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New York Knicks Trade For Former MVP Becomes Easier – Sports Illustrated
05/13/2025 11:00:03
Jalen Brunson makes honest admission about New York Knicks? performances in the playoffs, ?our best basketball?? – NBA Analysis Network
05/13/2025 10:30:00
Worth the Wait – Substack
05/13/2025 08:46:25
Kylie Jenner & Friend Jordyn Woods Celebrate Knicks Win in Video – Reality Tea
05/13/2025 08:50:29
Knicks 121-113 Celtics (13 May, 2025) Final Score – ESPN
05/13/2025 09:06:30
Knicks vs Celtics: Tatum injured in Boston?s Game 4 loss in NBA playoffs – Al Jazeera
05/13/2025 08:23:07
Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics – Stamford Advocate
05/13/2025 08:14:44
Knicks go up 3-1; Celts? Tatum hurt – Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
05/13/2025 08:24:00
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks: live game updates, stats, play-by-play – Yahoo Sports
05/13/2025 08:30:42
Kylie Jenner & Timothee Chalamet?s Knicks Game Photos Are Couple Goals – Yahoo
05/13/2025 07:20:28
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks – Final Score – May 12, 2025 – FOX Sports
05/13/2025 07:31:53
Jalen Brunson etches place in Knicks history with Game 4 performance – NBA
05/13/2025 06:54:08
Celtics vs. Knicks Game 5 prediction, how to watch, TV channel, odds – May 14 – FOX Sports
05/13/2025 07:24:35
Timberwolves beat Warriors, Knicks top Celtics in key Game 4 matchups: Takeaways – The New York Times
05/13/2025 06:27:00
NBA play-offs: Jalen Brunson leads New York Knicks to victory over Celtics – BBC
05/13/2025 06:28:13
Knicks flip script on Celtics and take charge on the glass – New York Post
05/13/2025 05:41:00
Mikal Bridges ‘deserves his credit and flowers’ after delivering again late in Knicks’ Game 4 win – SNY
05/13/2025 06:12:22
Full Focus: Knicks stifle Celtics in second half, take commanding 3-1 series lead – NBA
05/13/2025 06:02:01
Celtics-Knicks: 5 takeaways as Knicks push defending champions to the brink – NBA
05/13/2025 05:41:17
Fearless hero Jalen Brunson sets tone for Knicks in momentous comeback – New York Post
05/13/2025 05:38:00
138 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2025.05.13)”
So who’s checking Julius in the final?
I’m stuck on the road in Celtics country and the panoply of overheard verbal tears at just-completed breakfast were simply delicious.
Haha! Julius is a wonderful player and seems like an awesome guy. It’s amazing where his career has ended up. But right now, Minny can keep him and Donte.
To answer your question: Mikal on Edwards; OG on Randle. Plenty of double-teaming.
Also, to me, OKC is only a little less scary of a hypothetical opponent after their two losses to Denver and this Knicks/Boston series.
I also suspect we would do some double-big stuff, with Mitch or KAT on Julius, since he’s big and not the fleetest of foot.
But let’s not put the cart before the horse, gentlemen! We still have to win one more against these SOBs, and then we have to beat whoever would wait us in the next round.
Still, an incredible game. Just incredible. Brooklyn can have more picks if they want.
Meanwhile, I am SO annoyed that lottery gods bailed out Nico Harrison from his own stupidity like that.
And can’t decide how I feel about the Sixers jumping up enough to keep their pick. It sounds like the lottery after Flagg is a crapshoot, so Ace Bailey or whomever might not help them that much, at least at first. But they’re still in our conference and division. But OKC getting another lottery pick would have made them even more difficult to deal with long term.
Regardless of what ends up happening, these playoffs have unexpectedly become thr best playoffs in recent memory.
Winning in the playoffs is always a combination of talent, grit and luck, and this Knicks team definitely has both talent and grit and it feels like we’re finally getting our turn to be a bit lucky too after decades. I won’t rest until the series is over, they have plenty of talent to bother us without Tatum, but damn it feels good to not be us lamenting missed opportunities or bad luck.
I’ve seen a couple of snarky comments around the internet that the Luka Doncic trade is now complete, and damn, it definitely feels like that. Also fucking San Antonio getting the 2nd pick, what the fuck, thank god the Knicks won or the lottery results would have pissed me so much.
White-Brown-Holliday-Horford-KP with Pritchard off the bench should probably not be taken lightly.
I weirdly enjoyed watching Nico have his luck change. Every dog has its day.
Apologies if I am only rehashing what was in the game thread, but man- what an unexpected victory.
I’ve been watching the Knicks since the late 80s, lived and died with the Ewing/Starks/Mason/Oak Knicks, then the Houston/Camby/Sprewell version — and I have to say — Jalen Brunson’s game last night was probably the best game I have ever seen a Knick play especially considering the stakes. Arguably the best Knick performance since Clyde’s 36 and 19 game in the Finals. 39 points scored, 28 points off his passes, one measly turnover. A 67 TS on 31.2% usage — and not a bad shot among the 25 that he took. That stretch in the 3Q when he and Tatum were just going back and forth at each other — just magical basketball on both ends. And he was not noticeably bad on defense. Just a master class.
