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2022-23 Game Thread: Knicks @ Pacers – Will It Be Seventh Heaven?

The Knicks head to Indiana to take on the surprisingly feisty Indiana Pacers.

In all seriousness, though, the bottom of the Eastern Conference has completely fallen off of a cliff, so the Knicks would be extremely hard pressed to fall out of the top ten now with so many teams trying not to win. That was my main reason for picking 49 wins for the Knicks, as this sort of thing is only going to get worse. The Bulls, for instance, are going to have to eventually tank HARDCORE since their pick is top four protected and they are such a bunch of pathetic losers.

Let’s go, Knicks!

163 replies on “2022-23 Game Thread: Knicks @ Pacers – Will It Be Seventh Heaven?”

It’s interesting, Americans seem to have a huge problem with the shootout. Europeans don’t.

The history of how it originated is fascianating. It arose after the Israelis were eliminated from the Olympics by the drawing of straws against Bulgaria after drawing the game.

There is a lot discussion of other possibilities you can find. they tinkered with it with the golden goal and silver goal variant. That turned out to be very unpopular because it created too much incentive for inaction:

But I think no one really doubts that pushing players past 120 minutes isn’t unwise. I also think from a commercial perspective it’s clearly better to have a 30 minute free for alll with a defined ending. And I think having the same set of rules for all the games is important. You wouldn’t want a special set of rules for a final. And having a quarterfinal that ran four hours would be too detrimental to the opponent of the advancing team.

Also, soccer being sudden death with indefinite OT until someone scores seems like the way to go.

It seems logical on the surface but it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. You’re basically asking 20 plus men to run a marathon together.

It’s interesting, Americans seem to have a huge problem with the shootout. Europeans don’t.

It’s specifically Americans who don’t like soccer who have a huge problem with the shootout. They also tend to hate draws.

It may seem unjust but the better team almost always wins in PKs. Argentina deserved that win. Italy deserved the final they won on PKs in 06. So did Brazil in 94.

As the saying goes, ball don’t lie.

Soccer teams can go a long time without scoring, so sudden death just isn’t feasible unless you call it for the day and resume the next day.

That’s interesting, Owen…just curious, has the idea of having a sudden death with the goalies pulled ever been considered?

When you have a close match it’s always decided by little things, a touch here or there, a deflection, a few inches wide or not. A penalty kick shootout just recognizes that.

PS — I know it’s been litigated to death here, but how in the world do we miss on Halliburton when every single person on the planet knew/knows the Knicks have needed a point guard since Genesis? To pick Halli and miss could have been forgiven due to his position. To pick Obi Toppin and miss is kind of madness.

Halliburton will always come to haunt us just like Clyde’s saying bout missed fts or world cup’s penalty kicks…
Daaamn!!!

Gonna need those free throws this game. No joke today. Knicks already missing too many.

Yeah…gonna be one of those missed free throws coming back to bite them in the butt games

Decent quarter…loved the way Deuce didn’t allow TJ to burn him on that last possession.

Nice drawn play for Jericho’s jam!

RJ waking up: “uh, didn’t know the game was an early start…”

Can’t watch the game. Out of network.

Z-man – never seen anyone float the pull keeper idea. I think the penalty shootout is considered more dramatic than anything else.

There have been some famous pull the keeper goals where they come out of the net for an equalizer.

Solution to soccer ties: Four ten minute extra periods in which the number of field players is reduced consecutively — 10 -> 7 -> 4 until it’s 1 v 1 plus keepers for the last period. Not sudden death. Total goals wins. Who says no? Haha.

I really don’t get all the Mathurin hype. He’s actually having a pretty pedestrian rookie season

Screw getting rid of the goalie, just dump the offsides rule and let them run…

Side track-

Geo! I’m curious to hear your thoughts on 2 series. Interview With The Vampire and Willow.

I read a bunch of her books, matter of fact, had to move a bookshelf last night, they were heavy…

the vampire chronicles got suspect for me during that rock star storyline…I liked most of the rest of it…

I really enjoyed that witch shit…I like her ability to paint such a clear picture of the environment…

interesting stories…my favorite story of hers is the mummy one…

didn’t really like the movie…reasons…haven’t been that interested in the series…

are you enjoying it?

…and Dmar, not to be argumentative, but Mathurin is having a crap game, yet he’s leading the team in scoring with 10 and 5 rebounds at the half…

The (former) Bench Mob needs to have Good Obi back,
with D-Rose, Fournier and Cam in Siberia they have trouble scoring despite an high energy level…

yep, start OT like regular, still tied, allow 2 more subs, go to 10 on each side, no hands allowed (except throw-ins of course), let them then play 10 more minutes..keep taking away 1 player per side every 10 minutes…

penalty shots in game – good…to decide a game – bad…

PS – This is exactly the kind of game I dream of IQ breaking open with 18 off the bench. Will I ever get my wish?

