The Knicks head to Philadelphia for their first road game since they’ve acquired OG (well, first road game since they acquired OG in which he is playing, that is) to take on a really good Philadelphia 76ers team that will clearly try to get iHart into foul trouble right away. It’ll be interesting to see how the Knicks handle leading MVP candidate Joel Embiid.
The good thing for the Knicks is that the Sixers, like a lot of teams, don’t really take every game quite as seriously as the Knicks, and that helps the Knicks a lot, as they give 110% every game, so I think that with that in mind, and this being a nationally televised game, there is a really good chance for the Knicks to pull this one out.
It would be awesome to watch.
Let’s go, Knicks!
321 replies on “2023-24 Game Thread: Knicks @ Sixers (OG’s Road Opener, which is not a thing)”
Let’s go Knicks!
DRed freaked me out for a second about an early start, I thought it was somehow a 7pm start or something, and I was late!
iHart!!
Old Bulls headline for the game thread? đ
Kelly Oubre is pretty in person but not quite as twinkly as youâd hope
I gotta be honest, it’s going to be a little tough watching Maxey running around doing Quickley shit.
Enough on that. Time for the Anunoby break-out game.
Does OG guard Maxey?
And a new drinking game – a shot every time Embiid baits one of our centers into a dumb foul.
Weâll all be passed out by the 2nd quarter
OG slam already in the Friday Night Knicks montage.
Welcome back, Clyde.
I think Philly is gonna have its hands full tonight…
Would you believe a good luck charm? đ
Embiid is not Wilt.
Clyde wearing a repurposed rug from the Jungle Room at Graceland
Yes I do believe, Brian. Youâre always one step ahead!
d-mar, I’ve just poured myself a martini, but I’ll take a sip after each foul and see how many more of these I have to make…
I’m drinking Maine Brewing Co. Lunch IPA
Clyde is back!
Clyde is back!
So nice, I said it twice!
It’s fucking crazy how much bigger Embiid is than Hartenstein.
Hartenstein’s foot wins the game for the Knicks…?
Clyde’s in great form đ
Embiid is gonna grimace his way to 40+ points.
Stuck on ESPN, so feel free to share any good Frazierisms…
OG with the RJ impression…
Our offense is offensive…
Interesting plan by the Sixers. ABB — Anybody But Brunson. Seems to be working, too.
Yeah. I’m force to watch ESPN too đ
Randle looks like he’s forcing things. Embiid on one leg looks good enough.
Our ball movement is non existent⌠gonna be a long game if this keeps up
They *all look bigger than our guys. But maybe my TV got small đ
we’ve had too much good randle lately
Bad Julius in the house
Brunson having big problems with batum⌠our defense is not capable of stops⌠wait until our bench comes in⌠đŤŁ
I-Hart with another incredible block!
Wow that was an amazing block by I-hart
We look lost on both ends ⌠I am really down right now.. pain
Basically down 7 when the Deuce crew entered. Letâs see âŚ.
Deuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce
Iâll take it
Refs calling every little thing for Sixers, nothing for the Knicks. Not a good sign
DEUCE
Deuce is HOT!
Deuce with the 3 tres
DEUCE AGAIN
Quatro tres!
that’s four motherfuckers
DEUCE!!!!!
Just keep doing this, Deuce, and your contract will look cheap.
Well that first quarter was⌠eventful
good for deuce
So the bench unit played great. I don’t know anything anymore.
Trey McBride! Making his case.
Everyone here owes Deuce an apology!
“He’s not Deuce, he’s a Trey!”
If Deuce can produce…
Deuce on the loose! A Clydeism from ESPN of all places.
I’m sure we all assumed the bench would take over this game.
All you mean people saying shit about Miles McBride, take it back now. Because great quarter.
Batum’s harassing JB, Bad Julius showed up, our offense is stagnant… and we’re up 4! (thanks to Deuce, The Hart Foundation, DDV and Embiid’s ankle)
Did someone tell Deuce this is a G league game?
Deuce read your posts.
O3!
Yes. This is where OG should call his own number a bit like those two drives. Julius on the bench. 2nd unit. Usage. Etc.
lol even precious is swishin
Right now on the Sixers blog someone is posting:
âDeuce McBride, really?â
Precious can set a pretty nice screen
He was shooting great 2 years ago but has been horrible this year. Would be great if the Knicks can get him going
More DDV less Grimes.