Some random other thoughts
– really good Mikal game – scoring yes, but also a lot of rebounds that were out of his area that he went and high-pointed with 2 hands.
– overall I thought the Knicks were fantastic on the defensive boards. Finally cleaned up in that area — gave up an ORB% of only 18.9 – the first time the whole series they have given up <30% of available defensive rebounds (31.6, 30.8, 33.9 in the previous games when on the season they gave up only 25.5%). I noticed Towns and Bridges especially were rebounding outside their areas and going TO the ball.
Gotta close this out on wednesday – I am quite nervous about OG's hamstring even though he looked totally normal after he came back. Need to give that thing some rest and hope the Cavs extend the series against the Pacers.
Last thought – i am actually quite amazed that we are playing this switching scheme reasonably well after basically not playing it all this whole season. Hard to complain about Thibs now when we are ONE WIN away from the ECFs, but I am imagining how good they could be at this if he had devoted 10-15 minutes/game to doing this and getting everyone on the same page. They may need to employ the switching scheme in the ECFs again if they can just squeeze out one more win out of the next 3.
Last tidbit – kinda made me a little sad watching Porzingis lurch around the court last night. He’s only 29 but is moving around like a 40 year old out there. You have to figure he will be a big part of the game plan in game 5 but I do not know if his body is up to it.
Also – people have made a ton out of how much the switching scheme has mucked up the game for Towns, but you could easily say that about KP as well. He is not getting those free looks from 3 that he got all season against us, and he has been absolutely brutal when trying to post guys up. He has no lift at all, presumably from all the lower body injuries he’s accumulated through the years.
Just get one more win please.
Indiana has been excellent but are a much better matchup for the Knicks in my view.
of the players who ae left our own mitchell robinson is second in off reb a tic below aaron goodon at 3.7 versus 3.8 and doing it in about 20 minutes leds per game
Finally i believe!
Many difficult shots that went in made the difference but also No Quit energy from start to finish.
Let’s Stop looking back and Go For it!
Mikal seemed to deflect Tatum’s pass to Brown, which led to the scramble that Tatum was injured on. (Mikal also barreled into Brown and quite clearly fouled him but this is Silver’s new NBA so it wasn’t called.) Without Mikal’s endless motor, Tatum isn’t diving on the floor. So I guess we can factor that into the cost now. Starting to look like a steal.
wish there were a kalshi market on which offense would look more sophisticated and which defense would look more coordinated in the fourth quarter last night. would have been a mexican peso event. the celtics 4th was largely tatum being an absolute hero.
there was an incredible play with 8 min to go where we ran a jalen kat pnr. kat didn’t hit the screen but the celtics trapped with horford and and kat popped. but we brought mitch in to set a kind of spain/flare secondary screen so jrue couldn’t recover to kat. so kp had to switch off mitch and onto kat. kat pump faked the three and threw that ugly/beautiful lob to mitch. a dream possession.
a minute or two later after a couple of pull up tatum 3s the celts ran a much simpler pnr with tatum and kp. we also blitzed and tatum made a great pass to kp on the roll but it was only a two man action and so we had one extra defender still alive. and mikal made an awesome verticality play which led to kp flinging the finish. the execution was unrecognizable.
Man, Bill Simmons and his Boston buddies were really sure this was going to be a Tatum led win if not for the injury.
I actually think Indiana is the worst matchup for us in the East but will save that for another day.
Knicks are 5-1 to win the Larry O’B, second in the association only to OKC.
Let’s enjoy and savor this — it’s very rare — and bear in mind that the “long run” is merely a succession of very short runs. Things are falling into place very nicely.
Indy presents similar challenges as the Celtics do – spacing 5 and dynamic passing on offense from Halliburton. Their secondary players are not as good as Boston but Halliburton is so much better as a playmaker than anyone on Boston that it will be really tough. Also Myles Turner is much better than this version of KP.
That said – they are not nearly as good on defense as Boston is. I would much rather play Indy than a healthy version of the Cavs (which doesn’t exist right now). But beggars can’t be choosers, i am not counting chickens before hatching, and any other cliche that will save me from the basketball gods. I’ll play anyone if the knicks can somehow grab one more win against Boston.
As thought for multiple years, Mazzulla’s a shit coach using what I’d consider probably the primary criteria — the inability to stop speedbumps that face his team from spinning out of control and lasting way too long, both in-game and more macro in-series. Happened yet again last night.
Healthy Knicks 2023 would have beat them, little question. Last year’s Celtics team was a bit more JM-proof, but still would have had a tough time with a healthy Knick team.
If you make it to the conference finals no team is a good matchup. They are all trouble. And we haven’t made it there yet either.
there is no way i would say that thibs has been masterful wut i would commend him on his handling of mitch all seasonfrom holding him out as long as he did to the minutes restriction when he finaly came back to seamlessly integrating hi into the lineup just in time for the playoffs
do not forget that we are also trouble for anyone who meets us in the ecf
If the Knicks maintain their switch-heavy approach, I think it’s a better matchup, but yeah, we’re not there yet.
Brunson and Mikal attacked White relentelessly in the second half. Interesting development.
