News & Blogs
NBA announces Knicks-Cavs ECF Game 1 tip-off time as Pistons face elimination – Posting & Toasting
Karl-Anthony Towns credits Mike Brown’s ‘courage and trust’ for making Knicks’ crucial adjustment – SNY
OG Anunoby a full participant in Knicks’ practice Friday: ‘Everything we did today, he did’ – SNY
The Knicks are for real? Plus: Aronimink gets nasty. – The New York Times
Knicks’ OG Anunoby (hamstring) full participant in practice – ESPN
Should the Knicks want to face the Pistons or the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals? – Posting & Toasting
Pistons/Cavs Game 7 Hate-Watch-A-Long – The Strickland
Josh Hart’s Favorite Knicks Playoff Moments So Far 🔥 – Knicks Fan TV
Knicks ECF Prep | OG Injury Update | Game 7 Piston/Cavs Expectations | And More Knicks Topics – Knick of Time
These are “good old days,” Knicks fans! #NBA #KnicksNews #NBAPlayoffs – Knicks Film School
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183 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.05.17)”
I wonder what the longest layoff in NBA history is.
Normally I’d be concerned about such a long break but given how KAT & Brunson just accepted their respective roles three weeks ago I imagine all this time to practice is going to be more helpful than it would. We could be adding all sorts of wrinkles, adjustments to anticipated adjustments, etc etc.
I’m not too worried about rust. I think a little rust is better than being tired from a 7 game series. The rust factor will probably only be a factor for the first quarter of game 1, if at all.
Hopefully they’ve been practicing some out of bounds plays! Still feel like this is an area the Knicks have struggled in the last few seasons especially at the end of games.
And the extra time for OG has been huge. Not only being able to recover but being able to recover AND even get some practices in with the team.
Plus you know Hart, Brunson and KAT probably have little bumps and bruises we don’t even know about. Extra time off for Mitch. None of this is bad.
That being said Tuesday cannot come quickly enough.
Predictions for today? Does Cleveland roll over and die? Does Cade’s exhaustion and the lack of shooting finally become a factor that Detroit can’t overcome? Is the game so ugly that Adam Silver decides to just give us a bye to the Finals?
My gut tells me Detroit takes this game over early and never looks back. My gut also tells me a Knicks Detroit series is going to at least 6 games. I think we can beat them but also think they’re better than they’ve looked in these playoffs.
I think Cleveland will have a good performance and might take it tonight.
I think the game is gonna be very chippy and is going down to the wire. I don’t have a strong feeling about the winner, maybe leaning Cleveland ever so slightly.
I think Detroit is going to outhustle the Cavs and win, I don’t trust Mitchell and Harden to perform in such a high stakes game. The Pistons are going to drag them down into a muddy game and I think they’re going to fold.
The Cavs have a chance if Detroit shoots terribly and keeps fouling a lot which is always a possibility.
This is my feeling, as well. This Cavs team has never shown any backbone, and James Harden’s history in game 7s is… spotty.
The best case scenario I can come up with is something like the Cavs win because Cade twisted his ankle or something.
I don’t see Cleveland being competitive in this one. It feels like the players don’t like each other or the coach and I don’t see winning a game 7 on the road like that.
Detroit will survive again. They may be tired but they are showing perseverance.
Shams: “ Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN.”
Were you ever exhausted when you were 25?
I think there might be some fatigue for whoever wins game 7 but that makes game 1 sort of a trap game. This Knicks team seems prepared for anything so I am expecting a strong performance in Game 1 no matter which team we play.
I guess the X-factor is whether Harden or Spida will have one of their sporadic hot shooting performances. Detroit really doesn’t have another level, maybe Duncan Robinson getting hot again, but to me it comes down to one of the very inconsistent Cleveland guards showing up.
Who knows with these teams? I wouldn’t bet a single $ on either of them.
You can’t convince me that 41 min/game at 33% usage is sustainable even for a 25 year old. We saw how Brunson declined in deeper runs in the past.
Yes, when I was overworked.
Cade looked absolutely gassed in the 4Q of game 5. I’m sure he has enough energy to deliver a knockout blow early, but if the Cavs survive the first half and it’s a close game I would expect Cade to be a little tired at the end.
A quick note on the west… has anyone noticed how remarkably similar Ajay Mitchell is to early Brunson? I did not know this but people have actually been call him Belgian Brunson.
