Comments on: 2021 NBA Playoffs Game Thread: Knicks @ Hawks, Game 4 – Elf’s Mother Is Going to Be Mad Again

By: pepper

pepper — Mon, 31 May 2021 14:45:55 +0000

scanning the unrestricted FA list…two guys that might upgrade the bench offense would be Forbes from MIL and Holmes from SACto..in place of bullock and noel…might be a downgrade on D…but Forbes seems to be a little more diversified in his game then reggie and holmes is light years ahead of noel on offense…not sure about his D though…this assumes bringing Burks back and putting him in the starting role…

By: Hubert

Hubert — Mon, 31 May 2021 14:11:40 +0000

I wouldn’t put game 5 in the bag for us so soon, Totes. Just being home isn’t going to do it.

Vorkunov added to the Bullock chorus this morning:

Bullock went scoreless, and his opportunities have dried up as Randle has been diminished as a passer. His presence has also had a multiplying effect. While the Hawks have taken the time to attack Randle on defense, the Knicks have not been able to punish Atlanta for hiding Young. He has been given Bullock as a defensive assignment and mostly been able to skate on that end. It has highlighted another danger to the Knicks’ lineup construction, which has put too many dependent players on the court. It is not enough to just have shooters at every position but center now (and maybe there, too); they must also be able to dribble and create problems themselves. Bullock does neither, and Young has been unaffected.

The trickle-down effect has been deadly. One of the league’s best 3-point shooting teams this season, the Knicks are hitting just 32.8 percent against Atlanta. Clint Capela has taken over the paint and made it his own. As the Knicks’ spacing has been taken away from them, there has been little improvisation to compensate.

By all means, start Reggie in game 5 again. But I think you’ve got to have a quick hook with him and move to IQ or Burks if, after 6 minutes, Reggie isn’t making the Hawks pay.

That and the Obi/Randle lineup when Capela sits are the two adjustments I can see helping Julius the most.

By: Z-man

Z-man — Mon, 31 May 2021 14:04:00 +0000

It’s good to go into the offseason with no illusions regarding where the team actually is. Clearly, like it or not, Thibs isn’t going anywhere for the next 2-3 years, so the FO is probably going to consider that when drafting/trading/signing player personnel. But there definitely should be a realization of how important it is to have a more diversified offensive game plan run by more capable players. Running the offense through Randle is fool’s gold, it will not work at the highest levels unless you have the right kind team around him. Even Giannis and AD need great supporting casts or teams will figure out how to gum up the works.

I still think that Thibs is mostly above criticism for the regular season and the playoffs. But every year is a new slate. Nick Nurse went from being coach of the year to being on the hot seat. If Thibs doesn’t conduct a proper post-mortem and fix some things assuming that Leon gives him better tools to work with, then he should be on the hot seat and rightfully so.

But no matter what, thanks to the entire Knicks organization from top to bottom for giving us this season. It’s great to be arguing over playoff losses again, especially with a team that is closer to being a starting point than a finished product.

By: Totes McGoats as Totes McGoats

Totes McGoats as Totes McGoats — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:29:59 +0000

I’m trying to be positive, but this situation is looking bleak. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe we have the better team and coach- although McMillan is outclassing Thibs right now. But the fact that the ‘1st time playoff yips’ seem to still be affecting most of the rotation, gives me serious pause about being confident we can beat Atlanta 3 straight. Our top 3 weapons all had good games, but the rest of the team fell apart. I still don’t think Taj needs to start. Is Noel on the 2nd unit because of injury? That move really confuses me. We have no paint presence on defense with Taj starting. No one fears Taj when driving the lane because he’s not your classic paint defender. I dunno yal..we’ll win game 5 for sure- but it’s extremely uphill- and I mean damn near vertical for us from here.

Should Atlanta take this series, it does nothing to dissuade me from feeling excited and proud of our Knicks. We’ve been playing with house money all season. But I’d still love to see us advance. It’s just that we blew it by losing the series tone setter at home in game 1. That’s a hard fight to overcome

By: ptmilo

ptmilo — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:01:49 +0000

i also find it hard to be too be frustrated with losses amid unfortunate shooting against a better team, even though i agree with some of the criticism of our offensive game plan. but i remember being pretty shocked when i saw the series poll post at like 80% nyk. i just missed the obvious point that fan polls are not bets and actually people thought we’d probably lose?

By: djphan

djphan — Mon, 31 May 2021 12:09:14 +0000

this obi/randle pairing could have potential next season… it’s going to require a lot of defensive improvement from both randle and obi but it could work against certain lineups.. chief among them is when they pull what atlanta is doing and play a 5 out lineup… or if the other team plays a too big and slow lineup…

both obi and randle are both great in the pnr yet we’ve ran it so little this year because they’re next to two paintbound centers…. we do need a guard capable of running it effectively and hopefully RJ can be that guy that steps up and turns this into a death lineup for us…. or we can draft and acquire a guard that can…. either way it opens up a lot of possibilities….

and i’m also glad about obi’s success.. he’s very easy to root for and he’s finally in a position to show his talents… in transition and when someone gets him in good position to score because he’s very talented when he’s around the basket and he’s against a rotating defense…

By: cybersoze

cybersoze — Mon, 31 May 2021 11:08:35 +0000

After that beyond awful game, i thought it’d be better to start the day in a funny way! 😉

By: cybersoze

cybersoze — Mon, 31 May 2021 11:07:14 +0000

Why are you guys doubting if E is a real fan? Wasn’t he going to the game 1 meetup? Hubert, TNFH, did he show up? And even if he didn’t, then he said he was going to game 2 with his son (unless i’m mistaking him for another poster). To troll on the internet you don’t have to make up a fake family and life, right? This isn’t the 80s and he’s not a KGB agent, right?
(and now E is calling Mother Russia asking for an extraction because his cover has been blown, as E in reality stands for Evgeny Kalashnikov)

By: Early Bird

Early Bird — Mon, 31 May 2021 06:19:41 +0000

Leap year exists because New Yorkers couldn’t get all their anger out in only 365 days

By: geo

geo — Mon, 31 May 2021 05:55:59 +0000

Not sure how anyone can really be mad at this series even if the Knicks aren’t playing at a high level.

you must not actually be from new york KBPR…shoot, new yorkers – we don’t really need a reason to be mad 🙂

i like that house money analogy a bunch, puts things a bit better in perspective…whatever happens wednesday, happens…wouldn’t mind though to see at least one more postseason win this year…