Think Giannis might want to spend the rest of his career next to Wemby being fed by Fox or Castle? The Spurs could make that happen now with the #2 pick. Not sure Giannis or the Bucks could find better situations.
“there is no way i would say that thibs has been masterful wut i would commend him on his handling of mitch all seasonfrom holding him out as long as he did to the minutes restriction when he finaly came back to seamlessly integrating hi into the lineup just in time for the playoffs”
I would guess that the medical staff had something to do with this. More generally, seems like the medical staff has done a good job this year.
OG grabbing his hammy was a troubling look. Hoping they can stretch that out so he doesn’t aggravate it.
Thibs consulting with Dr Strange has been enormously successful. Carry on.
“Brunson and Mikal attacked White relentelessly in the second half. Interesting development.”
Yeah, Derrick White is an awesome 2-way player, and he murdered us in the first half, but seemed like every big Mikal 2 was right over him, and we did a better job of not letting him (or anyone else) shake loose at the 3pt line as the game went on. Brunson does that to everyone, so it was not as notable to me.
It truly is orange and blue skies despite the weather here. The Knicks are on the verge of an ECF appearance, and the Mets are in 1st with the 2nd best record in baseball by a half game.
I haven’t been this happy in my Fandom this time of year in a VERY long time. I really wanna push my hairline to the middle of my head and jump up and down screaming “ORANGE AND BLUE SKIES BABY! ORANGE AND BLUE SKIES!” with a raspy tone lol
Just as I thought- on my social media timeline last night, folks were saying “but Tatum..”. Tatum didn’t matter last night. We were on our way to a win even with his dominant 2 way performance. Honestly, I don’t think detractors can say “but Tatum..” about the rest of the series because we took both games in Boston, and still would have 3 shots at one win after last night if Tatum never got hurt. I like our chances with Brunson leading the way in that scenario.
Nevertheless, this team is really impressing me this postseason. I only have one gripe still. We have got to stop starting possessions with KAT having the ball on the perimeter. Teams are still guarding KAT with a smaller guy most possessions. Give him the ball there first. If a slow footed big is on him, then I don’t mind him outside of the paint. Except for if it’s Horford. Even at his age, he’s still too good on defense for KAT to consistently abuse. I don’t think Horford can stop him, but he’s certainly savvy enough to hold his own and make it tougher for KAT
Tatum went nuclear yesterday and it wasn’t enough, and frankly, I could live with most of the shots he took. You have to live with those long 3s, he doesn’t make them all the time. It would have been a blowout if he had a normal shooting game…
Pretty rough night for the few dozen Nets fans out there, your crosstown rivals are on the brink of the ECF and you fall to 8th in the draft lottery. Oh and the Bridges trade isn’t looking like such a heist anymore
Sucks for them, don’t care….
Since I often repeat my criticism of Thibs I think it’s only fair I continue giving him his due today. That was truly a masterful game by him, the best playoff game I’ve ever seen him coach, and a total (if momentary) validation of his approach. The flip side of stubborn is patience, and last night his patience in the face of cries to change the starting lineup paid off.
Riding the starters for the whole 3Q changed the game, and this is the second time in the series it has done that. But what really stood out was his tactical response in the 4Q to the way Boston was attacking us.
Tatum & Brown were killing Towns and would have continued to kill Towns if he stayed in the game. It was ballsy AF to pull Towns there. It could have backfired very easily if Boston had reacted to it smartly and focused their attack on the tiny backcourt of Brunson and Deuce. But Thibs recognized the flow of the game and correctly assessed that Tatum would just keep attacking even if Towns wasn’t on the court.
It was 96-96 when Thibs took KAT out. The previous plays were:
– Tatum stepback 3 after getting KAT switched on to him
– Porzingis FTs after KAT fouled him “protecting” the rim
– Tatum layup after getting KAT switched on to him
– Brown layup after getting KAT switched on to him
To Tatum’s credit, he proceeded to beat OG for 6 straight points (an excellent step back 3 and the BS double-dribble 3 pt play) but with no Towns he just kept attacking OG, which is exactly what Thibs wanted and worked to perfection. By the time he went down with injury the Celtics had failed to score on 3 straight possessions and a 102-102 game became 113-104 Knicks all due to a masterful Thibs substitution.
Today I shall offer up a spatchcocked roasted chicken with herb de Provence and lemon zest. Accompanying this sacrifice charred sweet potato and leek hash with Benton’s bacon bits rendered to anoint the pan fry. I shall also sacrifice half a bar of caramel Tony’s chocoloney. Pasta on high and Jobu on low, praise be.
I don’t know about us targeting White. We hit so many tough shots over great defense from the Celtics it was kind of absurd. Feels inevitable in retrospect but that was a crazy crazy stretch of hot shooting last night.
I can’t believe the way the future of the Eastern Conference, and indeed the whole NBA given the freaky draft stuff, looks like a malfunctioning compass right now. What a consequential night.
This may be the first time in my life I wish I was in Boston.
I actually looked into going to game 5 this morning but it felt too much like Ajax standing on a rock boasting to the gods. Like if I go to Boston to see the Knicks win there’s a 99% chance Brunson would trip over the leprechaun and tear his ACL.
i guess we only have one pick in the entire draft we forfeited #60 i see sites having us pick up that swiss ceter from penn state he is very big but also quite uninspring i want more kolek and huk next season and i have to believe that is in the works.