This looks like Jalen in Dallas all over again to me. Presti won’t let him reach free agency like Cuban did but I imagine some team is going to “overpay” for him in assets to get him to run their team soon.
It’s hard to believe that the second unit battle of the WCF is going to be Dylan Harper vs Ajay Mitchell.
I like the Pitson’s consistent energy and defense over the Cav’s inconsistent offense from its stars. I hope I am wrong.
Rooting for Cleveland bc fuck Detroit’s fake tough guy act.
Expected Lineup
PG James Harden
SG D. Mitchell
SF Dean Wade
PF Evan Mobley
C Jarrett Allen
MAY NOT PLAY
C L. Nance Doubt
Expected Lineup
PG C. Cunningham
SG D. Jenkins
SF A. Thompson
PF Tobias Harris
C Jalen Duren
MAY NOT PLAY
G K. Huerter Ques
G C. LeVert Ques
F D. Robinson Ques
If Castle keeps playing at a high level I think the Spurs have an excellent chance to beat OKC despite home court for OKC.
Maybe I can. Josh Hart and Bridges are 6 and 5 years older than Cade respectfully. The have logged 11,000 and 13,500 more NBA minutes on their legs and the both played 39.2 mpg in 18 playoff ganes last season.
I don’t rec all either of them being “fatigued” in any respect. I do recall Hart playing like his hair was on fire virtually every game.
Detroit hasn’t played a b to b in over a month. Why should he be more fatigued than Lebron who logged 41.2 mpg over 309 playoff games and even this year at 41 he logged 38.4 mpg and still put up 23/7/7
A 24 year old star has to play big mi nutes well. It is part of the job description for a guy 4th in the MVP.
I feel badly for you Hubs unless you were hoisting bags of concrete 🙂
He may be mental fatigued from having to carry the load for the offense, but that’s what great players do…. if they are great players and are in great condition.
The Cavs had their shot to close out this series and they came out and played like they just couldn’t be bothered. Maybe they can variance their way to a fluke win but Detroit is going to just compete way harder yet again. This Cleveland core has been together for a while now and the whole is just less than the sum of the parts.
If Cade is overworked, it’s because Detroit hasn’t figured out the balance yet, like Brunson in his first couple of years in NY. In theory, Cleveland is in a better position with its two seasoned on-ball guys and plenty of shooters. But they seem to have an effort problem.
BNL
Those guys have nowhere near the usage or requires to do as much as Cade I think if you combined their numbers
And I don’t remeber either one playing well in the east finals last year
I took Cleveland ML at +175 because I think the chances are closer to a coin flip than 65/35. That said, if I had to choose one at even odds, then I’d pick Detroit. We’ll see!
It’ll be interesting to see what we get from OG. It’s one thing if he’s healthy, it’s another to get anywhere close to the level he was playing at immediately before the injury.
Yup, if my faulty memory isn’t too faulty, I seem to remember it took maybe two games for Deuce to get back into rhythm (but then boy did he!).
They have a lot more usage on defense than Cade.
Jokic has averaged 39.9 mpg with 30.0 usage his last 4 playoffs, I gave you Lebron. Here is the mpg of the last 10 NBA PLAYOFF FINALS MVPs. I assume they had high usage to be mvp. 38.1, 38.6, 41.2, 37.5, 39.8, 39.6, 40.5, 41.3, 39.8 and 41.7.
Kobe and Jordan would laugh at 41 mpg.
It is standard operating procedure for great players on championship teams to play heavy minutes while carrying the load and Cade is only half way through the tournament.
Ok I guess that’s why guys get so much rest in the season and they are making rules to keep people from resting guys but sure it has no effect on them.
Surely if Patrick Ewing didn’t get more rest he wouldn’t have been any better.
Just peeped Stephon Castle’s recent numbers. Scary dude. That said…
Me and #lolKnicksSupv were at the 3C2A Track and Field Championships yesterday. He believes the Knicks will come out of the east but lose to either OKC or San Antonio (partly bc west coast bias). And that the Spurs would have the “three best players on the floor” vs us. 😑
I reminded him that we beat the Spurs 2 out of 3 times already and that was before the offensive shift to KAT.
It’s not just the MPG. The Pistons will have played two seven game series and will have faced 5 elimination games.
Not sure how much of a factor fatigue will be, but it doesn’t seem crazy to think it’s more than zero.
