[New York Post] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 01:59:00 GMT
- Knicks to face 76ers in first round of NBA playoffs after Philly’s dramatic play-in win
- Sixers vs. Knicks playoff schedule released with No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup locked in
- Sixers to take on Knicks in first-round matchup after knocking off Heat
- Knicks set to battle the 76ers in Game 1 on Saturday
- Knicks-76ers: Schedule, how to watch, predictions & analysis
[Yahoo Sports] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 04:09:11 GMT
- NBA play-in: 76ers overcome sluggish 1st half, rally past Heat to set up first-round matchup with Knicks
- Sixers outduel Heat down stretch to clinch No. 7 seed in East
- Philadelphia 76ers silence boos from home crowd to edge past Miami Heat and reach playoffs
- Sixers-Heat: Highlights, score, NBA playoff bracket, schedule vs. Knicks
- Joel Embiid and the 76ers dig deep to top Miami, but now the real challenge begins
[Athlon Sports] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 01:19:14 GMT
Stephen A. Smith Has Three-Word Message For The Knicks’ Next Opponent
[sny.tv] – Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:54:06 GMT
Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein has had an all-defensive team worthy season
[The Hudson Reporter] – Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:10:10 GMT
- Anthony Davis Trade Talks: Knicks-Lakers Deal
- Knicks Linked to Anthony Davis in Blockbuster Trade
- NBA GM Projects Lakers Trade Anthony Davis to Knicks: ‘You Can Get a Huge Haul’
- Lakers Proposed Anthony Davis Trade Lands 6 Picks & 3 Players
- Some in Lakers organization want to start all over again
[The Philadelphia Inquirer] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 09:00:00 GMT
Tough? Gritty? Perseverant? Who are these Sixers? A real team with a real problem: the Knicks.
[New York Daily News] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 01:17:12 GMT
- Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson (ankle) practices again, schedule revealed
- Knicks Center Posts Explicit Facebook Status Ahead of Playoffs
- Mitchell Robinson Avoids Injury – NBA News | Fantasy Basketball
- Knicks News: Mitchell Robinson gives positive injury update with playoffs looming
- Knicks Get Positive Injury News on Mitchell Robinson
[Daily Knicks] – Wed, 17 Apr 2024 19:00:00 GMT
Zion Williamson keeps proving why Knicks should stay far away from possible trade
[New York Post] – Thu, 18 Apr 2024 03:55:00 GMT
Joel Embiid shows why he’s still daunting Knicks challenge even at less than 100 percent
131 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2024.04.18)”
Godawful game for the honor to play the Knicks, I wasn’t impressed by both teams.
That said a 7-games series is a different story, my biggest fear are the refs, they are letting a lot of things go, then they whistle randomly at softer fouls.
This way you don’t know exactly what you can and can’t do and Embiid always got a lot of FTs.
Funny thing Nick Batum, who more or less saved the day for the 76ers, was -10 in +/-.
On the other game, Coby White impressed me all year long (I think is in the running for MIP), but anyway he really put himself on the map with this game.
Atlanta is a mess (I know they’re missing Johnson but come on), the Rat looks uninterested, one between him and Murray will probably go during the offseason.
Jimmy’s and Caruso’s injuries will tell a lot about the next game, but the Bulls looks well pumped while Miami is really ugly to watch.
Can’t wait for Saturday!
While it seems obvious that a compromised Jimmy-led Heat team probably would’ve been a preferable opponent, I can’t help but feel a little relieved that we don’t have to go up against Spoelstra again. Nick Nurse is a very good coach but Spoelstra is on another level. I mean, look what Miami was able to do to the Sixers last night defensively — any normal Batum shooting night and Miami wins that game.
Embiid’s health clearly is front and center in this game, but Brunson had two of his worst games of the season against the Sixers – a 6-for-22 abomination on 3/10 (in a game that might’ve finally convinced Thibs that Precious at the 4 is a terrible idea) and a 5-for-18 stinker in February — also with Precious at the 4 that day. Would have to go back to look at what the Sixers were doing defensively that day, but clearly OG at the 4 presents a completely different attack than Precious at the 4.
3/10 game -> Precious at the 4, Brunson 6 of 22
2/22 game -> Precious at the 4, Brunson 5 of 18
on the flip side:
3/12 game -> OG at the 4, Brunson 7/12 for 20 points 9 assists, Knicks blowout win (no Embiid)
1/5 game -> Randle + OG playing, Brunson 11/20 for 29 points, Knicks blowout win (+Embiid)
Of course it’s probably not quite that simple (Precious at the 4 lineups with Brunson were actually pretty good on offense as a whole – ORtg 121.6 per CTG) but I really hope we do not see any of Precious PF this series.
I certainly do like our chances after last night. You always expect Joel to get hobbled in the playoffs but he is starting out hobbled. And while Maxey undoubtedly has talent his game seems a bit off. I wouldn’t call it low BB IQ but there are portions of the game where you wonder what the hell he is doing.
