfortunately he was a # 3 pick, hyped up since he was a prospect- even called the “Maple Mamba” for some incorrect reason. I would love to see him play more as a role player (bridges?) than a main cog. His game & performance would benefit greatly and hence the team would run a lot smoother. No reason for him to be jacking up a million 3s’. Shoot only corner threes and be decisive with moves. No barreling and tunnel vision! Guy has cinder blocks attached to his ankles when he gets around screens or blowbys by the likes of a Joe Harris smh.
The role player archetype is never going to be RJ unfortunately, and I think this FO knows that he’s the piece that can yield some team building continuity. See you later RJ- eventually.
This team is kind of Schizophrenic, but I'll take it.
Games like yesterday make me question some of Thib's "bench sentences", but that hardly is a new topic.
The Knickverse reminds me of the cautionary instruction given to stop obsessing about the past: What would have been... what could have been... what should have been. Except, that is, to the degree that one uses the past to inform present choices/plans - to reflect positively... These down to the last shot regulation and overtime contests are teaching these players what teams usually discover in playoff series: in a close game, everything matters.Don't hold back. Make intelligent plays. Use your team mates [no hero ball] because everyone shares in the glory of victory. And so on...
Speaking of Randle averaging 7 assists over the weekend, he's now up to 4.2 per game for the season. He started slow with 3.5 in October and 3.4 in November, but December went up to 4.3, January was 4.7 and in 3 games in February, he's averaged 6.7. If he were to average that same 6.7 or so for the remainder of the season, he would raise that to 5 assists per game. Not likely but the fact that we can even have a discussion about Randle putting up 25/11/5 numbers for a season shows how different this year is than last.
Did Quickley injure himself at the end of the third quarter last night? Looked like something happened there with either his hip or his leg. Didn’t see him at all in the 4th quarter (which could have been a byproduct of how well Deuce and Fournier were playing-not sure).
Fournier with a great line when asked last night if he thinks he’ll be back in the rotation: “Today was more like a one night stand.” lol
It won't happen but this game should give Thibs the confidence he needs to give more burn to bench players, even if it's a collective 10 minutes a game to Duece & Obi. The depth in this team is real.
The surprise of last week isnt Batum making his last second 3...its that Herro missed his...not with our luck...Also, I was stunned with Randle's defense on Leonard at the end stayed low moved his feet...he can do it!!!! Lastly, Barrett...I dont know what to think anymore...