I’m tired, and it’s a lot of baloney…
When I felt tired at 25 I would look myself in the mirror and say “grab your bootstraps Mongo and flyright” but that was decades ago.
Mendy bringing in Manea in high leverage situation. Are Mets Tanking?
Of course, Manea gives up a 2 run knock and Talylor flubs the throw.
Mendy is terrible and it’s just weird at this point that he hasn’t been canned
That was the David Stearns Failed At Life inning
Hart usage – 16%
Mikal usage – 17%
Cade usage – 33%
Compare touches, touches per possession, or whatever measure you want of how much load each player carries, and you get similar results.
You are comparing apples and oranges.
I also recall Hart getting an abdominal injury deep into the 2024 run.
Manaea incredibly STILL IN THE GAME
is the game showing anywhere other than the mlb subscription stuff?
If you walk Schuemann and Volpe back to back, you should have to go on a walk of shame.
Compare touches, touches per possession, or whatever measure you want of how much load each player carries, and you get similar results.
Jordan played 171 playoff games and AVERAGED 41.8 minutes on 35.8 usg% and played 20 playoff games at age 34 with 41.5 mpg with 36.6 usg%
Durant played 171 playoff games at 40.5 mpg at 30.7 usg%
Shaq in his 27-31 seasons played 92 games averaging over 41 minutes with 30 usg%
Kobe averaged >40 minutes and >30 usg% 6 times in 9 consecutive seasons.
In the playoffs the value of individual games is far increased over the regular season. The best players must play enough minutes to insure victory in each game. The very best player must play exceptional minutes to accomplish this.
Lots of great players have done this lots of times . Because they are great and they do what is necessary to insure victory. It is not like climbing Mt. Qomolangma.
see from the boxscore grisham is now sub .300 with his on base percentage…
I feel embarrassed for the organization…
nice leadoff hitter hal, nice leadoff hitter cashman, nice leadoff hitter boone…
mickey rivers was my favorite player growing up…had his batting stance and pigeon toed shuffle down pat…
any chatter/talk as to why ben isn’t leading off?
Manaea does not belong on a major league roster. He is surrendering a .388 wOBA, meaning the average hitter that faces him is hitting like Bryce Harper. His fastball velocity is in the 2nd percentile and it’s not like he makes up for it with control. He is a sunk cost.
What is the point of having Steve Cohen’s money if you still have to carry dead salary like this and actually use such a player in high leverage situations?
all time great players are: unique…
cade is 24 and carrying his club through the playoffs…
he may look full grown, but he ain’t…
those turnovers are a thing though that he and the pistons need to get right…
hopefully they all get to work on it after we win and send them out of the playoffs…
guess I think the pistons will win today…
watching the boxscore, cuz that’s all I got…
baseball and the whole lead going in to the ninth thing, can be awfully cruel at times…
Tyrone Taylor 3 run game tying homer, not on my bingo card ( even though the hanging curve was the MLB equivalent of a tee-ball)
The interesting thing about Stearns and Cohen is that in in his hedge fund, Cohen is known for cutting bait-firing money managers who don’t meet expectations quickly and unemotionally. Yet he allows Stearns to run his Mets like a small market team.
Well maybe today is not a good day to be bashing the Mets…
He is better known for paying a 1.8 billion dollar fine for not “supervising” his employees properly:
Steven Cohen was never criminally charged, but his former hedge fund, SAC Capital Advisors, pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2013 and paid a record billion in penalties. The SEC separately charged Cohen for “failure to supervise” several senior employees, settling the case in 2016 by barring him from managing outside funds for two years.
SEC.gov
The charges and subsequent fallout detail a massive federal investigation into Cohen’s firm and his personal supervisory actions:
The Core Allegations Failure to Supervise: In July 2013, the SEC filed administrative charges against Cohen, alleging he failed to properly supervise portfolio managers Mathew Martoma and Michael Steinberg.
Ignoring Red Flags: The SEC claimed Cohen received highly suspicious information about impending clinical trial results for an Alzheimer’s drug but allowed the traders to execute the trades anyway, generating millions in illegal profits and avoided losses.
Rewarding Misconduct: Instead of investigating the suspicious trades, Cohen praised Steinberg and rewarded Martoma with a 9 million bonus.
SEC.gov
SAC Capital Conviction and Fines
Firm Guilty Plea: SAC Capital Advisors agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and securities fraud charges, acknowledging that it fostered a culture where insider trading was widespread.