Another thing of note – and of unclear significance because Philly only had Embiid for one of these games — Philly’s ORtg against us this year = 92.8 in 4 games. They scored 79, 79, 92, and 96 points in those games. Nurse is a very good coach, but clearly there isn’t anything schematically that he does that in and of itself creates good offense for them against a Thibs defense.
Which is the better way to deal with Maxey: 1)Put OG on him as much as possible? 2)Play Deuce as much as possible, even if it’s at the expense of DDV and/or Hart minutes?
Deuce seems like our best option at the point of attack against such a quick guard, but the other guys are so much of a big part of what we do well, particularly in this matchup, that I don’t know.
“I can’t help but feel a little relieved that we don’t have to go up against Spoelstra again.”
I felt exactly the same way. Coaches generally only matter so much, but he’s the exception.
But when it was clear that Jimmy’s knee was a major issue, I started having very mixed feelings. I would take Miami with a gimpy Jimmy over Philly with a gimpy Embiid. But it is not a strong feeling.
Anyway, it’s done. I like out chances, but am not feeling like puffing my chest out. I think we can just outwork and outsmart them. Oubre Jr. and Hield are goofy, erratic savants. Harris is getting booed in his own arena. Payne can only go left and is bad on D. Lowry is 100 years old. Maxey is going to face resistance at the rim and is not a great shooter. Paul Reed is dwarfed by Mitch. And most importantly, Embiid is not anywhere near 100%.
I ask again, and not to start a flame war, just out of curiosity: has anyone who felt that we should have conceded the game to the Bulls to draw Indiana at the expense of home court in the second round having second thoughts after seeing last night’s game? If not, meaning that you would still rather be facing a rested IND team than PHI, that’s still a defensible opinion. I personally would not want to switch opponents, but maybe some folks would.
My guess is that those who felt strongly that it was fine to grind out an OT win to secure a second seed and 50 wins are not second-guessing themselves, but I dunno, maybe someone is.
So as members of the He-Man Celtic Haters Club (Little Rascals reference for all you youngsters) would we rather have them face a depleted Heat squad or a rejuvenated Bulls team that’s kind of hitting their stride? Boston isn’t losing to either but which team would make them sweat the most?
I’m starting to lean towards Chicago.
“Which is the better way to deal with Maxey: 1)Put OG on him as much as possible? 2)Play Deuce as much as possible, even if it’s at the expense of DDV and/or Hart minutes?”
Thibs will probably put DDV on him and pull out the funnel. Brunson will likely match up with whoever of Lowry, Hield, or Payne is on the floor.
The Celtics are the best team in the East and still they are so lucky they’ll face the Heat without Jimmy or the Bulls without Caruso.
I hate the Celtics…
I do think Deuce will end up playing a big role if Maxey is cooking us early. At whose expense is not clear to me – I guess it depends on how Hart is playing. Given Embiid’s mobility and Philly’s rebounding issues I think Hart could play a major role in the offensive boards, so it’s not an easy call.
dmar, I will say that Donovan deserves major props for having his team playing at a very high level at the right time. They have exactly what is needed to give the Celts problems…except one thing…rim protection. Drummond is a load, but his shotblocking is no longer a thing. Vuc is a turnstile.
That’s the thing about the Celts, they are not just a bunch of 3 point shooters. All of the starters can score in the paint.
Miami has Spo and Bam. They will probably have Rozier and Robinson back. They’re a high IQ team with lots of shooters and wings. But Jimmy is the head of the snake. If that MCL is torn, or badly aggravated, that’s a problem.
I still lean Miami, but it’s very close.
Thibs played Jimmy Butler 44 minutes on the 9th and then the next night the butcher ran him out for 36 minutes against Dallas and now he played him 39 minutes with an MCL injury.
You don’t buy a Ferrari and just leave it on the sidewalk. I’m expecting a lot of OG on Maxey, he has and can guard him. Just like oubre will be on Brunson. If we can take Maxey out of the series (limit his threes and make him inefficient), and control the others, even if embiid goes for 30+ per game, we should win.
My guess is Maxey is too fast for OG
I agree that OG can guard Maxey (or anyone not associated with a Batman villain) but if you do that, you risk foul trouble and you lose some of his off-ball defensive wizardry. If Embiid is out there, you need OG in his vicinity as a help defender.
Anyway, Maxey might get his, but I think the key is making sure that guys like Oubre Jr., Hield and Batum don’t go off.
“Thibs played Jimmy Butler 44 minutes on the 9th and then the next night the butcher ran him out for 36 minutes against Dallas and now he played him 39 minutes with an MCL injury.”
Funny, DRed, when you post stuff like this, no one angrily insults your intelligence or curses you out….