Nice. Deuce, Brunson and OC unleash a 3ruption.
I do feel these games would be more fun if Grimes could score even one basket. Nevertheless, heâs +15 at the moment.
If the Knicks hit all of their 3s I predict they will win.
Josh Hart leading on rebounds and tied in assists.
Watching Donte sky for blocks and rebounds, not sure there’s anyone who gets higher.
No more usage for you, OG
Clyde waiting for a dead moment and then saying “remember when Oubre got hit by a car” cracked me up
Wow they really settled down
Since when has Oubre had such good hands on D?
I think weâre starting to take Jalen Brunson for granted.
I mean, heâs had a magnificent half so far
Wow. This is impressive.
Hart is playing full throttle tonight and it’s beautiful to watch.
That Jhart to iHart layup was beautiful.
These guys are energized, in rhythm, and making everything look easy right now. Beautiful to watch.
Maybe Embiid’s not right but this is a fantastic team effort.
Who are these cutters and passers?
Clyde, âHart to Hart, one of my favorite shows back in the day,â hahaha.
But does it rate, Alan? Stephanie Powers? Robert Wagner? I liked it đ
Thereâs no denying the passing in the offense is soooo much better post-trade. Really great to see.
Now we need Randle to not force thingsâŚwe have this big lead in spite of his poor shooting
Yes, that was fantastic!
Speaking of fantastic… Josh Hart is plus 24 even though he only has 6 points. He’s killing it out there tonight.
OG successfully guarding Embiid, sheeshâŚ
Clyde: âBrunson likes cheese!â Ha ha ha!
I know every shot hasn’t gone in but it feels like it.
Here’s the important thing about Embiid playing hurt, that’s what he’s going to be doing in the playoffs, so this is a fair estimate of what the Sixers will look like.
Man, really wish one of our guys would stop making shots and instead drive right into 3 defenders to have Embiid swat it into the 5th row
Devo is like, âDude, I would have had 30 if you had kept me in.â đ
Clyde, âBrunson likes cheese. He wants some crackers and apples.â Haha.
EDIT: CSuit beat me.
We are shooting 62% from three. That seems decent.
Bravo, Brian.
30 point turnaround, crazyâŚ.
well that’s a good half
That was excellent defense by Randle on Embiid to end the half.
Jesus, up by 20 at the half, I did not predict that.
I did predict that Deuce would be the second-highest scorer at the half.
Not.
Wow. What a half. Iâm guessing that – statistically – that was the best 24 mins weâve played all year. Maybe in 2 years.
Maxey playing like Trae Young out there. Hunting for foul calls instead of creating for others. Iâm ok with that, especially with a hobbled Embiid
Edit: Maxey has 7 assists?! Sure doesnât seem like itâŚ
Yeah. My (rose colored) eye test says this is not bad-Julius tonight at all. Philly is defending him very well and he was obvs their top priority. Good to see Brunson on fire and the other guys stepping up.
You can’t have a better first half than that! Wow!
Think it’s safe to say if we shoot 60% from 3 for the rest of the season I need to reset my expectations
Hahaha. Thereâs still space on 50 win island đ
Letâs go Knicks!!!! Looking strong except when Precious was getting bodied by Joel
Yeah, torrid 3 point shooting notwithstanding, they really exploited Philly’s lack of energy in the 2nd quarter. That’s the thing about having the hustle guys, if you’re lazy like Philly was being, they’ll hurt you.
Hartenstein doing as well as it can be expected on Embiid too, he’ll get his points but holding him to 5-12 shooting is always a great effort.
The Knicks look scary.
“Maxey playing like Trae Young out there. Hunting for foul calls instead of creating for others. Iâm ok with that, especially with a hobbled Embiid”
Did you notice who’s guarding him?
I think I forgot to post this earlier today, but we need to blow out the Sixers so our starters are well rested for a huge game against the Wiz tomorrow.
Obviously weâre not gonna shoot 60% forever but maybe weâre actually a good 3pt shooting team?
“Obviously weâre not gonna shoot 60% forever but maybe weâre actually a good 3pt shooting team?”
We can be. Volatility is in our favor tonight. It wasn’t vs. MIL in the ISM. But we are very capable, that’s for sure.