What happened to you, eigooD? Every word was spelled right
I think it was a combination of White and KP in drop which created all those mid-range looks. Yes, some were reallytough, but I felt that this was when they generated the best offense this series (or playoffs, even). Maybe it was just shot making? It’s hard to tell in the heat of the moment…
I think we lose game 5 anyway. Boston is a wounded animal and I’m not sure it will go down easily.
Also, you know what happens if we really beat Boston? Guess which franchise skyrockets in Giannis’ shortlist…?
We played with a higher level of energy and urgency than in game 3, in a more thoughtful way on both sides, and we made some tough shots.
I totally disagree, you’re selling Ewing way short. Ewing had some pretty monster games in elimination games in the ECSF and ECF.
It would be so 2025 Knicks for them to get blown out tomorrow then perform another 4th quarter comeback to finish this series in Game 6. I would prefer a stress free Game 5 win…
Best 2 big playoff performances from the 90’s to me were Ewing Game 7 in 1994 Conference Finals and Houston Game 6 in 1999 Conference Finals.
For now I will let others parse the Thibs BAAAAD/Thibs GOOOD hot takes from the usual hot take merchants.
In my opinion, the difference in this game was that everyone played like they are capable of playing and in the way this offense and defense is designed for them to play. This is especially true for Mikal.
Mikal went 11-21 for 23 points with 0 FTAs, which isn’t all that spectacular on paper. That’s a typical “good” Bridges game when he isn’t hitting 3’s (1-6). The 2pt shots he made (10-15) weren’t all that “tough” because they were actually right in his wheelhouse. He shot .594 from 2 for the season. 42.3% of those shots were in the midrange (he rarely got to the rim or the line in the halfcourt, so the 18.5% of the shots from 0-3 feet were mostly gravy). He shot 51.3% from 3-10 feet, 50.7% from 10-16 feet, and 52% on 2’s beyond 16 feet. He only had 24 shots blocked all year. And those numbers are probably understated because he had some streaks of cold shooting.
But that’s the shot he was brought here to make, and last night (and in 4th Q of Game 2), make them he did. He can get to that shot pretty much any time he wants, and with the slight fade and high release, guys like White just don’t have the length to bother it.
And that (plus his defense and overall IQ) are what Leon gave up 5 picks for. If he can’t deliver on that, the trade will be a disaster. And short of a championship run, it’s always going to be an overpay. But he MUST be able to consistently do that if he’s going to be worth anything near the price. And the Knicks have to go to that, it’s available pretty much any time, against any team, especially when Brunson is on the floor.
career playoff games with at least 39 pts and 10 assists
lebron 6
jordan 5
west 4
brunson 4
NYK had a 45% OREB% with Mitch on the floor yesterday (per @_prezidente).
Hey E, did you notice that the guy you relentlessly hammered as a playoff choker is putting up a 5.8 BPM? Or that he’s at a .602 TS%? And with actual fans in the arena? And without an unsustainable hot streak from 3?
I think a lot of it was Bridges hitting shots he’s been missing basically all year and not waiting until the 4th quarter to do it. He was 6-15 through the 1st which is a lot better than he has been this series.
That was a magnificent game from Brunson. That underhand lefty layout from the right side with a bit of reverse spin was [chef’s kiss], and that step-back 3 that was going to bounce out before Jalen reminded the ball who he was was amazing. Only 1 TO, no significant defensive mistakes, just fantastic. Not gonna measure it vs great games from Ewing or whoever, just saying that we got to see a phenomenal player doing his thing for our team and it felt great.
Pretty strong effort from everyone. I would have been bummed if they lost, but not frustrated, angry, or embarrassed. It was something to be proud of – we got the “one good overall game” that Hubert said we needed. As in the previous game, we started well and events were working against us (refs, rims), but this time we kept our heads, continued playing well, and eventually broke them.
“It would be so 2025 Knicks for them to get blown out tomorrow then perform another 4th quarter comeback to finish this series in Game 6. I would prefer a stress free Game 5 win…”
Game 5 is sort of a trap game. As Farfa said, the Celts are a wounded animal and will play with great desperation.
A lot will depend on their health overall. Brown seems to wear down as the game goes on, KP is laboring out there, and Jrue hasn’t been the same since that hammy thing. But they have a bunch of guys that can go nuclear from 3, and Brown can put up big numbers if he’s right. They are a smart, veteran team with plenty of pride and talent. If we let up even a little bit, this could easily be a loss, even a blowout. Then things could get interesting for game 6. I think we will be heavily favored for the duration, but won’t be comfortable until the buzzer sounds for win #4.
I also think that this is an opportunity for the Celts to draw up a game plan that we aren’t prepared for. They are so Tatum-centric that it will be a totally different look.
One thing that stood out was that Mitch played 25 minutes and didn’t take a single FT. It’s kind of some poetic justice that the Celts not being in the penalty at all in the first half (due to some questionable reffing?) kind of worked to our advantage.
As someone who was 5 when Ewing played his last game for the Knicks, the only playoff games that compare with that Brunson game are other playoff Brunson games. I think last night takes the cake though. He was absolutely masterful and, as best I could tell, refused to be exploited defensively.