Miami probably should have won that game last night, but now they have to play a fiesty Bulls team with at best a badly injured Butler. Will be peak evil Miami if they pull it out.
If his recent play is a legitimate breakout to star level, it changes the outlook for the Bulls a lot. The biggest problem is getting rid of LaVine. Other than that I could see a quick retool.
Shams: “ The expectation is Miami’s Jimmy Butler will be out multiple weeks, sources said. Butler remarkably played the final three quarters vs. 76ers last night with what is now feared to be an MCL injury.”
Dang, not that I wish injuries on anyone but would have been nice if Miami could have pulled that out last night.
I wonder if Jimmy is going to try to play anyhow
“If his recent play is a legitimate breakout to star level, it changes the outlook for the Bulls a lot.”
It is for real. Trust me.
“The biggest problem is getting rid of LaVine.”
Seems like yesterday that posters here were advocating trading for LaVine and minimizing his defensive issues and injury history.
As it turns out, it might be a good thing to keep LaVine and hope that he comes back healthy and humble. Then they can focus on finding a shotblocker and a scoring PF. The question is, can they (or should they) keep DeRozan in the fold? He looks great right now but is pushing 35. Will 3 years/$75M do it? Does he even want to stay?
And now we have a much younger and better (and better defending) version of LaVine with DDV at a fraction of the cost.
Coby White’s season long numbers are pretty underwhelming, he needs to show he can be consistently good.
“I wonder if Jimmy is going to try to play anyhow”
I was thinking about that. My guess is that he has a grade 1 or 2 MCL tear. If it were a complete rupture, he’d surely be out, period. MCL injuries are less destabilizing than ACL, but it is still very painful and stiff and will be at least somewhat debilitating. He could just heavily brace the knee and try to play through the pain, but will at the very least be significantly diminished, probably to the point of being a 20-minute decoy at best. If he tries to push past that, he will a) probably not be successful and hurt his team, and b) be at great risk of aggravating it, and possibly blowing out his knee completely. Any brace that would prevent this would also be very restrictive.
My guess is that unless it’s a mild sprain, he will not be able to play through this, but hey, it’s Playoff Jimmy.
Yawn…
(can’t sleep till saturday…)
“Coby White’s season long numbers are pretty underwhelming, he needs to show he can be consistently good.”
Agreed. He’s a bit feast or famine but has all the tools and great size. What I’ve been impressed by lately is his ability to maneuver in the paint. The 3pt shot needs to stabilize, and if it does, he’s a handful.
I think Thibs could make a really good player out of him. At $12M AAV with full bird rights, he’s a great asset right now.
OG has guarded Maxey this season and did a very effective job of it. It was not long after we acquired OG that he held Maxey to 2-8 shooting as primary defender.
Whatever they do defensively just don’t double Embiid, at least not until he dribbles. Last night numerous times he got the ball in the high post and just held the ball and nothing happened offensively for Philly. I fear giving up a bunch of needless open 3s which as you all know from previous game threads is a major pet peeve of mine.
“OG has guarded Maxey this season and did a very effective job of it. It was not long after we acquired OG that he held Maxey to 2-8 shooting as primary defender.”
That was with Randle, who bumped OG over to SF. Now that he has to play PF, it may not be the way to go. But yes, he can definitely do it.
The good thing about this matchup is that I feel confident Hart can guard the decaying corpse of Tobias Harris, despite the size difference. So that frees up OG if we want to sic him on Maxey, with Brunson against the similarly-shaped Lowry and DDV on Oubre.
I doubt it will be easy, but Embiid’s health is an enormous x-factor.
G
79
PTS
19.1
TRB
4.5
AST
5.1
FG%
44.7
FG3%
37.6
FT%
83.8
I’m not sure what is so bad about Coby White’s numbers this season.
OG on Maxey
JB on Lowry
DDV on Oubre
Josh on Tobias
we can probably live with that, it’s not like those guys are great creators on offense
Re: Coby White
I don’t think his numbers are underwhelming, especially if compared to where he was last year, I agree that he’s “feast or famine” and needs to be more consistent from game to game.
He reminds me of IQ and IQ’s seeking 25M a year, so White’s 12M looks very team friendly.
Lowkey important thing for us will be if Mitch can give us 15 to 20 valuable minutes a game. If we have iHart and Mitch both playing near their peak abilities, that gives us plenty of minutes at the center position to use against Embiid.
White and IQ play different styles, but are probably the same level of player right now. I like Coby’s size, ability to attack the rim, and passing more than IQ. I like IQ’s shooting and team defense better. My guess is that Coby has more upside. But yeah, if IQ was amenable to 3years/$36M, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Tobias Harris was practically unplayable against the Heat, and they played Batum in his place down the stretch. Hart can definitely guard Batum. You definitely don’t want to waste OG by having him primarily guard Harris too much.