Yeah, Hart in particular just had a faster motor than every other player on the floor. Letâs see about half #2. Deuce will undoubtedly miss. Philly will adjust to Brunson. A real gut check for our guys. Good test.
I hope we come out strong. I donât want the 76ers getting back into this game. Go for the jugular!!!!!
that’s our second pass to someone not looking at the guy with the ball, need some practice time
Interesting ESPN comment, probably made up, that Julius spent the offseason watching lots of film of LeBron to learn how to do spin moves, and watching Luka to learn how to slow the game down.
Philly always gets those bullshit calls, it’s so annoying.
Thatâs a BS call.
Imagine how big the Knicks lead would be if these refs weren’t awful.
It’s insane how the Sixers always get a favorable whistle, seriously.
Let them foul hunt all they want, it’s going to lead to another very funny 2nd round choke at the end of the season.
Ball donât lie.
DDV with the “ball don’t lie” comment đ
That backcourt foul was the first frustrated BS mistake Iâve seen Randle make. Now heâs spiraling.
Ok, the refs are garbage but Randle is really helping them out by losing control with these frustration fouls. Get him out of there.
Knicks win the game on Julius’s knee…
Randle is shooting too much for someone who canât make anything right now.
Stop giving it to #30
What is randle doing
Iâll give Randle a pass because heâs been great lately, but heâs the only reason this game isnât over.
For Christs sake
Knicks might need Deuce to give them another spark like he did in the 1st half.
I know he’s due for a stinker after his long hot streak, but he’s having an awful game and he’s on the brink of losing it and go to one of his rage moments…
The fact that Thibs canât get out of his set rotation to get Randle out and Hart, who was awesome in the first, in just kills me
Deuce! Deuce! Deuce!
Sorry, BBA got me excited.
But maybe, if you say his name three times…
Beetledeuce!
OG shooting like RJ tonight.
Terrible julius tonight it’s wild we’re still winning
Playoff Julius in the house!
This is coaching malpractice, fucking take Randle out and let him calm down.
Jesus, all of the turnovers.
I swear I heard a fan shout âlet him shootâ when Randle got the ball
Somehow Randle is +8 and Brunson is -2
Yep, Randle should have been subbed out a long time ago
Julius STILL out there stinkin’ it up
Yeah BBA, OG’s offense tonight has been eerily similar to RJ’s standard performance…
Randle FLAILED. That wasn’t pretty.
Rather than trying to shoot or dribble his way out of a cold spot, Randall needs to focus on rebounding, dishing, and running hard. The right shots will come.
lol they fouled him
knicks need to add some creation to help deuce
This might be the worst offensive quarter of the season by the Knicks.
Oh, that was the worst offensive set of the night, and anyone complaining about the refs has to shut up now.
Noted. Precious in.
Great D by Grimes followed by huge FTs by Deuce.
Lotta effort expended by Philly there and they only cut 3 points off the lead
How in the world are they ahead by 17 after THIS quarter.
I don’t dig Patrick Beverley
So now we know, Deuce in braids, not the weird quasi-mohawk thing.
Beverley with the egregious blunder to save us…
Still 17 up, somehow.
Even with the awful offense that quarter still up 17 going into the 4th. Knicks defense was huge last few minutes.
Awful quarter as addressed⌠in disbelief as well âŚ
McBride heard we might try to trade for Clarkson, so he went to the same hairstyle to show he can score just as well.
Bad, bad Randle
i would be pretty shocked if achiuwa lasts as part of thibs’ rotation
Prigioni would be proud of Deuce.
Brunson needs to return ASAP.
OG struggling on offense
McBride pooping himself a bit under pressure
Yeah, Precious is a scrub…
Deuce is marking his territory.
That was off OG.
I really want this win.
Randle looks like crap.
I want to win this game real bad…
Precious is a backup – not a scrub.
Yes-yes. But can we have nice things?
Where’s Brunson? Wake up Thibs!
Huge shot by Grimes
Needed that grimes 3
big two possessions from grimes
Deuce turning into a pumpkin here. This bench + OG lineup looks pretty awful, though Grimey did just make a couple plays
Grimes attacked the rim and got fouled!!! This is not a drill!!!
Keep driving to the rim. Draw the contact. Get to the charity stripe. Inch away.
Huge stretch here by Grimes.