My life would be materially worse if Mark Cuban didn’t overthink a very easy decision.
Last night was also Mikal’s best exhibit for his playoff hooper theory. It really is basically impossible to defend that fallaway midrange shot, such that if you can hit it ~50%+ of the time you can give your team an offensive floor that’s hard to come by in the playoffs, particularly against elite defenses.
KAT, OG, and Mitch were all huge in their own ways too. Not sure we hang around in that game without the latter’s offensive rebounds. I’m not enough of a troll to say Carmelo Anthony’s biggest contribution to the Knicks was getting us the 36th pick in the 2018 draft, so I won’t say it.
Also, whatever KAT suggested was “broken” did not seem to be much of a factor, he played a strong all-around game.
They did play without Tatum in game 2 against the Magic (which they lost), so at least there’s some film there.
KP has long covid.
so why is he playing at all does not seem safe
Putting aside their championship seasons, the best playoff performances I ever watched were those of Bernard King in the 1984 playoffs, coincidentally against Detroit and Boston. The difference was that you never had the feeling that team could get over the top, since those Celts were one of the greatest teams ever assembled and the Magic Lakers lurked out West.
There was also Ewing’s performance vs. the Celts in 1990, where he averaged 32-11-4 plus 2 blocks and 2 steals in 42 mpg.
Brunson had a MONSTER game. 39 points on 25 FGA, and an impressive 12 assists with only 1 turnover. He had a 16.1 BPM for the game. Cap’s great game essentially cancelled out Tatum’s great game, and our supporting cast outplayed theirs. This did not feel at all like any of the first three games, even when the Knicks were down 14. It felt like the Celtics were hitting some lucky low percentage shit, the refs were killing us, and that we were keeping the game within striking distance despite all of that.
Porzingis’ bizarre illness is a pretty big storyline in this series. He was dreadful yesterday— 2 of 6 from the floor, 0 for 2 from the perimeter, and bricked two free throws that seemed important at the time. Mostly a non factor on defense. “Backup big” has turned out to be a major advantage for us as Mitch has been very valuable and KP is starting to become a guy who makes you lick your chops when he enters the game.
Without Tatum that will free up OG to cover Brown so then what the hell is Boston gonna do on offense? I can seriously see them attempt even more than the 60 threes they took in Game 1, that’ll honestly be their only chance to win without Tatum.
“They did play without Tatum in game 2 against the Magic (which they lost), so at least there’s some film there.”
Good point, that probably helps!
My bad: Boston won Game 2 without Tatum. Brown had 36 points in 12-19 from the field.
James Edward III is truly the anti-Katz in his ability to get Knicks fans to like him.
whatever KP has he looked miserable and exhausted when while missing those 2 FTs in the 4th quarter last night
From CelticsBlog:
“i hate NY..they are so annoying, I hope they lose to the Pacers”
I mean, who is more annoying than the Pacers? Hali might be the most annoying player in the NBA.
Lost in the Brunson and Bridges praise (well deserved) were OG’s two huge 3 pointers – one with 32 seconds left in the third quarter to give us a 1 point lead and the other with 5:52 left in the game to put us up 3.
And of course his usual hellacious defense. Oh and I noticed during a timeout he had a massive wrap on his right leg so obviously he had some kind of hammy issue. Which makes his performance all the more impressive.
i ersonnally find mcconnell to be more annoying than hali ut same team so point taken
You are understating the grandeur of Clyde. In that game he also had 7 rebounds, 5 steals and guarded Jerry West on the other end of the floor.
I think TJ has a more annoying playing style if he’s not on your team (we would love him if he was a Knick), but he doesn’t seem like an asshole. Hali seems kind of insufferable as a person.
excellent point alan we would love tj if he were on our team much like we hated cam payne in last year playffs but like him now re hali we have seen his dad and the apple or acorn does not fall far from the tree
i am still in shock..shit like this never happens…now….with tatum obviously out and kp, jrue and horford looking a step slow…I don’t see how we could lose three in a row…but ..my knicks neuroses is on one shoulder telling me it could happen…got to exercise some demons..
yeah…in my memory (which is pretty bad) other than those bernard games that zman referenced above…..brunson’s display last night was of mythic proportion…it seemed like he took their soul…
I woke up late today and it was an hour before I remembered, with a rush of delight, that the Knicks won and are up 3-1 on the Celtics! And there’s a realistic non zero chance of making the finals now…. What??
I couldn’t have been more sure that BOS and CLE would be in the conference finals together. Just another reminder that you just never know… Still games to play but looking very good today.
Perhaps the only complete game we’ve played all season: offense, defense, strong opponent, all 4 quarters.
Augmenting pt’s post:
career playoff games with at least 39 pts and 10 assists
lebron 6 in 292 games
jordan 5 in 179 games
west 4 in 153 games
brunson 4 in 59 games
As I noted last night, isn’t it funny how much shit can change in a week? Cavs look lost, OKC looks beatable, the Celtics look washed, and now the Knicks are in prime position to not only make the finals this year, but who would you take over them next season at this point with Tatum almost assuredly out for next season?