“Whatever they do defensively just don’t double Embiid, at least not until he dribbles. Last night numerous times he got the ball in the high post and just held the ball and nothing happened offensively for Philly. I fear giving up a bunch of needless open 3s which as you all know from previous game threads is a major pet peeve of mine.”
Miami defended him well until the 4th Q, when they started leaving him alone on the 3pt line and forgetting that he has become a good passer. The pass to Oubre Jr. in the post for the and-1 lost the game for Miami.
Embiid does not have a high release point on his J (other than being 7’2″) so iHart and Mitch need to stay close enough to contest the 3 but far enough to not let him get a step. If he does drive the ball, try to force him into those not-as-deadly-as when he’s healthy step-back 2’s, and then either strip him or play the passing lanes.
I wasn’t among them.
LaVine is at the top of my most overrated players in the NBA list. Some of the overratedness has diminished as people were able to see how the Bulls did without him, but if I were them I’d keep trying to trade him.
“Tobias Harris was practically unplayable against the Heat, and they played Batum in his place down the stretch. Hart can definitely guard Batum. You definitely don’t want to waste OG by having him primarily guard Harris too much.”
I think you might see OG on anyone at any given moment.
The good thing about this matchup is that I feel confident Hart can guard the decaying corpse of Tobias Harris,…
If Bogey has a good series, we win. But for him to have a good series he needs a defensive match up that allows him to actually get minutes. Tobias may provide the answer.
“LaVine is at the top of my most overrated players in the NBA list. Some of the overratedness has diminished as people were able to see how the Bulls did without him, but if I were them I’d keep trying to trade him.”
Good luck with that. He might have the single most toxic contract in the NBA. It might take an unprotected first to unload him, if not more.
That’s why I think they should plan to keep him until they can build up his trade value a bit. He’s in a somewhat similar situation as Julius was in going into last season. At the very least, they should try to rebuild his value. They should treat him as a free-agent signing on a big contract and work him back in to their rotation, with the understanding that if he makes a peep, he will be benched. When healthy and focused, he can definitely help them win games.
I’m not, like, “Oh, this will be an easy series win for the Knicks,” but how the fuck does Vegas think it is a fucking pick em’?!
I always thought Coby White showed a lot of promise, but guys like him put their teams in a bit of a difficult situation, he’s much, much better with the ball in his hands given free reign to create, but then you have a .570 ts% guard creating most of your offense, and that’s not ideal either. It works for us because Brunson has upped his volume so high without it being a detriment to his overall efficiency. If White can get a bit more efficient while maintaining this increased volume, it might be a real leap.
I think I would start with OG on Maxey and trust Hartenstein to handle Embiid, with Hart and Divo playing the passing lanes and helping accordingly. A big part of the danger they pose is that teams are forced to double Embiid and it leaves space for all kinds of cuts and open shots for Oubre, Hield, Batum, Lowry etc. If IHart can hold his own at a decent level against this version of Embiid, we have more than enough pieces elsewhere to make their offense grind to a halt.
I’m pretty confident, I think we’re a similar team to Miami in terms of the constant physicality but with more talent to score our own points, if the Heat had any sort of offensive talent yesterday they blow them out. It’ll be all about containing the fouls on Embiid, because if they have to score normally they are pretty sloppy with turnovers and we’re pretty good at generating those.
It’s kind of hilarious that Harris is making, like, $40 million to not even see the floor. Boy, he’s so bad. His expiring contract is a big reason why the Sixers might be tough next season.
Any news about Bojan’s wrist?
(BTW: Happy Birthday Bojan!)
Embiid is probably going to be a problem for the Knicks on offense, because even unhealthy/outof shape he’s still huge and strong and can shoot and pass, but you’d think we can cause Philly problems because he doesn’t look like he can move on defense.
Even without Jimmy, I still would prefer Miami to play Boston. The chink in Boston’s armour is knowing they underperformed last year. A game 1 or 2 loss to Miami would have to rattle them more than if it were Chicago.
It’s because there is a nonzero chance that Embiid averages like 37/16/7 and fouls Hartenstein / Mitch out and is going up against Jericho Sims in the 4th quarters.
Philly is something like 31-8 with Embiid and Maxey in the lineup – and a +11.1 net rating with the two of them on the floor.
And so maybe if Embiid looks like he can’t move in game 1, the line will move towards favoring us…
Harris was not completely dreadful for them this season. He has moments where he still looks like a reasonably effective player. He’s long, can shoot a little bit, makes the occasional defensive play. He was very bad yesterday though.
What a cake walk for the Celtics [unless you think the Coby Whites] can make a push.