Grimes, up to the moment
It is crazy that they’re still up 18. Both teams just sort of packed it in at the half. Embiid just wants his stupid streak.
Second unit scoring is weak, but they play tough D.
GRIMES
Yeah, Grimes suddenly looking around at the others thinking, âWait, wasnât I a starter just a minute ago. Letâs go!â
Q-Dot taking over!
Grime time!
Summer with Reddick
OG gets caught up on a screen but he’s so long he can still recover and contest the drive.
Okay, this little stretch is more like they actually give a shit. Nice.
Nice
Is Nurse going to play Embiid 40 minutes? Doesnât seem wise.
sixers just ran the laziest trap in history
Mitch doesn’t make that pass…
Reasserting
RJ never cut like OG does
Is anyone here thinking that the Knicks may just be better than the 76ers? This team hasn’t gelled yet.
Okay, that iHart to OG layup was like five minutes in the making, but they still pulled it off.
I think we can relax now lol
This is really exactly what I wrote about in the opener. The Knicks would never fold like this. The Sixers basically punted the game after the big first half. A gutless performance by them. The Knicks would never do that.
Man I havenât seen the Sixers much this year but doesnât seem like they have a lot of shooting. If Embiid and Maxey arenât doing their thing, who do they turn to?
It’s not just that OG cuts, he’s also such a huge target he’s easy to pass it to.
Soft schedule. 76ers very good not great.
Knicks very tough; great effort, relentless D and great spacing.
Doing this while Randle having epic off night (and hosing my fantasy night).
That said, one team’s gutless performance is another team’s gutsy performance, so kudos to the Knicks! I am loving it!
They had more turnovers than the Knicks on the 3rd. And the Knicks were passing to invisible players!
Well Tatum has played Brunson to a tie. If 25-0 is a tie…
Someone made an interesting comment about how the Sixers don’t even need a third star, they just need to, like, import another team’s middle-to-back rotation, as they’re so thin behind Maxey and Embiid.
Their number 3 option (Harris) had a bad game and now he’s out of the game with an injury…
But it’s true that the Knicks never quit or let a game go like this when down…
Hartenstein is pretty handy.
Precisely!
Man, ESPNâs build up was so 76ers heavy.
And Knicks are just owning them
First time I’ve seen Brunson do that!! Lol
Clowning embiid
Loooool Embiid
We are humiliating the Sixers
I-Hart just earned another million… đ
Well those two sequences!!
iHart gonna ask Knickerblogger BJ if he got a shot of him blocking Embiid. đ
I think this game is over as chants of “Let’s Go Knicks” echoes through my speakers.
Ok Thibs empty the bench we play tomorrow night
Shocked Embiid is playing
Letâs erase their gaudy net rating in one night.
Lots of blue and orange
Destroying
Grimes is filthy
Pretty much what we all expected
What movie was it where they kept saying, âwho are those guys?â
The Knicks handily beat the #1 and #2 defenses in the league in 5 days.
Julius Randle with half as many turnovers as points (4-8), and we’re destroying them.
Unleashing Grimes would be a wonderful outcome from this trade.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid đ
Once again we’re balling like hell after a midseason trade.
And tonight we’re doing it with Randle shooting 1-11…
Great statement game.
Oh my lordy. If you get the chance, start watching this game in the 4th Quarter, with 7 minutes left.
Jalen Brunson picks Embiid’s pocket and charges for a layup.
Embiid comes back furious and is blocked by Hartenstein.
And then the Knicks run back for a fast layup AND a foul.
Seriously — Philly you are our bee-atch. This is glory. A ten-zip run makes NY’s 20-point lead into a 30-point lead. Hee hee hee.
They were keeping Embiid for the 30-10 streak, werenât they?. So weak.
Hartenstein needs to be sitting now
I can’t believe this dude was seriously playing in a blowout on a bad foot to keep some fucking stupid streak alive.
Letâs see what Skapintsev can do
Best win since Game 5 vs Cavs.
I think we just might win this by 50 points.
beating Minny and then going into Philly and laying a beating down on the Sixers. . .idk man
I hate this fucking ceiling chatter
RJ is the most valuable player tonight. Addition by subtraction unleashed Grimes.
