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Knicks Morning News (2026.03.03)

News & Blogs

  • Knicks stifle streaking Spurs with ‘high-level’ defense – ESPN
  • The complicated season of Knicks’ Mikal Bridges – The New York Times
  • Knicks 114, Spurs 89: “Look at the box score!” – Posting & Toasting
  • Are Knicks East’s Best Team? NBA Fans Sound Off After Bridges, Brunson Key Win vs. Wemby, Spurs – BleacherReport
  • Mike Brown praises Knicks rookie Mohamed Diawara, whose confidence is ‘growing by the day’ – SNY
  • Knicks’ wings spearhead best defensive effort of season in win over red-hot Spurs – SNY
  • Game Thread: Knicks vs Spurs, March 1, 2026 – Posting & Toasting

    • YT News

  • Knicks at Raptors Preview w/ Blake Murphy | PREGAME POD | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
  • Mo Diawara Changes Things for the Knicks 👀😮 #nba #knicks – Hot Hand Theory
  • Knicks Weekly: The Mo Diawara Experience | Starting 5 Change? | Knicks Face a HUGE Test | Ep 148 – Knicks Fan TV

    • 78 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.03.03)”

    So far, Mitch is not on the injury report for tonight, meaning that unless there is a change in protocol it is likely that he will not be available for OKC. That kinda bums me out. I mean, I get it in terms of a conference game against a team 3.5 games behind you in the standings is more important than a non-conference game in the moment, but the way that OKC owned us last year was disturbing and it would be nice to go full strength (other than Deuce) against them.

    I’m surprised. I thought they woud sit Mitch tonight to try to make a statement against OKC tomorrow at home, but if Mitch is playing tonight they may be trying to maximize tonight because they don’t think they have a huge shot against OKC tomorrow on a B2B flying in to NY.

    It’s a very short flight in the same time zone, so I don’t think that should be a factor.

    Remember when they sat Mitch for the easier game of the back-to-back and lost to Indiana?

    marechal, that could have something to do with it, but the situation is at least a little bit different. This is actually the more important game for seeding purposes, whereas last time the Philly game was more important.

    Fair enough. I’m just saying that the assumption that the Knicks would beat the Raptors away without Mitch is just an assumption, and that’s the more important game of the two for the Knicks. So I’m glad they are focusing on it.

    Keep in mind that it is still pretty early in the day for the injury report, and it is not rare for there to be “late adds” or changes over the course of the day. I’m not saying that it will happen in this particular case, of course…….just pointing out that it could.

    With the way this team seems to operate, we’ll probably lose tonight with Mitch and then blow out OKC tomorrow on the back to back without him!

    Yeah, swift, this team is kind of unpredictable. I have a bit of a bias because I have great seats to tomorrow night’s game courtesy of a generous friend. Alas, que sera, sera.

    I’m surprised. I thought they woud sit Mitch tonight to try to make a statement against OKC tomorrow at home.

    There are no statement games in the regular season. Ever. There are only statement games according to the media and the die hard fans. Ask Boston.

    Both games won’t be easy. Book the win in the easier game. Thankfully, there aren’t any B2Bs in the playoffs, so this won’t be an issue

    One of the best things about Mo is that it feels like the Knicks finally have one of those guys that other teams seemingly pull out of their ass every season and the Knicks seldom do.

    The Celtics are starting fucking and winning with Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez. Other teams keep pulling out players like those guys from thin air.

    Mo is like the Knicks’ Hugo Gonzalez. It’s nice to see.

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    And the last time the Knicks were consistently legit title contenders every year, it was when they pulled Starks and Mason out of thin air. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

    There are no statement games in the regular season. Ever.

    Disagree., though only with the word “ever”. Christmas and MLK at home are statement games. Very late season who gets HCA in the playoffs matchups are statement games. But with the pace of today’s game, no back to back for any team can be a statement game.

    Disagree., though only with the word “ever”. Christmas and MLK at home are statement games.

    How does a date make a game a statement game?

    If we get crushed by OKC tomorrow night, expect the national sports media to go back to the narrative of “the Knicks can’t beat the top teams and are no longer the favorite in the East” Sorta like after the Detroit and Cleveland losses.

    However if we beat the Thunder, the pendulum will swing back to “the Knicks are legitimate title contenders”

    I guess I shouldn’t criticize the media, it’s not that dissimilar from the wild swings in mood on this blog after every win and loss (-:

    Brian, even though he’s the oldest living Knick now, Mitch came from nowhere. Also a certain Mile Deuce McBride.

    And Hugo was picked 28th, making him the equivalent of Quentin Grimes. And Hugo’s basketball card is pretty questionable, stat-wise, at the moment.

    Although I did just scan our team’s draft history and threw up a little in my mouth. My god.

    Raven, I wouldn’t say that Mitch came from nowhere. He fell in the draft because he bailed on going to college. Some analysts were projecting him to be worthy of a top-10 pick before he did that weird shit.

    Diawara wasn’t even on some prominent draft boards. He hadn’t really accomplished much in France, and the shooting numbers were pretty bad.

    Also, Deuce was widely rumored to be picked in the middle of the first round, even by us at the infamous #19.

    In a way, Diawara has a chance to make up for Frank, who was as overhyped as Mo was underhyped.

    “How does a date make a game a statement game?”

    Not sure why I am responding since you know the answer-every single team wants to showcase itself on national TV on those “dates” so the NBA picks a select few and puts them against another select few who are seen as current rivals. And as far as I know, load management has not popped up on those “dates”.

    Every game is a statement game.

    They just aren’t as big of a statement as the statements that are made from playoff games.