Easy money
I haven’t been this excited about a Knicks postseason since ’94- no disrespect to Melo’s ’12-’13 squad, but they were mostly old and injured. That team felt like it was all adrenaline and savvy. This team feels different, even though they didn’t win as many games. This team is young but still veteran, has an unstoppable superstar level player, and is very good at what they do. The coach and roster match each other so we’ll, and they in turn match the grit that NYC loves. I don’t wanna get ahead of myself, but I think we have a good enough sample size to be excited. But Philly is gonna be a tough out. Embiid is a whole ass problem- even at 80% or less. Gonna be a great series for sure. We have payback to deliver to Miami, but don’t forget we have some to hand out to Lowry too. He was the one that turned the tide in that Heat series for the most part. Do not sleep on Lowry in the playoffs if he’s healthy. I want Brunson to average 35 on that fucker lol- with all due respect. If DiVincenzo, Hart, and Deuce can make things tough for Maxey and Oubre(surprisingly), we should win this series because we have bigs to throw at Embiid and OG to throw at whatever non Embiid player that gets hot.
LET’S FAWKIN GOOOOO
Yeah Tobias Harris is a good player, like the 5th best player on a really good team. But he’s paid like a #1 and is asked to be #3 on the Sixers. If he were making the midlevel he would be great.
Don’t make fun of Toby, he’d be great as our 9th man
Bring em on!
I wouldn’t be against at all bringing Tobias Harris as a 6th man type of player for the Knicks for example, but everything that lead to his current position in Philly was just a disaster. The thing with Butler, the obscene overpay, trying to make him into a player he never was, it was just never going to end well. I kinda feel for him because he never really came off as arrogant or lazy, just an obviously limited player being thrust into a position he was never supposed to be in.
(Then I remember Tobias Harris has made like 250 million in his career and I don’t feel bad anymore)
I have a feeling this is going to be a really good series.
https://twitter.com/davidaldridgedc/status/1780988263106248851
Already a bigger draw in Washington than the Wizards
Tobias/s deal was such a head scatcher when it happened. He is like their Fournier but he can still play a bit but gets paid more.
Two more days. Hard to believe.
Hard to believe that it’s only two days away, or hard to believe that it’s that far away?
You know, as Brunson was destroying the league this season, I kept thinking that some smart coach was gonna figure out a way to defend him or at least slow him down.
But he’s had an answer for every defensive scheme. If they double him, he’s smart enough to find the open man (and give some credit to Thibs for setting up that Hart high post outlet) They throw their best defender at him (Caruso, e.g.) he’ll still figure out a way to score.
I have total confidence his superb play will continue right into the playoffs.
“I have total confidence his superb play will continue right into the playoffs.”
Playoff Jimmy is dead. Long live Playoff Jalen.
Seriously, he’s demonstrated that the playoffs is no biggie to him. We didn’t lose to the Heat last year because he didn’t show up.
The key is for his supporting cast to show up. DDV doesn’t exactly have the greatest playoff stats. JHart hit that big shot in Game 1 vs. the Cavs but was a non-factor vs. the Heat. Mitch disappeared in the Heat series and Bam went off. The last thing I’m worried about is Brunson, but he isn’t going to carry us on his back without help.
Tobias should be Nic Batum
Primary reason I’m very happy with the 37 (now 30) to 1. Unstoppable on-ball point guard is a potential playoff death weapon.(*)
Let’s … play ball.
(*) Still concerned they’re short one weapon (DJM would have fit the bill perfectly), but that’s why they play the games. They wouldn’t be 37 to 1 with said added weapon. Can be overcome.
Hard to believe we still have two more days to go.
I am just imagining what my wife will do to scuttle this viewing opportunity.
Just bought pretty decent tickets to game 4 in Philly, which were way, way cheaper that the worst seat in the house at MSG. I figure there’ll be a large NY contingent that makes the same calculation.
To whet our appetites, Katz on how we might defend Embiid, with a focus on OG’s potential role: https://theathletic.com/5425176/2024/04/18/guarding-joel-embiid-knicks/
Jalen in the Player’s Tribune: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/jalen-brunson-new-york-knicks-nba-basketball
I am just imagining what my wife will do to scuttle this viewing opportunity.
Spend a couple of months in Europe! You forego sleep but no conflicts. Guarantee that no fan was happier than me with the 6pm (ET) Saturday slot.
damn but jalen brunson is the freaking man…
honestly, I think the reason vegas listed this as a toss up between us and philly is that folks still do not believe in jalen brunson…
I know philly has some very good players – I think we are a much better, more cohesive team…
and, we have the little general on our side…
I think the 2000 playoffs was the last time I was this pumped about a Knicks postseason. Before that, 1997 was probably the last time I was more confident about the Knicks than right now.
I think a lot of people are reading about Philadelphia but not watching them. Even here, just a few days ago I mentioned that Embiid is out of shape as Mitch right now, and the whole blog was all over me telling me what his stats were and all this. No one had actually seen him attempt to run.
RIP Dicky Betts. Very underrated guitar player, singer and songwriter IMO, and sad that he and Greg never got along and wouldn’t play together.