It really depends on where Giannis ends up.
To add onto pt and BE,
None of those other chumps did it in NY. Brunson being so “clutch” might correlate to his ability to actualize authentically in front of the most crushingly severe sports media market. We are witnessing greatness. LeBron was a-feared of NY. Most athletes are. For very good reason. Winning long in a can’t win game is iconic.
That was such a great game. And Brunson continues to amaze.
I can’t help but marvel and wonder at Brunson given his size and shape. I mean, I know it’s a fool’s game, but is there any historic comparison? There have been stocky jump-shooting scorers, like the Microwave and FVV. There have been sneaky quick guards, like Isaiah. Incredible footwork scorers, like Nash. But Brunson is his own beast, it seems. Broke the mold.
we need to bottle up this thread’s vibe…
Shit, if he leaves the Eastern Conference, it’s even better for the Knicks!
as far as Brunson comparisons…going with diminutive lefties…i would say nate archibald (pre achilles tear) and maybe john lucas (pre coke addict)…non-lefties ….calvin murphy or gus williams…none are great comparisons…he is very unique…thank god he’s on our team..
Paul George, #3 pick and stuff for Giannis.
I think I still take the Knicks.
PG13 is a liability. Philly needs to add a first round pick just to get them off their own books. Bucks will need a franchise type all-star player to fill seats in return. There is no one better than KAT.
What’s really annoying that not one of the 90s knicks players got media jobs. Ewing, LJ, Houston, Starks, Oakley, Harper, etc…we have to now suffer listening to Reggie all of next series. This is exactly why I’m grafeful for roomates who are just sharpening their skills now.
All season long I honestly thought what we’re seeing now was possible but I gave up hope the final week of the regular season. I apologize to Brunson, KAT, OG, Bridges and the rest of the team for ever doubting them.
Pretty sure at this point that you need the pick just to give away George and his contract. That’s a long way from getting it done. In terms of assets and destination where Giannis would maybe like to play, probably only Detroit in the EC can get it done.
Edit: Director, I suppose it’s possible Mil would take KAT and whatever pick we can give, but pretty unlikely. Not like KAT couldn’t make noise of his own about being unhappy there.
Milwaukee needs a full-on rebuild, and that means picks. I doubt that they want what we have.
Embiid and Giannis don’t seem like a great fit.
If Milwaukee wants players more than picks, a whole spectrum of teams, including the Knicks, is out there….especially if Giannis is amenable.
KAT doesn’t have that in him. He’s no KD or Jimmy Butler. For Mil, thats a good thing. It’s all just speculation anyway.
we indeed did have good offense and defense and a strong opponent but for sure we did not to it for all four quarters
Milwaukee needs a full-on rebuild, and that means picks. I doubt that they want what we have.
Impossible to pull off when you don’t have your own picks. Their only way out is to thread water and be in play for next 4 years.
Here’s how:
I imagine then, that any possible move would have to involve New Orleans, who owns Milwaukee’s next few picks.
I mentioned yesterday that another issue trading for Giannis is matching his salary, I believe next season he’s making over 50m. Picks to give up are great but you need to also match his salary without gutting your team. Also I assume Milwaukee will do right for Giannis and trade him to a team he’d be happy going to, it’s a pretty fascinating discussion.
I still can’t get over the fact that a few years ago we were lamenting the rise of the Durant-Irving-Harden Nets dynasty, and now the tables have completely turned for the foreseeable future.
We need to address our bench this offseason, but beyond that, this is a great core to root for, championship or not.
Cavs also have a lot of injuries, if they were healthy they could look a lot different. And Indy is still really good; they finished with only one fewer win than us. Detroit will be a year older and better. If Orlando could figure out offense they’ll be dangerous as well.
Sorry, I laughed.
Yup. Feeling so good today. Generally, I’m a relentless (insane?) optimist about the Knicks, always have been. So my heart and soul have been heavily scarred since I started watching in 1989. Nevertheless, no matter the score, I still think (maybe) they can pull it out. Especially so with this year’s team.
These three wins over the Celtics have shown how sweet it is to win against all odds. But now it will be interesting to see how our beloved underdogs deal with the pressure of Expectation (capital E). We may soon be favored to win games and even the whole thing. I hope these guys can adjust. I’m not sure I can. How does one root for the “better” team. Asking for a friend.
“I mentioned yesterday that another issue trading for Giannis is matching his salary”
Yeah, but there are ways to swing deals by getting other teams involved. I think the much bigger hurdles are what Milwaukee wants and what Giannis wants, and once that is sorted out, I can’t see us being very competitive in the bidding unless Giannis demands it.
Before the season started the best part about this team for me was it looked like their window was open for at least the next 2 to 3 years, that window is now looking as wide open as any Knicks fan couldn’t have possibly imagined even in their wildest dream. It’s unbelievable how quickly things have changed in a week.
All our guys played to their full potential for large stretches of the game. Haven’t seen that in a while. Hart said this team doesn’t really know its potential. I think that’s true. If we can find a way to consistenly bottle up last night’s defensive attention and effort with offensive focus and spark — this could be a special run!
BC going from talking Pistons in 6 to dynasty in less than a week, amazing!
Vibes are way too good here.