I donât miss RJâs drives to no where
Hartenstein with the ho-hum 17/6/5/2/2
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Here comes DDV’s devilish twin
First 4 minutes of this game⌠it looked line we could lose by 20⌠and then this happens⌠love it âŚ
OG looks boredâŚall the time
And let’s not forget that tonight Randle was absolutely brutal.
lol at Embiid pretending to be limping after he stayed in a blowout to stat pad.
I think Skap was cut?
That was fun.
well, I’m pleasantly surprised with this one
If you don’t love Deuce, you suck…
(just kiddin’)
Yes, we waived him and re-signed Duane Washington Jr. on a two-way for the 78th time…
Yup. This is key.
So. For one night anyway: 1A, 1B, alpha, omega, whatever. Glorious total team effort.
Still wondering how the Knicks gonna make up for RJ’s usage….
Yeah, he was cut and we brought Duane Washington, Jr back
Josh Hart was +46
Looking at the scoreboard, it must be the annual Blowout Night in the NBA…
… and we’re on the right side of it!
Hey guys. What a beatdown.
How is +46 (Josh Hart) even possible?!
Watching this ESPN coverage, my god⌠an embarrassing bunch other than my boy Perk⌠Perks been on our team since pre playoffs last year⌠the rest of these fools are just that, foolish
Lol do people realize how terrible of a player RJ is
The bench was amazing, really hope Grimes gets some confidence from this
Bspn sucks
If MSG broadcast is playing why even listen to that non sense
Winning by this much on a night Randle was worse than every possible pessimistic estimation about his level of play… it feels so damn good.
If Grimes can get some confidence from this game and keep going, the playmaker / scorer conundrum is solved. He’s good at taking the ball to the rim, I really don’t know why he doesn’t do it more, glad to see him doing it today.
Also we’ll be climbing up those defense rankings in no time with this team.
It seems clear that ANYONE else taking RJs usage is better⌠he was just way to inefficient of a puzzle piece in our lineupâŚ
reinforcements coming??
I guess even future HOFer Jalen Johnson couldn’t help the Hawks stay within 34 points of the Pacers, on a night where Hali scored only 10 points…
Lol. Grimes +37
Iâm in Philly and league pass was blacking it out on meâŚ
Iâm actually embarrassed I wasnât at the game ⌠I am usually there
So you guys think this is the plan? Grimes, Hart and McBride all combine to pick up the bench scoring we lost with IQ?
grimes is just very hesitant at times
Hopefully consistent playing time not changes things
People forget this guy used to be a point guard so some type of creation has to be in there
We outscored their bench 49-15
Troll attempt: failed
They will make a trade maybe brogdon
Randle only scored 8 pts and they still put up 128 against the #2 defense in the NBA.
I live in Florida so I rely on NBA League Pass. When the game’s on ESPN, it’s blacked out on League Pass.
Is it hyperbolic to note that Hartenstein is the most complete center we’ve had since Ewing? Chandler was a better defender. Lee was a superior rebounder. Curry had better post moves. KP, when he played the 5, was the better shooter. Noah may have been a better passer. But I feel like Hartenstein is so well-rounded. I love it when he gets the ball in his hands in halfcourt.
Windler > Wilt
Lol, Windler must be mad he’s the one who got cut for Taj
Is it possible that IQ and RJ sucked up all the oxygen on those second units? Grimes and Deuce are reborn, at least for one night.
“Troll attempt: failed”
Deleted.
33 rebounds in a professional basketball game for a 6’6″ small forward is really pretty crazy even if it is just the G league
I thought they were going to try McBride and Flynn as the backup PG.
With Achiuwa, a credible PF, Hart moves to his natural spot as a SG. Grimes get to play SF which is where he belongs.
Second unit only looked uncomfortable when Randle played with them and tried to do too much.
I will never speak badly of IQ, the team playing well has nothing to do with IQ being gone and everything to do with changing RJ for OG.
Are we going to consider trading Mitch if Hart continues to play like this?
Hahn: âKnicks 15-0 going into the 4th with a lead.â OMG. Can that possibly be right?
Wacky as it might sound, I would start him over Mitch right now. He has a far better offensive game and you don’t lose much with him as a shot blocker.
The problem is depth at center. Are Sims and Taj enough?
Just wondering…when someone brings up Jalen Johnson’s great games, nothing. But when someone brings up his bad game, he’s a troll.
Any bias here? Naaah…
“Are we going to consider trading Mitch if Hart continues to play like this?”