Financial Penalties: The firm agreed to pay a record-breaking 1.8 billion in fines and forfeitures to the U.S. government to settle both criminal and civil charges.
Conversion to Family Office: As a result of the guilty plea and asset outflows, SAC Capital was forced to stop managing outside investor money and was restructured into a family office called Point72 Asset Management.
WSJ
The 2016 SEC Settlement
Supervisory Bar: In January 2016, Cohen settled the SEC’s “failure to supervise” lawsuit. Under the agreement, he was barred from managing outside investor funds or acting in a supervisory capacity at a registered hedge fund for two years.
Return to the Industry: After the two-year ban expired in 2018, Cohen was permitted to resume managing outside money, officially paving the way for the launch of a new Point72 fund to external investors.
I have a confession, after many years of procrastination finally got around to watching the 2003 Battlestar Galactica reboot…
vaguely remember the late 70’s show…kind of remember it being fun…
that was not the general vibe of the reboot mini-series…wow, some pretty grim stuff to be sure…
quality TV, no doubt, much much much better than the original…just grim…
also finally got to a movie on a hulu watch list, Boss Level…
remember watching one of the purge movies and noticed frank grillo…fun action actor, has a small part in the marvel hydra stuff…
anyways, was surprised by the positive reviews of the movie, and it was pretty good…way better than expected…
then again, I like those purge movies, so…I don’t have bougie cinematic tastes like swifty 😊
Greatly enjoyed Boss Level, geo. For some reason a big fan of time loop movies. Palm Springs, Edge of Tomorrow, Source Code, Tiny Perfect Things… Even Loopers was good, although not a time loop movie per se.
Just learned that Ausar Thompson has not made a 3 since early February.
Shams: “Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams – out since April 22 with a hamstring strain – is listed available against the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.”
Load management wasn’t designed to protect the players, it was designed to protect the owners.
And now he’s whoring Mr. and Mrs. Met around his personal slush fund, Christie’s, on national tv.
mind blown emoji expressed donnie…
born again…
guilt, penance, absolution, redemption…
queue chuck mangione’s feels so good…
that is a very exciting match up filled with young, elite guard talent…
fun to watch too…
Very excited about this game tonight! So much on the line for both of these teams. Atkinson is clearly coaching for his job. Maybe JB is as well, if DET loses, maybe ownership sees JB the way Knicks ownership viewed Thibs, i.e. great regular season coach but not the right guy to get your team to the finals. Although my gut says that JB gets another year either way.
I hope that Cleveland comes out and matches Detroit’s physicality and energy and then the second half is a see-saw battle of attrition. I lean Cleveland in my rooting interest because JB rubs me the wrong way and because of home court. But any team that features James Harden is not easy for me to root for.
to their credit, with prime not only can I check stats and key plays easily, I can also track bets and buy stuff…
you know what I’ve found not so readily available in my local area here…plain dark chocolate fudge…
got a lead on a spot downtown to research…
life is better with fudge, no nuts, dark chocolate…
I’m rooting for cade, for now…few days from now maybe, not so much…
I get the feeling Cavs dig in, knock down more threes than the Pistons, and come out with the W
I see that many are arguing that stars don’t get tired by citing all the stars that played big minutes in the playoffs. But the two aren’t the same. They can run out of gas and still play a lot of minutes because even out of gas they are better than whoever is on the bench.
Ausar Thompson is a scary defensive guard…
Also, comparing games today with 20 years ago makes no sense. Players move significantly more in modern offenses and defenses. The game is much more demanding physically then when a guy was posting up and 4 guys were watching.
I’m watching Cavs Pistons. I don’t care strongly who wins but I find myself rooting for Cleveland. That means they will lose, but whatever.
I feel like you forgot one, Raven… What could it be, now…
Geo, I loved the BS reboot back in the day. Was telling professionals how great it was. They weren’t buying it, looked at me different after that… Funny enough just started watching it again ’cause I’m on the road and it’s comfort food…. And because I stopped watching after the writers’ strike, when it felt like it wasn’t nearly as good afterward
Cavs feel so fragile, like they’re liable to collapse at any moment. Will take significant luck for them to pull this one out
Mitchell is out of control…oops…
Is it me or has Harden missed an assload of free throws lately
Am I showing my severe Knicks bias? The Cavs Pistons game barely seems like NBA ball.