In a theoretic binary world with two set possible outcomes, which would you rather:
a) Knicks lose the next 3 to Tatumless Boston
or
b) Knicks win game 5, get swept by the Pacers
B, Donnie. That’s not even a question to anyone who cares about the team. (Which you’ve established that you don’t.)
Can’t imagine leaving the Knicks fandom just to latch onto RJ Barrett 2.0
Bench plus center position, unless by some magic Mitch stays healthy. I wouldn’t bet on in. KAT needs to move to PF, unless, by some magic again, someone teaches him focus and defensive positional awareness in the postseason. He has a huge body and has to understand that just by being positioned well inch by inch already gives him an advantage.
tj mcconnell was brought up briefly earlier today srsly is there a realistic way we could add him in the offseason he would be perfect on our bench while kolek develops then again as currently constructed with thibs tj mere presence could prett much stifle any development kolk has in him by never being played
I hope Mitchell is good to go tonight and the Cavs can stretch that series as long as possible
🤞🤞🤞
🙏🙏🙏
Brown kinda sucks and I think I’d be happy with him taking a ton of shots. I’d like to put OG on Derrick White and strangle them at the POA. White’s great but he’s so protected by Tatum that he’s probably never had someone like OG cover him for 40 minutes before and I don’t think he’ll like it.
Would it be crazy to sit OG this game? Overconfident? It would be disastrous if he ended up seriously injuring his hammy.
It’s nice to feel vindicated in my long-term stance that “It’s not about the talent level.” This team has terrifying upside, always had. It has mostly failed to play up to that upside, outside of a quarter here and a quarter there. But those quarters existed, and verified that potential.
So now it’s about continuing that upside. Fingers crossed…
In a weird way, the most confounding limiting factor on the current iteration of the Knicks is Mitchell Robinson’s FT shooting. Yesterday was a glimpse into what could be if not for the threat of Hack-a-Mitch. If he could only get up to 60%, we’d be that much more whole and dangerous.
I wouldn’t do that if I were Milwaukee but it will be interesting to see if Philadelphia actually trusts Embiid bc Maxey, McCain, and the 3rd pick would be a great haul for the Bucks and a healthy Embiid plus Giannis with PG as third wheel is incredible on paper. It’s a shorter window than you’d get with Maxey but man if you can get even 2 years of healthy Embiid with Giannis holy shit.
Hack-a-Mitch is a serious glitch, but it’s also solvable. Just get him in early before the team is in foul trouble, and do the silly but necessary in-and-out toward the end with Towns for O and D. It’s not perfect, but what is. Even Jalen’s short.
The part that terrifies me just a little was the quote someone noted yesterday when Thibs was asked about playing Mitch and Towns together and he said he had to because of Hart’s foul trouble…
Really?
Hold on a second.
I actually thought of this last night.
I can’t stomach losing to the Pacers. Ever. If you’re telling me it’s a binary world in which we have to lose, and one of the two options is getting swept by my least favorite team, I’d rather get it over with now.
definitely get past the celts and lose to the pacers the line for me is and has always been get further than in previous season so we need to make the ecf instead of get stuck in the 2nd round for the third straight season
to have two years of healthy embiid with giannis first you would have to have two years of healthy embiid which is not happening anymore
Haha. Yeah, that was me quoting Thibs from the post game. It was an odd moment.
The reporter seemed to tee up Thibs to take credit for a strategic move. Maybe coach was being humble, but he really seemed like he wouldn’t have played Kat and Mitch together but for needing a solution to Hart’s foul trouble.
Thibs offered his usual, “You have to take what the game dictates” or “react to what the game gives you” or whatever. Either way — pro active or not — our guys won, so my hat is tipped.
If you lose the next 3 to Tatumless Boston you may get what you’ve all been pining for: a major retool, a new coach, a “watchable team”, et al
If you make the ECF, you get the memories, but you also get more of the same next year, which didn’t seem like much fun around here until 3 minutes ago basketball time.
I picked the Knicks to win that series!
RE: Giannis
The thought of pairing him with Brunson is fascinating, but I’m not sure I’d wanna lose KAT & Mitch to do it. Why do I say KAT & Mitch? It would be way too hard to build a team around KAT, Giannis, and Brunson. If folks think we are too top heavy now, just wait until you see a team with that big 3. And with Mitch- if we have Giannis at the 4, you’d need a 5 who can shoot. I don’t think there will be quality stretch 5’s available. We’re probably looking at giving backup 5’s starting minutes if we make a Giannis move. And then there’s the advantage that is KAT. KAT shoots it well and passes well. That opens the floor up in a way that is more beneficial to Brunson, OG, and Bridges. But don’t get me wrong- Giannis would be great as a Knick. But it’s probably easier to add to what we have than it would be to add to Giannis- considering Milwaukee would want KAT, OG, or both
“Hack-a-Mitch is a serious glitch, but it’s also solvable.”
I don’t think it’s solvable as much as capable of being mitigated. It doesn’t have to be a consistent issue (like, say, Steve Novak’s defense) to be a detrimental situational issue in critical situations. When you have Mitch in there, you already are mitigating his inability to shoot, dribble, or pass. When on top of that he’s either killing your PPP or forced out of the game on offense where his rebounding and lob threat are major plusses, that’s not a good problem to have. If we keep Mitch, the key will be to have an alternative big that can do much of what Mitch does without the FT woes. Maybe Huk blossoms into that guy.