Another point I’ve been trying to drive home about them is this streak they’re on is not that impressive. Here’s who they beat to get here:
@ TOR (without RJ, IQ, Barnes)
OKC (without SGA & Williams)
@MIA
@MEM
@SA
DET
ORL
BKN
Not that I think the Sixers are some unbeatable juggernaut or anything—I don’t—but this is not going to be an easy series, and I must be counted among the worried. I’m very heartened by our 71-win pace with OG, but Philly’s own 65-win pace with Embiid on the floor is nothing to scoff at.
I think that winning Game 1 is humongous. Playing very well but losing by one point on Saturday would be very depressing if it were to occur, as I wouldn’t feel very good about our chances to dig out of that 1-game hole.
I hope for the Knicks to win in five games, but feel that Knicks winning in a hard-fought six games is much more likely. We need to come out of it just as healthy as we are now if we are going to make any kind of run…….
If we had a healthy Randle I would be super confident. But without him, I think we can still win but it will be tough. But I think this would be the case with any team we face in the first round.
Knicks ticket office starting to bleed out some seats for Game 1, hit the (naturally obscene, nothing can be done about it YOLO) bid and got seats. Gonna be an awesome Saturday night.
Pretty brutal that we were one point away from the absolute perfect 1st round outcome of a revenge cakewalk against the Butler-less Heat, but instead we get the hardest 1st round matchup possible. 🙁 Dolan’s razor always cuts true.
I’m not convinced about Embiid subjectively looking gassed or slow or whatever. He dominated the 4th quarter just fine, got his 10 FTA, and he’s still a great shooter and passer. I wish one of our bigs was so “limited” that they “only” put up 23-15-5 in a must-win game with multiple huge clutch plays down the stretch.
Yes, Batum hit some shots he won’t often hit, but they also won’t often go 2-16 on mostly wide open threes for an entire half either. They have tons of great shooters and defensive wings, and 2 of the 3 best players in the series.
I consider us a mortal lock to lose game 1 and be down 3-1 after 4 games. Not sure if we go down in 5 or 6, but unless Embiid actually misses time we are just outmatched. I really wish we passed on the game 82 seppuku and had a fun series with the Pacers to look forward to, where we would at least not be a significant underdog.
Embiid seems like a guy who plays better than he looks pretty consistently. Bit of a drama king to go with being one of the very best players in the world. I think a coin flip feels right personally. Mitch being able to play 18 minutes feels pretty crucial for the fouls and because Jericho seems to have regressed a fair bit. Every run he has gotten lately he has looked terrible.
Miami really should have won that game, even with Jimmy fucking up his knee. I think the toughest 1st round matchup for us (obviously not including Boston) was probably Indy or maybe Orlando. Not sure Philly is going to be a walkover but unless Embiid can move better we should beat them. Miami is obviously very well coached but they’re not that good this year.
Dolan’s Razor doesn’t ensure the worst possible outcome. It ensures the most annoying outcome, which in this case would be to get a hobbled Embiid and still lose. (Remember, Butler was injured during last years playoff series too).
and if we lose, you’re still gonna be enjoying the company of your friend…you’ll still be working, doing other stuff…
i’m telling ya Doogie, Donnie done showed me the way when it comes to being a fan – reap whatever benefits there may be from the situation, and leave the angst/worry/grief in the trash…
leave it behind…be free of that crap…
oh, and Donnie hasn’t mentioned it yet to the rest, but he’s shared with me that he’ll soon be traveling the country to give seminars to broken hearted fans everywhere…
getting them to see the light that sports are strictly for our pleasure…not the other bad feelings bullshit…
do what donnie do – just don’t give a shit…make it a one way pleasure cruise…
get on board with Donnie Doogie…
There’s a significant chance that the path to the Finals would go through Philly, Indiana AND Boston, which would, win or lose in the Finals, be the greatest postseason the Knicks have had since Clyde’s day should they win 12 games en route.
Sixers have the 2nd shortest odds to win a 1st rd series as a 7 or 8 seed since the Lakers in 2021 in the last 35 years
One big difference between this year and last is that this is clearly Brunson’s team. He is here as long or longer than any starter, and than rotation player other than Mitch and Deuce. It’s sort of a silver lining that there is no pressure to defer to Randle, or even RJ. It’s his team, and he has two of his boys as sidekicks.
And while they goof around, they are all business on the court, and their business is winning. OG, iHart, and Deuce are great sidekicks. Mitch and Bojan too, but they are physically limited, Mitch by recovery and Bojan by age/athleticism.
I’m thinking that iHart’s minutes restriction will be more flexible, especially if we lose game 1.
Bojan is probably better suited to playing in this series than he would have been against Miami. He can probably guard Harris and Batum better than Miami’s younger, quicker wings. He’ll probably be able to get open a bit more as well.
Deuce should be able to hang with Lowry and Payne, and maybe Maxey in short doses.