Very slight preference to Cleveland but as long as this goes to 4th overtime, whoever wins is fine.
Mobley has gotten better as through the playoffs.
These free throws Cleveland is missing surely won’t come back to bite them.
Pistons can’t shoot, Cavs can ….
Hart is obviously a much better shooter, but Cavs will do to him what they are doing to Ausar tonight.
Ausar Thompson 25% from three this year, 20% career.
Josh Hart 41.3% from three this year, 35% career.
So yes please.
Man, I am so fucking happy if the Knicks will get home court all through the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Think about HOW FUCKING AWESOME THAT COULD BE!!!
OMG that was the worst Harden acting job I’ve ever seen. And it worked. There is no justice in this world…
Harden will drive us crazy the next two weeks.
Merrill and Strus will also annoy the hell out of me. Different styles, but TJ McConnell level pests.
Cleveland should be up by at least 20…
They’ll live with Hart’s shot (and more importantly, unwillingness to shoot).
Not over yet…. It’s still the Cavs
Ok maybe it’s over loll
Merrill…baby faced assassin
One very positive aspect of the Cavs winning is not seeing Biekerstaff complain of every call.
Edit: this last Mitchell drive – he was fouled maybe 4 times with no call? Detroit pushes all the boundaries and then complains when they don’t get their way.
Cade looks ready to enter the Jayson Tatum playoff disappointment HOF
Surprised how they are steamrolling them
Mitchell got hacked by three different guys on that drive…Detroit motto is “always be hackin”
This is not at all over
Detroit’s approach is that they can’t call every foul.
But then they complain about the ones they do call.
Mobley was fouled by Ausar multiple times just now, again.
Detroit can’t make a shot and they can’t stop fouling… and yet I don’t think this game is over yet.
Wow, Ausar with the timely 3!
I still got it.
Big 3 to close the half. Cleveland should be up by 26 at least with all those missed free throws
I’d bet money on DET coming back and winning with a margin less than the number of CLE FT misses
Detroit needs to keep this close. I don’t want the Cavs testing their guys.
Fat lady starting to warm up the vocal chords ….
Cleveland’s bigs are murdering Detroit’s bigs.
Pags did you make that bet yet?
I’m pretty stunned by this game especially considering what happened in Game 6.
When your team is built on defense and the series goes very long your legs can give out.
This Pistons team is beginning to give me strong 2021 76ers vibes (as in this might actually be their peak).
Fortunately I don’t bet on sports
https://x.com/the_det_times/status/2055845814858084426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2055845814858084426%7Ctwgr%5E5abd6da159c0a36ceaad6c7c34376d5be652a037%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportingnews.com%2Fus%2Fnba%2Fdetroit-pistons%2Fnews%2Fpistons-trade-rumors-2-potential-stars-help-cade-cunningham%2F2e97e2e2d2b5296fb4327756 Shams announcing this on a Game 7 is weird. Makes you wonder if Tobias is tanking this game.
What a stupid non-challenge!
Duren will be good someday but right now he stinks.
Duren looks worse than last year … Lights too bright
If a team maxes him I wonder if the Pistons let him walk.
Surprised at how passive cade has been
Also is reed injured??
Detroit might be able to get back into this because they’re just mugging the Cavs on every possession and the refs never call any of it.
I just don’t know how you function as an offense with Ausar and Duren as 40% of your starting lineup . Pistons should look into a stretch 5
Pistons making Jarrett Allen look like prime Moses Malone
Shocking his dull Detroit is.
What an awful game for better than Brunson Cade Cunningham.
Cade has been awful. Duren dreadful. Harris non existent. The others, missing in action
How is this the Jarrett Allen Game
Allen is soft. Pistons are physical though
Is this the same Jarrett Allen that Mitch humiliated in the playoffs?
I expected Detroit’s defense to lock in at some point and make a run, but I can’t believe what we are seeing from them defensively. They look uninterested and gassed. Maybe they left it all on the court in Cleveland.
Pags I cannot wait to hear you describe the Cavs as unbeatable before the next series. I know you’re trying to reform and shit but don’t you dare pick the Knicks.
That’ll do it.
Weren’t we supposed to be afraid of the Pistons defense?
Detroit’s rim protection has vanished. They’ve been really poor on both sides.
It’s really kind of awesome that we’re getting this game film on Cleveland. I think we can see that we’ll want to play up on Sam Merrill.