“ Mathurin’s going to be scoring 40 in playoff games in 3-5 years.”

Ok E, if you say so…

I like most of their games tonight, but those last two possessions by RJ and Randle are the kind of unforced errors they should completely eliminate.

RJ all excited to penetrate and then throws it out of bounds.

Julius rebounds with 18 seconds left, lazily waves everyone off, and takes a low percentage three.

Thibs gets super mad at Sims because it must be hard to be mad at someone that doesn’t show any emotions. 😀

Thibs cannot use lineups where RJ is the primary creator, he just can’t. That lineup killed us.

“Thibs cannot use lineups where RJ is the primary creator, he just can’t. That lineup killed us.”

Grimes was also out for a while. Part of it.

What a fight!

Kudos and Big Onions Trophy to Julius Randle for his 6 FTs in the clutch, this time he has been a cold blood killer.

Seven in a row!

True win. Love that Mitch is now a consistent clear advantage. Credit to Randle and RJ. If only they could eliminate those brain freezes along the way. Brunson closed so damn well, and all with five fouls.

And, finally, I guess Obi > Haliburton after all 😉

27 (or more) to go!

That was a very fun game. I had to watch, like, a gazillion other football games at the same time so I couldn’t comment, but I was pleased.

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Dunno what Mathurin is going to be doing in 3-5 years but this season he’s gonna be home watching the Knicks in the playoffs.

Man, couldn’t watch the last couple minutes. Glad they pulled it out. Some ugly ball in there. Don’t think we win this one in a couple years as the Pacers mature.

RJ looks really good ogf curls around Randle & off the Randle double.

I’m liking the little push shot too. He’s under control when he goes to it, a little more jittery and probing instead of head down locomotive. Now about those passes…

There have been so many games like this one this season that we would have lost late in the 4th last year. Brunson’s impact is enormous. Not only is he making great clutch plays, he’s taking so much pressure off other players they are all playing better under fire. I haven’t had this much fun with a Knicks team in a long time.

Keep the hard work going.

Keep getting better ever day.

Keep playing unselfishly and for each other.

DEEEFENSE.

Love that Mitch is now a consistent clear advantage

Is Mitch a top ten center? He’s going to be in the all-defensive team conversation and he’s a game-changing offensive rebounder. If he’s not top ten he’s close.

Thibs: “When teams go small we gotta pound them”.

Exactly!

The way you beat small ball is to kill them on the boards and get to the rim. Old school.

Mitch is on another level this year.

Would’ve been nice if Thibs told the ISM to guard Hield… or literally any of the 5 guys who are visible. He hit some absurdly good shots but git left open way too much. Should’ve punished Hield on defense but it’s just Randle & Brunson iso-ing. It works well enough but RJ or Grimes need to punish Hield.

We really need IQ to come around for that 2nd unit.

Who has a better chance of making the All-Star team, Brunson or Randle? Can both make it if the Knicks remain around the Top 6 by the All-Star break?

Wait!

Just wait until Quick gets going!

He will.

Like Charles always says, ” I guuuaranteee it”. ‘

Missed the end of the game so I went to twitter to find highlights and I got stuck watching Mac Jones get stiff armed straight to hell over and over again

I am thoroughly enjoying the Jalen Brunson era. It’s so rare for us Knicks fans to have a signing be exactly as good as advertised, but that’s simply what he is, a damn good Point Guard who knows how to win, plays with grit and intelligence and leads his teammates. Shout outs to Randle, RJ, Mitch and Grimes of course too. Feeling I can trust a Knicks PG to execute down the stretch in a tough game is an unusual feeling

Sounds like a good Mitching. I am excited for him to get the credit he has always deserved from the non-KB general populace (when he doesn’t get three fouls in the first five minutes anyway.) he’s earned this “breakout”

I hope someone posts an in depth breakdown on if his defense is actually different the last two weeks. I think he’s been more planted and jumping less which is better in a lot of cases.

In his post game Rick Carlisle just said the Knicks are as good as any team in the NBA. Let that sink in.

@EB — “Would’ve been nice if Thibs told the ISM to guard Hield”

The ISM was busy holding Myles Turner to 2/10, 2/8 from three 😉

I hope I don’t regret saying this, but I could watch Turner brick open threes all night long.

Wasn’t able to catch this one (Happy Hanukkah everyone) but looking forward to watching the highlights.

IF IF IF RJ has put the sucktitude behind him, we might have to rethink this team’s ceiling.