I think the Knicks have a better than 50% chance to win the series but I think some people are underestimating the danger that Embiid presents. Just because he is hobbled does not mean he will necessarily be ineffective. Embiid at 90% is still one of the top 30-40 players in the NBA.
Plus his effectiveness will likely vary. There might be stretches where he looks shot and is bad but there will also be stretches, sometimes in the same game, where he will be the best player on the floor.
Joel Embiid has always moved like Godzilla, even in the best of times. That’s not a compliment. He’s the most plantigrade human I’ve ever seen. His eurostep is like watching a train derail in slow motion.
I have a haunting feeling this series will revolve around whether or not iHart gets in early foul trouble. If that happens I think we’ve got a real problem, because Mitch is large but he’s a bit of a goal post right now.
I get pretty stoked in general for any postseason, but with that said, I’m not putting this one above others where I felt we had a legit shot, e.g. 2013 and most of the ’90s run.
What I WILL say is that this team is the most exciting team since the ’90s Knicks, and I mean the ones where Ewing was in his prime and you knew it would last for a while. That’s the great thing about this team, its just the beginning of what should be at least a 5-year run of formidable teams with at least a puncher’s chance. Alas, so long as Jokic, Wemby and Doncic are in the West, it may be tough to hoist the trophy, but the ’90s=level glory days are back. LET’S GO!!!!!!!
Ben R, you were quite bearish yesterday re: our chances vs. the Sixers, but appear to have softened significantly.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind the board that on the Detroit trade, which was universally praised by those present here and the NBA intelligentsia, your first instinct was bang-on correct with laser guided precision. I expect the same is true here. Your initial take does a lot to reinforce my conviction that we have probably the worst odds to win the first round of any 2 seed in NBA history.
Don’t know what plantigrade means but I always feel like I am going to tear a hamstring just watching Joel, or at least get a very bad bone bruise.
The guy is on the floor all the time. Literally.
Sorry Owen, plantigrade is just a mammalian foot structure where the foot is flat on the ground, as compared to up on one’s toes like a cat or dog (or up on one’s nails like a horse’s hoof).
It’s not a common thing. Humans are plantigrade; for example, Ja Morant. So are bears; for example, Joel Embiid.
Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
Heat says Jimmy has MCL sprain and will be out several weeks. Rozier out tomorrow
If Tyler Herro made more shots last night…
If Tyler Herro made just one more shot…….
It would have been nice to get more direct revenge.
Tim Bontemps said on NBA Today that the winner of the Heat-Sixers game yesterday has a clear path to the East finals
Ummm the Knicks would like a word….
The Knicks just don’t get respect (except from Kendrick Perkins, god bless him).
Our record is actually better than all those other teams and it’s not like we didn’t have any injuries either. But somehow people Bontemps imply the record is a fluke.
People know the Sixers are the only contenders in the East besides the Celtics. We don’t have another gear we can go to for the playoffs, our best effort was needed to barely beat the Bulls at home so we could commit first-round Seppuku to maintain Thibs’ honor.
It’ll all become clearer when we’ve lose our homecourt advantage this weekend.
that’s the exact feeling i’m getting…
I think a lot of people see this team as having one star [Brunson] and everybody else is a role player so they don’t see them as a dangerous team.
Lebron for example, his second best players he has went into the playoffs with are Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and D Wade. Brunson is great, but he isn’t playing next to another star.
I think people are underestimating how terrible his supporting cast is.
Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, and Tobias Harris should not be in any playoff team’s starting lineup. Any one of those guys could sink a team. And he’s got to carry all three.
Reminds me of my sentiment last year on Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and yes, Kyle Lowry…
One of more of these guys will go all Batum on us, mark my words.
are you doing a bit?
If the Knicks don’t have to help off Embiid, they’ll have a better chance to stop Maxey, no matter who’s guarding him. Turn it into a team defense effort, instead of being compromised into a scramble that he’ll destroy.
That being said, I don’t trust DiVincenzo or Brunson to stay in front of him, considering how they got toasted by Cam Thomas and Coby White in our last two games.
So the more Miles McBride, the better. And OG. But even he might have trouble.
horses are complete freaks they shouldn’t be able to move around like that
I don’t think it’s really softened per se. I’ve always thought we had a very good shot against the Sixers. The reason why I was/am upset about facing them is I can see a lot more scenarios where we lose against them than against the Pacers who I think we could easily defeat. It’s about removing as many paths to defeat as possible. Even if each path seems surmountable each additional path increases the chance something goes wrong and you are done.
The game last night did nothing to make me feel better. Embiid is hobbled but he’s still Embiid. I have seen players listed as doubtful or playing with injuries hobble onto the court and wreck the Knicks far too many times to ever be able to take comfort in a star player playing injured.
Hartenstein and OG are roleplayers the same way Draymond Green and Ben Wallace were roleplayers.