Can anyone remember if the Knicks have ever played against a team with Harden on it in the playoffs? I know he’s been on a lot of Western Conference teams, but he’s been in the East before, as well (Philly, Nets).
Harden really shrivels up in these big games
KAT on Allen
OG on Mobley
Brunson on Strus
Mikal on Mitchell
Hart on Harden
Fat lady full throated aria ….. Knicks V Cavs at the Garden
Now Mitchell is taking over. GG
welcome to the conference finals donovan mitchell…
hopefully, him and his teammates are a bit gassed tuesday…
hope the cavs stay loose with the basketball too…
Dannis Jenkins went to ST John’s – something I didn’t know
https://x.com/Fullcourtpass/status/2019967210329149782 Times change
This reminds me a little of the Celtics getting blown out by the Heat in game 7 of the 2023 Conference Finals in Boston.
But at least the Celtics had Tatum’s ankle as an excuse.
Jalen Duren has lost a fortune in this playoff run.
Wow just checked score. I am shocked
Ok might be over now.
Hubie your last comment reminded me of Tony Soprano and the guys teasing to Chris Moltisanti about avoiding drinking and drugs at the Bing in the later seasons.
Anyway, Knicks in 6
At least Bickerstaff remains correct, he won’t lose to the Knicks.
Not for nothing Cade looks like he has no legs
I saw it happen with my own two eyes against us, but this series makes it feel mind boggling this Pistons team won 60 god damn games. They no showed a game 7 largely because of Tobias Harris!
Duren is a guy Leon Rose has been slandered for on this board btw. A guy the Knicks would be on the hook for having to pay big money to.
Funny I was thinking it reminded me of the Celtics losing to Philly two weeks ago.
That was the Sixers’ championship. And I think this is the Cavs’, as well.
This Pistons team is going down in history holding hands with the Mike Budenholzer Atlanta team that nobody understands to this day how they won 60 games.
Pistons have looked unrecognizable in these playoffs. Cade and the cadennaires , they need help offensively and more three point shooting. Dehow they shot like prime warriors against us in the regular season
That’s bc he traded Jalen Duren & Kemba Walker for a 2025 Bucks 1st (protected, of course) during the 2022 draft.
JB said that the Pistons will never lose to the Knicks again. He’s off to a great start!
I may have to start weighing teams having an emotional letdown after a big important win/effort heavier in my analysis. The Cavs are playing well, but no way did Detroit come into this game with the same energy and effort as game 6. This looks like the classic “bounce”. The same thing happened to the Cavs after their tough emotional game 5 effort. “Bounce” is a controversial horse racing term that I’ve slowly and reluctantly accepted even though it’s overused. It usually refers to physical impacts, but it may be emotional also even for horses.
If Duncan Robinson is your 2nd option…you got problems
All it took for James Harden to win a big game 7 was his opponent shooting 37% from the field.
Ban Pags now.
This looks funny at the moment https://x.com/KnicksFanTv/status/2055727902050627654
Pags picking the Knicks is like…
https://youtu.be/4ulWjFfLsL0?si=MZaiSXWYkcpkFK1C
A bunch of fake tough guys on Detroit
Cavs it is. Harden looks completely gassed and their bigs are so up and down. Mitchell is a baller tho so he himself can win a game or two. Also look out for Max Strus. He’s the Cavs version of our Josh Hart but a better shooter. When he’s on, he can make a difference.
Detroit’s fake tough guy persona and cockiness came back to bite them in the ass. They were a Franz Wagner injury away from losing in the first round and lost to a less physical and Harden-led Cavs team at home by 30. Depends what they do in the off season, but this team (and coach) ain’t it.
Also I can’t remember seeing this many blowouts in the playoffs – especially in elimination games. Maybe the talent gap shows or maybe some teams are just built for the regular season and not the intensity of the playoffs
It’s pretty funny that the two teams we were the most worried about going into the playoffs were both total frauds.
Fuck the Celtics. Fuck the Pistons.
Ok so last year we went into the conference finals thinking we were clearly the better team and the Pacers slapped us down.
I just don’t see that happening this year. This Knicks team is on a different level than last year’s, and the Cavs are not nearly as good as last years Pacers.
I cannot believe that the Knick are actually huge favorites to win the fucking EASTERN CONFERENCE. Could the Cavs beat them? I GUESS, but, well, come the fuck on!