Jesus god almighty I don’t want you people in my foxhole. I get dinged on a ricochet you’ll eat me raw.
Mitch was one of the best centers in the NBA before he went down. I mean, maybe we trade him. Also, maybe we have two of the best centers in the NBA.
Post game: Josh Hartâs +46 is highest of any NBA player this year.
Watching Thibs’ press conference, I know he has his faults but still he’s a damn good coach and is a big reason why the Knicks have been good again.
I’m down. But will the cap allow us to do so?
Hartenstein > Mitch
Nah, Iâm with you GoNY. IHart is making the case for being the starting center for this team. Still need more of a sample size I think but heâs at least forced the Knicks office to pay up if he wants to stayâŚ
Guys, we need to keep Hartenstein first
Even then, we should keep Mitch unless he gets us a star
Jalen Johnson had a decent game… it wasn’t like he was Cam Reddish turning the ball over 4 times with 0pts or whatever
Randle and OG both inefficient on offense but we blew them out anyway because of good defense, good ball movement and good outside shooting. Wait until we start hitting on all cylinders.
The one credit nobody can take away from Thibs is that his teams never quit. It was embarassing seeing the Sixers flat out give up on the game, while Embiid was hobbling to extend a meaningless streak.
We can have many discussions about his style, his rotations, anything, but I’m really glad to have him as our coach and a lot of what makes this team so fun to watch starts with him.
It’s silly, if iHart plays well, that’s amazing, you have an excellent two-headed center monster. They’d both play plenty of minutes. It really doesn’t matter who starts.
If you can keep mitch you keep him
He’s miles better than sims and taj is old
But if he can net you a star in a package then it something they will consider
“Jalen Johnson had a decent game⌠it wasnât like he was Cam Reddish turning the ball over 4 times with 0pts or whatever”
I’m sure he was just fine for a 3rd year player. What I object to is the notion that he would be some kind of savior to this team, or more generally the whole cherry-picking 19th pick draft bullshit. I would prefer if he was never brought up again. Yet he was just brought up again in a recent thread after a great game. All I ask is that the poster above that accused me of trolling says the same thing when his boy brings him up clearly in a trolling manner. Otherwise he should just shut the fuck up.
You have to be kind of blind not to see that iHart brings a bunch of things to the team that Mitch does not. Mitch is freaky good, but has glaring flaws. iHart is not freaky good, but has a much more well-rounded game. They are pretty much equally impactful, but iHart is more to my liking. I understand those who prefer Mitch’s gifts, but hopefully folks are coming around to the POV that there’s not much daylight between them either way.
Cry harder
I don’t think OG is in Draymond’s league yet, but there are similarities…he is incredibly impactful. Maxey still got his, but he had to deal with OG rather than whoever we would have had on him before the trade. That’s a pretty big deal.
“Cry harder”
Be less of a dick. No one else was offended by what I said. Why were you? Never mind, it’s so obvious where your head had been.
Can they afford both when we have other huge salaries eventually coming up?
The major issue with Mitch is that he leaves you more vulnerable to injuries and 4th quarter âhack a Mitchâ in the playoffs making him almost unplayable down the stretch.
I-Hart has a more complete game and Iâm pretty sure we havenât even fully tapped his potential on offense as a playmaker.
If we do eventually make a âstarâ trade some young assets are going to have to go out. We are going to have to start thinking about who.
“Can they afford both when we have other huge salaries eventually coming up?”
Great question. I think yes…they are both worth investing in, and either can be outgoing salary in a future trade.
First of allâŚ.HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!
Second of allâŚ.HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!
Ok serious thoughts. The trade for OG has had huge ripple effects beyond just better defense and he shoots threeâs well.
Heâs a willing passer/do the little things player and that is having an effect on the whole team with sharing the ball. He can guard the best dude out there on the perimeter so now DDV can play the passing lanes more which he is good at. So more steals and transition points. Plus OG (and precious who isnât great but still plays) both play the 4 so now Hart can go back to playing 2 or 3 and now Hart looks way more energized too.
If Grimes and McBride can contribute off the bench watch out.
As far as IHart vs. Mitch. I think both are great but IHart does have the more complete game and now that RJ and his inefficient ISO ways are gone, IHart might be better suited to start over Mitch. Like if you had RJ out there it was fine to start Mitch with his limited offensive game bc you were just isoing anyways. But with OG you want to utilize ihartâs passing ability more.