Clearly the key mitigation will be Hart continuing to get into foul trouble…
I don’t think there’s a chance any team beats the offers the Spurs and Rockets can put together for Giannis, plus the looming atomic bomb threat that is OKC losing this year and saying you know what, fuck it, I’ll give Milwaukee Chet plus 3 young guys plus a billion picks for this dude.
I’ll be extremely surprised if any east team can make a competitive offer for Giannis unless somehow those 3 teams decide they don’t want to pursue him for whatever godforsaken reason.
I think Hart has been excellent this postseason but one has to wonder if our best offensive performance happening in the game with the least amount of him was a coincidence. Keeping him at 28-30 minutes opens up a lot of possibilities, some of which seem really good.
IMO a lot of what looks like briliance or stupidy game to game is neither. It’s just 50-50 decisions or 60-40 decisions randomly working out particularly well or poorly that night.
Aside from playing more of Mitch and Towns, IMO Thibs should play Mitch, OG, Bridges, Deuce and Brunson. That’s 4 defenders on the court, which makes it easier to cover for Brunson. Deuce is also our best POA defender against those fast guards.
Brunson is the #1 option, Mikal gets to step up into #2 and OG is #3. Deuce provides better spacing than Hart. Mitch is not going to add much scoring, but his excess OREBs add possessions and make his contribution on offense better than it looks.
The only clearly weakness there is rebounding. So maybe against some teams it won’t work and we are better off with more of Towns/Mitch (like against OKC), but I still think he’s not using these players well.
Just curious if you are overlooking the Cavs or if you don’t like their best offer.
They could package Garland, Allen, a 2031 first and swaps in ’30, ’32. That doesn’t make the Bucks a contender but it gets them into play-in territory, sells tickets, keeps egg off their face, etc.
In two seasons Lillard and Kuzma would fall off the cap, and Garland/Allen would be just 28/29 y/o making reasonable money.
(And the Cavs with Giannis, Mitchell, and Mobley would be terrifying.)
i still think that tibs should find his way clear to giving previous 5-10 min per game he has averaged 18 and 9 per 36 when he has been in there
wow, if by some crazy chance we have happened upon a successful closing duo, both of them being able to operate and get a shot within the arc during crunch time – oh yeah…
so it seems pj tucker came in to be the mikal whisperer, so be it…have a feeling that up to a point this season OG felt like his voice wasn’t being heard so much…
in this case – it is interesting to see how the sausage is made, in particular team dynamics…
if mitch can play an effective 24 to 26 minutes, more than happy to have precious in at center in the first half just to limit KAT’s time at the center spot…let it just be KAT/mitch at the 5 in the second half (if necessary – ha 😜)…
getting ready to go through all the post game interview stuff now…
I’m starting to wonder which teams have the worst guest locker rooms…
that celtic situation looked pretty spartan, hot water perhaps…
Drink the Celtic tears:
https://www.theringer.com/2025/05/13/nba/jayson-tatum-injury-boston-celtics-new-york-knicks-nba-playoffs-2025
They were already going to break up parts of that team (most likely KP but maybe others also). Tatum wasn’t among them. So not only will they likely be missing Tatum for the year, but other contributors also.
As of right now, we may be the favorites or co-favorites with the Cavs in the east. Of course there will be other young teams that may improve, but right now you have to figure Boston to drop a few notches.
don’t even wanna consider the roster implications of trying to acquire giannis once the season ends…
however 😊…the value for any out going roster spots is still tbd…
because we are a better team than the bucks…
I will say, that if it works out that KAT is a true 3rd scoring option, and not an exceptional any thing else – max salary is a tough price to pay for a starting power forward like that…
giannis is one of the few max dollar values…
kind of hope mikal negotiates a no trade clause just so he’ll give us a bit of a break on his next deal…
come on guys the results of the mri have not been release yet or have they
You missed a golden opportunity to spell MRI wrong, Doogie.
Giannis probably doesn’t want to go to Cleveland (and I am not sure the Bucks would trade him to a destination he doesn’t want, much less a divisional opponent).
Where DOES Giannis want to go, do you think? That’s not rhetorical, I’m curious as to what everyone thinks.
The usual: NY, LA, Miami, Chicago. He already won a ring.
IMO Giannis is only going to go to a team that is an immediate contender after the trade. There’s no way he’s going to accept any rebuild of even a single year or two. He doesn’t have time to waste. So the ideal trading partner is someone that can provide at least one large contract the Bucks don’t mind taking and then maybe one young player and picks. If you have to gut the team to get to match the money that won’t work. If the Bucks are insane enough to want to remain competitive and not just blow it up, that opens the door to other possibilities (like the Knicks).
OKC needs to keep Chet to pair him with Giannis. iHart doesnt work. With Giannis you need a stretch big.
So, it would have to look something like iHart + J. Williams + Dort to match salaries & a boat load of picks and swaps.
Would love to snatch back iHart and be part of that trade somehow.
Astoria! He’d never have to pay his restaurant bill, ever!
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