Brunson is life, Brunson is love.

for whatever reason.. for as well as brunson’s played he hasn’t been talked about enough because i guess he’s so uncontroversially good… but he’s been real good this season…

so good that i think that all the theories that he was hidden on the mavs might actually be true… increased usage has come with only a very slight drop in efficiency thanks to a career high ftr…

he’s the hub of the offense but i don’t think it’s the chris paul or the jason kidd effect of just making everyone around him better… but his mere presence has taken away some of the worst shots in randle and rj’s repertoire.. something fournier’s addition last year failed at… and that ever so slight adjustment is enough to make sizeable gains…

brunson is going to deserve the allstar attention and very likely deserve that spot once he gets it…

Nicossays:
December 18, 2022 at 21:49
In his post game Rick Carlisle just said the Knicks are as good as any team in the NBA. Let that sink in.

.
That’s really something. As I recall, Charlotte’s coach said something nice about us too. I think he said something to the effect that they didn’t lose to the Knicks because of lack of effort, instead they had a big talent deficit, especially with guys out. I thought the Pacers played well and we still beat them. I’m not used to this.

“Nicos says:
December 18, 2022 at 21:49
In his post game Rick Carlisle just said the Knicks are as good as any team in the NBA. Let that sink in.”

We may be in purgarory but the teams that play us look like they been through hell…

IF IF IF RJ has put the sucktitude behind him, we might have to rethink this team’s ceiling.

I’ve always believed that his development this season is the bigger factor in how this team progresses and the options it may pursue during the season and beyond. What’s encouraging about this win streak is that there’s still plenty of room for reasonable internal improvement. McBride has begun to hit a shot here and there when before he wasn’t… what happens when he continues to gain confidence? What happens when IQ finally breaks out of his shooting slump? And once Obi gets back…
…
…actually I’m a little perplexed about Obi’s fit right now. This team has begun to really tighten things up on D – how do you work him back in without compromising that? Maybe you have him out there when IQ/Grimey/Deuce are in so that they can mitigate him be exposed?

“IF IF IF RJ has put the sucktitude behind him, we might have to rethink this team’s ceiling.”

I’d say for now we just have to reconsider where we will finish in relation to that ceiling….nothing that has happened is way outside of what most of us felt was in the realm of “what if” possibilities, and this 7-game winning streak is entirely at the hands of .500ish or below teams. Still looks like a mid-high 40’s wins kind of team at best. Even RJ’s improved level of play is kind of within realistic expectations for a team at that level.

Now if we kick Philly’s ass on Christmas Day, maybe we can start having that conversation…

“…actually I’m a little perplexed about Obi’s fit right now. This team has begun to really tighten things up on D – how do you work him back in without compromising that?”

Definitely perplexing…although the way Thibs blasted Sims today, maybe he gets his rotation spot back…

“What did Thibs say about Sims?”

Nothing major, he just chewed him out as they walked off the floor for a timeout, probably about a mistake that led to a Pacer transition basket…Sims’ expression never changed, unsurprisingly!

Man, the Wolves hung 150 on the Bulls in regulation without BOTH their centers… Donovan should probably be shown the door after that.

“What did Thibs say about Sims?”

Yeah, speaking as a fan of Sims, tonight was not a good game from him.

I remember when Karnisovas was hired by the Bulls and immediately made the moves that mostly define their current team. They played well for a while after that and some people were saying how that was good GMing. It’s not looking so good now.

Not that they would be contenders, but the Bulls really miss Lonzo Ball.
They should probably blow it up.

So should the Wizards. Kuzma can be moved. LA may be interested in Beal, which the one they have to move to start over. KP’s contract is not an issue anymore with only one year left.

Bulls have the 9th best defense & the 24th ranked offense. LaVine/DeRozan/Vucevic have all just fallen off a cliff this year.

OG might be an interesting grab for them or the Wizards. I doubt it gets them out of no man’s land but it’d be interesting to see what comes of it.

Miami should probably chase OG too.

The Bulls were 39-21 last year, fueled by DeRozan unsustainable MVP-level play and a surprisingly good Caruso-Ball led defense, then injuries hit and the wheels fell off.
They closed the season 7-15, were Gentleman’s sweeped by the Bucks and then this year happened.
Donovan’s desk is getting closer and closer to the door…

Mitch with his 500th block is 4th Knick all time. Already? Nice.

He’ll be 2nd during this season, because he needs only 43 blocks to get there (Bill Cartwright) and he averages 2 blocks per game. So i guess 20 to 25 games will seal the deal. After that he has no chance of getting to 1st, as it’s Ewing with 2758 blocks.

What I find hilarious is this absolute knowledge that we can’t win a playoff series. Like literally you’ve just been proven wrong about this team and yet you are so sure of it’s ceiling and our future.

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