Honestly, we should all be VERY excited right now cause the last half of this season is going to be hella fun. We got a serious chance to make some real noise in this post season.
At the end of the day the Hartenstein / Mitch problem is a great one to have, and one that we still have an entire season to analyze and think about, so there’s no rush really.
So what in saying is that Mitchâs elite offensive boarding skills is not as needed now that RJ isnât bricking shot after shot and while Mitch might still be better on defense, IHart is pretty damn good there too and does so many other things better on the offensive end. Maybe the move is to get another cheap but good back up center and trade Mitch for some upgrade somewhere else.
Brogdon would fit nice too but maybe we just see what McBride can do for the next month before we make that move.
In my mis-spent youth, I would go to dive bars and drink alone, but I’d keep a watchful eye out for toothless drunks winding themselves up for a brawl. I’d then step between and separate them before punches were thrown. This was easy, as they never really wanted to fight, they just felt their manhood was somehow threatened by idiotic comments. More important, the bartender always gave me free drinks afterward. I got a ton of those, useful when drinking on an allowance.
Wish I could do that here, but sadly it’s not possible.
Raven, I truly appreciate that you don’t take sides and call ’em as you see ’em.
On the flip side, RJ is -26 in the third, although the team is getting their behinds kicked big time.
It all comes down to what kind of offers iHart gets after the season. I think he can still be resigned for the 4/$64 million (or barring that, a wink wink nudge nudge 1+1 deal), but I’ll certainly admit that if iHart gets huge offers, then yes, you probably have to make a choice. I don’t think it’ll come to that, but if iHart plays at the same level he has these last three games, it’ll be tricky.
That the Knicks didnât let go of the rope on defense when their offense dried up in the third was really impressive. The defense looks for real.
I don’t think we can expect Deuce or Grimes to go nuclear every game like they did tonight, but it seems like our ferocious 48 minutes worth of pesky D can make it so that we can withstand an off night by one of our studs if at least a couple of our bench players holds the fort. Our D was the difference in this game. Since the trade we’ve given up 106, 100, and 92 points in three convincing wins. The defense is for real.
(nicos beat me to it!)
The Pacers had 50 assists…that’s crazy!
I think ultimately they are going to trade Mitch as part of a bigger deal.
The problem I see is that they clearly want to use the Fournier contract in a deal so they donât have to trade away a player they want to keep just to match salaries. So they either have to use Fournier now for a player that makes them better now that they can also flip next year in a star trade or keep Fournier another year so they can use the salary next year.
I like the former.
Get a 20m player now that makes us better now but without a long contract. Then if a star deal opens up next year you can use that player, Mitch, picks and filler to bring in that star. In the mean time the team would be even better now and if a star deal doesnât open up, you still have a very good team, picks and assets to make a move later maybe the following summer.
By the same token, I don’t think Julius and OG shoot a combined 4 for 22 every night either, so it kind of evens out. I think that’s what makes this win so impressive. We weren’t firing on all cylinders, not by a long shot.
What a dilemma a game like this poses for E in terms of whether to post tomorrow. On the one hand, Julius shot horrifically. On the other, Josh Hart had one of the greatest hustlebunny games of all time.
I just love that Deuce and Quentin had the game we were hoping for/expecting coming out of that first summer league stretch.
Took a while. But it was as good as advertised…
Deuce, Donte, & Grimes are averaging over 20% usage across the last 3 games
This is the way.
IQ with some ugly shots down the stretch, finished 6 for 17 including 4 for 12 from 3pt range. RJ nowhere to be found in the closing minutes despite having a very efficient game.
It looks like the lost usage from the trade might get made up by Thibs finally trusting iHart to facilitate from the high post. Him directing traffic with cutters was been a pleasure to watch (and so un-Thibsian!)
The Raptors had a lousy record before the trade and now are on a West coast road trip and lost to a good team by only five points with a good chance to tie it at the end. Quickley started, played 38 minutes and was one of their leading scorers. I suspect they are happy with the trade.
Thibs did use Joakim Noah as a distributor in his Bulls teams. The team is actually looking a bit like that team since you could say Brunson has some similarities to D. Rose, and OG to Luol Deng