I am just so fucking happy.
So Brian, I was wondering whether you should have a vote before the game as to whether the Knicks come out rusty from the layoff, or finely tuned from all the practice getting ready. In the first case we’re down 5-10 after the first quarter and have to fight our way back, in the second case we’re up 5-10 and then slowly pull away…
Experience matters. I am not surprised by the Cavs win, but I expected the Pistons to give a better fight. They were exposed throughout these playoffs and tonight they showed they are not ready yet. They were playing on their home court, but they stared at the abyss (yes, it turns out it would be an abyss for them) of the Conference Finals. It was too much. They are not ready, not good enough.
I would prefer the Knicks to face a beaten-up and unsure team on Tuesday, not a confident one, and the Cavs gained a lot of confidence after tonight’s game. But the Knicks are better than the Cavs. It will be a battle of wills. If the rested Knicks impose their will and their game, they should come out victorious.
Yeah, you don’t need to be the first seed to get home court advantage.
Knicks Sweep #2.
I still love Donovan Mitchell, though.
After that very painful ending, I feel very comfortable saying that our scrubs are way better than their scrubs…
Knicks in 4 we’re never losing again
I think you guys are underestimating the Cavs.
I went Knicks in 5 against Philly.
I’ll go Knicks in 7 for the ECF.
We shall see. We are on a hot streak and this is good. But no more than that. You play as well as your opponent allows you to. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Knicks in 6. We’re vastly superior to this Cavs team. They have some weapons but absolutely no one is stopping Brunson on that team. If KAT is who he’s played on TV the last two series this could be a gentleman’s sweep.
I mean, I GUESS they could lose a game or two to the Cavs, but I find it hard to believe it’ll happen. So I guess five games?
I had a meeting this morning and missed the end of the game. Did Stan van Gundy or his partner make any comments about the upcoming series for Cleveland against the Knicks? I was wondering what he was thinking.
Last season, I said the Knicks had to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the season to be a success. This year, I said that they had to make the NBA Finals for this season to be a success.
Well…I mean…wow…this is so fucking cool.
Losing in the NBA Finals will not be a successful season. It will certainly be a memorable one, but this is probably our shot.
8 more wins.
Wanna see what the Thunder and Spurs do to each before we face them.
lol Harden went 2-10 in another game 7
Making the NBA Finals is definitely a successful season.
But yes, winning it would be a LOT cooler.
We are better and deeper than the Cavs, have a record of success against them, have home court and are well rested.
I’m deliriously happy that we are not playing the Pistons who we struggled with last year, got blown out by in the regular season and would not have had home court against.
The Knicks are never going to have a better opportunity to get to the finals than this year.
Game one should be a blow out for us. Then the series will start.
That understates his impact. He drew a bunch of fouls and had six assists and one of the two highest plus minuses on the team.
Can you believe it took THIS FUCKING LONG for Atkinson to just fucking start Strus over “I don’t do ANYthing” Wade?
I know the starting lineup for the Cavs actually had some good numbers with Wade in there, but it seemed like a fucking clear choice to put Strus in there.
100%.
I can’t get over how fucking happy I am right now.
I got the matchup I wanted.
We know what the Cavs are. They have the two main shot creators and then Schroeder off the bench, and they have the two bigs. They don’t throw a lot of different looks at you. Other than that they have a bunch of solid but unspectacular 0.0 BPM rotation guys who won’t embarrass themselves. There’s not a lot of X factor to them. Their coaching is mediocre, it’s not like Atkinson is a Rick Carlisle style X’s and O’s wizard who is going to kill you with matchups.
Detroit was more of an X factor as an opponent. Cleveland is more predictable. If the Knicks are who we think they are, and can continue playing with the quality they have shown since the fourth game of the playoffs, they’ll win this.
I’d never really heard Brian swear much before this year. Like, all through the Isiah era, and the Phil era, and the Mills era, not a singled fucking fuck… he’s such a jolly drunkard these days.
Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely the happiest I’ve been about the Knicks in the history of Knickerblogger, but I’ve always cursed a lot.
Huh, I didn’t realize the Knicks had only played the Cavs once since they traded for Harden. The Knicks had a full roster, while the Cavs were missing Strus, and the Cavs won by 15. Huh. I doubt that means anything, but that DID surprise me.
Pretty serious goal post shift, no?