    Every game is a statement game.

    That kind of minimizes the meaning of a statement game, eh?

    Not sure why I am responding since you know the answer-every single team wants to showcase itself on national TV on those “dates” so the NBA picks a select few and puts them against another select few who are seen as current rivals. And as far as I know, load management has not popped up on those “dates”.

    I guess the Knicks didn’t get the memo on the extreme gravity of this years MLK day game.

    Statement games are when both teams place a premium value on winning beyond its value in the regular season. IMO, it takes both teams to share this attitude about the heightened value giving the game a playoff like importance, effort, and process.

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    That kind of minimizes the meaning of a statement game, eh?

    This is also a statement.

    Here is an example: Detroit had a statement game pounding NY at the garden with Duren serving a suspension. This sends a message to each NY front court player that we’re stronger than you and there is nothing you can do to stop us when we see you in May.

    the Knicks can’t beat the top teams and are no longer the favorite in the East

    Were we the favorite in the East at some point? The two teams ahead of us are significantly better now and highly likely to improve, one by development and one by adding a top 5 NBA player…

    Regular season statement games are great for media and fans. I don’t really think they mean that much for playoffs.

    Knicks last season went 1-7 vs Pistons and Celtics yet beat both of them in the playoffs.

    I’d say that Kuminga has had three really, really good games (29/10/5 per 36 on 67.7 FG percentage) for the Hawks…….but only three of them.

    This is also a statement.

    For those unaware, a statement is not the same as a statement game

    There are no statement games in the regular season. Ever. There are only statement games according to the media and the die hard fans.

    I’m old school. I come from a period when players had pride and wanted to make a statement to gain a psychological edge over their opposition (like Detroit has been doing to us). Now they just want to load manage big games and avoid the confrontation because they don’t want to give up any information and want to have a built in excuse for losing (“well, we were missing XY and Z”).

    I’m calling BS. OKC is still the team to beat for the title. Show up at 100% and give them everything you have. If you fall short, go back to the drawing board. If you beat them, let them know the finals isn’t going to be so easy if they face us.

    1

    Hot take: I’d much rather face Detroit than Cleveland in the playoffs.

    I want neither of them or Boston with Tatum but I’m most afraid of a healthy Boston team if Tatum is close to 100%. They have almost as big a chip on their shoulders from losing to us last year as the Pistons. But we were argubly the better than Detroit. Boston was way better than us but had multiple injuries and played like dimwits. I’m sure Tatum, Brown and whoever else is left over from that team wants us back badly.

    Who is the “softer” player? Is it Tatum, or is it KAT? I say Tatum.

    Great stat: There are only two teams this season when holding the opponent under 100 points—
    1. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-0)
    2. New York Knicks (15-0)

    Sorry. Only two teams this season *who are undefeated* when holding the opponent under 100 points…….

    I think soft is an annoyingly overused pejorative that is close to meaningless, at least at the level of professional sports. I have no doubt that both KAT and Tatum would throw leather without hesitation if say Brooks started pawing one of their faces. KAT charges into double and triple teams with extremely unfortunate abandon, and Tatum goes to the hole with a fury that’s a trifle un-nerving.

    They are both inveterate whiners, at least to the refs, which is something else (and I’d probably give KAT the edge there). They are both prone to periodic mental farts, for reasons I can’t really explain but I don’t think that’s a softness, more losing momentary focus. If you want to say not having the constant psychotic focus of MJ means you’re soft, okay, you got me, but it’s not how I tend to think of it.

    Raven, I think you make a fair point (as always), but maybe you prove too much. It is pejorative, but for good reason-softness is not a good quality for an NBA player, particularly at center. IMO, there is team value to demonstrate stoicism and grit. Willis, Patrick. To the extent you dont think he is soft, ok, but dont agree. I am also very happy he is our team.

    No game thread, so just a quick reply Wayloncash. Do I like stoicism over overemotional flapping? You bet, that’s one reason Cap’s play is so attractive (and KAT’s play not so much). But I don’t think the opposite of stoicism is ‘soft.’ Soft to me means backing down from challenges, not flapping and whining. I don’t think KAT backs down from challenges. He has many faults, whining and flapping being two of them, along with not appearing to learn much from experience. None of that means soft.

    I hate being in this position where I feel like I’m supposed to be rooting for a Pistons victory (over the Cavs)…….but here we are.

    Knicks beginning the game with their we don’t give a shit about playing defense mind set.

    Really liking the Mitch-Jose lineup. Brunson was being smothered by Barnes, I think he took it personally and got the whole team a bit out of their game by trying too hard. Alvarado brought them back.

    Knicks lulled Toronto to sleep by allowing them to score at will first 6 mins of the game!

    Like that clear Poetl offensive foul under the basket, everyone stopped play but no whistle so the ball’s just bouncing around…

    Thinking of playoffs, I’m still worried about Hart. I think he’ll make the offense grind to a halt.

    But Hart will do something (key rebound; just being a defensive pest) in the last five minutes which will go a long way towards winning us games…….

    But Hart will do something (key rebound; just being a defensive pest) in the last five minutes which will go a long way towards winning us games…….

    The five first minutes of each half count as much as the last five.

    1

    Wemby with 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the first 8 minutes of his game. Weird, but good.

    Cap with a rare technical…… but gotta like him having 6 assists in the first half.

    Can we just appreciate that up and under by Brunson? He literally carved up the entire Raptors defense

    Poor start, especially the first six-seven minutes, and not very inspiring finish of the first half as well. We played well in between, except guarding Ingram. He is the one keeping Toronto in the game.

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