I do not believe the public has caught up to where jalen’s game is right now…
he doesn’t exactly look like embiid, giannis, shai, or even buff jokic…
I don’t think most folks even think we have a superstar…
I am the Great Clown Pagliacci. The bit is doing me.
Every team in the playoffs has a star that can put up a lot of points in a playoff game like Embiid did. We have one too. It’s not that I think Philadelphia is an easy opponent. In fact I already posted a while ago I thought they are more dangerous than Miami. Winning against them is definitely not a given . But we are dangerous too. I resent that most pundits keep assuming we are an easy draw because we are the Knicks.
tell it like it is pags, tell it like it is 🙂
I’m trying to look up actual predictions rather than odds. So far I’ve found NBA.com picks the Knicks in seven and Yahoo sports picks Philly in seven. Everybody else seems to just quite betting odds.
We were 1-3 against the pacers. I know some of that was without OG but still. They aren’t a cake walk either. They’re younger and healthier and probably hungrier than the 76ers. They could easily run us out of the building if they get hot in shooting.
Everyone is basing this Indiana and Orlando are easier crap on feelings and the fact that both teams are young.
More like Barron Scarpia to me…..
Season series are meaningless. We were 3-1 against the Hawks and Heat before losing to them in the playoffs, with home court on both occasions. We drop off in the playoffs more than other teams because we are already trying our hardest in the RS while they mostly aren’t.
Even not accounting for this, overall opponent quality is a much better predictor than a tiny sample size season series where the personnel are involved are often radically different.
This blithe dismissal of the obvious hard facts at play here is laughable. I’m not just making up Philly’s 10.5 net rating with Embiid. Do you realize that no team other than this year’s Celtics has exceeded that mark since 2017?
Are you seriously arguing that mediocrities like IND (3.0) or ORL (2.1) are in any way comparable as opponents? We’d be like 70% to beat them with home court. Instead we’re underdogs in a 2-7 matchup that historically has been won by the 2 seed 95% of the time.
Season series are sometimes meaningless. Sometimes not. They’re data points that do have some significance.
Opponent quality? They all play the same teams.
I ge you have a schtick but it’s a dumb one. Being overly pessimistic about our chances is just as stupid as saying we’re going to sweep them. Be reasonable.
Underdogs. Vegas is often wrong.
Game 1 get-in prices for First Round of NBA Playoffs:
76ers @ Knicks: $398
Lakers @ Nuggets: $159
Bulls/Heat @ Celtics: $155
Kings/Pelicans @ Thunder: $105
Mavericks @ Clippers: $96
Suns @ Timberwolves: $67
Pacers @ Bucks: $48
Magic @ Cavs: $39
Philadelphia ranked just 26th in defensive rebounding rate, per Cleaning the Glass, grabbing 71.5 percent of opponent misses.
Hartenstein certainly has his work cut out for him, he has a disappointingly low 10.0 net rating.
Meanwhile OG is at a mediocre 10.9 on the season, but jumps up to a respectable 21.7 on the Knicks.
Brunson should get demoted with his 8.6 net rating.
I’ve already put a few units on the Knicks winning the series at even money, but we should make a prediction thread before each round to gauge KB sentiment/put our reputation where our mouth is. I’ll start: Knicks in 6. I really wanted to say five, but I think Embiid has one or two monster games in him to extend it out. Otherwise Philly is less impressive than their basketball card suggests.
I’m with you, Alecto. Knicks in 6!
This series will probably be decided by how favorable a whistle Embiid gets and how favorable or not a whistle Jalen Brunson gets
Hopefully not because we’d be getting swept
What’s stupid about it, Swift?
I’m confident we will win game 1. Game 2 will be a little closer but it’s on short rest and I think we’ll maintain home court. Once we’re up 2-0, Embiid will probably be banged up. And we play great in Philly.
Last time the Knicks faced the Sixers in the playoffs, they swept them, then took actual brooms, and swept the court as the Sixers headed to the tunnel. 12 year old Donnie was there and still remembers it like it was 35 years ago. I expect the Sixers to remember it, too, and come out hungry to avenge that bush league display of janitorial humiliation. Sixers in 6.
“Last time the Knicks faced the Sixers in the playoffs, they swept them, then took actual brooms, and swept the court as the Sixers headed to the tunnel.”
I don’t thinks the Knicks of that era were associated with class.
Winning the Play-In Game definitely gave Embiid time to rest, which sucks.
I have a repaired torn meniscus and any amount of physical activity involving running and even a lot of walking is followed by some degree of pain. It doesn’t go away after a couple days rest. I basically never do not feel my knee. I had to give up being a distance runner – I loved running – and now I do cycling and swimming for exercise.
Now there are enormous differences in the two of us, but I would bet, given Embiid’s huge size, that a day or two of rest is not getting him to 90%, or 80%. He might turn into Jokic and beat us that way, but I really doubt he’s the same guy from earlier in the season that we would have been right to be terrified of.