Chapter 1: What was the significance of the Knicks beating the Celtics?
The Knicks were the big story. Knicks-Celtics last night, the big story. So the annoying part of it, quite frankly, is the fact that they weren't fully healthy because I wanted to see them with Jalen Brown in the lineup.
Chapter 2: Why was Jalen Brown's absence frustrating for the game?
Everybody else that was questionable, I believe, played last night but Jalen Brown. So that was a little bit frustrating. But the way that the Knicks played was more of the same that we saw against the Atlanta Hawks, which is really, really encouraging. There was more Jalen Brunson getting rid of the ball and being a guy who was facilitating and not just isolation and chucking up shots.
Josh Hart was spectacular shooting threes in the fourth quarter. Really, really good. Carl Anthony Towns, good defensively. I think he only had two fouls. It might have been three, but I think he only had two fouls last night, which was great. And you saw more of the action with the pick and roll with him and getting him the basketball.
And they just seemed like they were rounding into shape again. So, This is the team right there, the way they have played the last two games that I feel the best about. I'm not going to say that because they beat the Celtics without Jalen Brown, I'm ready for the Celtics in the playoffs.
But this was the style of play and the way that they won the game I thought was very encouraging because it was right off the heels of a very similar win against the Atlanta Hawks. Yeah, a couple things.
One, you look at that game last night, and I do agree with you. When I saw the note before 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, whatever it was, when I saw it, that Jalen Brown wasn't playing, it was disappointing as an outside observer watching the game. The game still had a really good feel to it. The fact that they applauded, I mean, give the Knicks fans a lot of credit.
I wondered if they were going to taunt him. Instead, they gave him a nice ovation. Tate, I was talking about.
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Chapter 3: How did Jalen Brunson's playstyle affect the Knicks' performance?
Yeah, Jason Tatum, which I thought was very classy in the starting lineups. So that was very cool. It definitely took away a little bit from the game that Brown didn't play. But when you're making big shots down the stretch, as they did, when you're making big defensive stops, Tatum had, what, two? I think he had six or seven turnovers on the night. He had a couple in the final five minutes.
But I thought part of it was him. I thought part of it was the defense the Knicks were playing. They've won 52 games. You've got a couple to go. You know, I said back in November when the season began and they were playing well and they won the NBA Cup, this team's got the makings of a championship team. I know it's like the baseball season. It goes on forever. And we have ups and we have downs.
And they have bad stretches and good stretches. But now it's go time. Now it's the playoffs. This is when it counts. And if they are ramping up at this point as we head into next week, then I think if you're a Knick fan, you've got to be really positive with what this team can do. And by that, I mean go win the Eastern Conference. To me, nothing tells me that they can't beat the Pistons.
We know they can beat the Celtics. They're not afraid of winning up in Boston. We saw that last year. I don't think the Cavaliers should scare you if you're a Knick fan. Doesn't mean the Cavs can't win. But there's nobody in the East that if I'm a Knick fan, I don't think this team can't beat. And I think everything is right in front of this group.
Yeah, it's the classic, the team that's going to beat the Knicks more than the other teams are the Knicks because they weren't maximizing what they had on their roster for most of the year. It was almost as if Mike Brown really listened to the criticism from the fans and some of the media.
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Chapter 4: What encouraging trends were observed in the Knicks' recent games?
I know a lot of those MSG guys don't really go into depth about ripping the team, but for the entire season, it was... How come Jalen Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns can't get on the same page offensively? Why does it take Jose Alvarado to get Carl Anthony Towns the ball?
How come these guys that should be running spectacular pick and rolls and basing their offense off the two of them, how come they're not doing that? And in the last two games, they've done it. And, you know, Jalen Brunson, who had gotten a lot of criticism this year for, you know, playing more isolation basketball.
Chapter 5: What are the implications of Jalen Brown not playing in the playoffs?
We talked about the disconnect that Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady were talking about. And I've seen none of that in the last two games. So that right there, if they had gone into the playoffs with those same questions going on, I would be really, really upset and expecting the worst. But seeing this towards the end of the season is great.
And there's going to be a couple things you've got to figure out. Mike Brown has to figure out whether he wants to start Josh Hart or he wants to have him off the bench. Little things like that with the rotations. But, man, if Carl Anthony Towns could have an efficient basketball game like he had last night, he had two steals. He had 12 rebounds, I think. He takes efficient with his shots.
If he can be that guy and Jalen Brunson can be what he's been for the Knicks in the postseason and also gets rid of the ball a little bit more and becomes a hero in the fourth quarter if he has to, then yeah, I'm with you. They could beat anybody in the Eastern Conference. So this was good. I wanted to see Jalen Brown play. Didn't happen, but this was a good one.
And by the way, first half kind of stunk for them. They did not come out and play well. And then really in the fourth quarter mostly. But second half turned it on and looked like a championship team.
No doubt, no doubt, no doubt. I think the biggest word for this team is consistency. If they play consistent across the board. then that's when you get your best version of the Knicks. Jalen Brunson, I feel, is the one guy from Game 1 to Game 82. You know what you're getting from every night. Does he have an off-shooting night once in a while? Yeah.
But he seems to me to play essentially the same way. It's these other guys. It's Towns. When one game great, one game doesn't shoot all that often. If you get a consistentāI don't want to call it effortā But performance from Carl Anthony Towns, they're a different team.
If Josh Hart is a little bit more consistent, not having the two-point game like you had last week, or whatever it was, four or five points, and then you get what you get last night, maybe somewhere in between is the sweet spot. This team can do a lot of great things. The other thing, too, with Towns, which is really interesting, and I know Mike Breen was talking about this last night.
I think it was the second quarter. Could be wrong on that, but... There was a sequence, and I know he complains a lot. I get it, and he's yelling, and he's screaming, and maybe the noise is what the issue is. But as we go into the playoffs, I am begging these NBA officials. I use the word consistency with the Knicks. I want to see some consistency from the officiating because...
I know he's a bigger body. I get it. But there was a sequence last night where on one possession, he's driving right of the lane towards the basket. Yeah. He gets mugged. The contact is incredible from the defense. I don't remember where the defensive player was. It doesn't matter. But he shoulders into him. The guy bodies him up, essentially knocks him down.
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Chapter 6: How can the Knicks improve their playoff chances?
So this is going to be all about getting to the NBA finals, and Mike Brown's either going to be lauded as the right choice for the coach if he gets into the finals, and if they can't get over the hump or they don't get back to the Eastern Conference finals, maybe he gets fired, maybe the roster gets blown up. I mean, it's...
They need to get to the NBA Finals or at least back to where they were and play a great series. Maybe seven games and then just be like, okay, we got beat. We've waited for this for the longest time to see where this season goes.
Just a couple of games left and now it's all about... It's amazing how when you have a team that's good in baseball and basketball that has been to the playoffs... You're reading my mind. You just don't get the same emotions. You don't put weight on anything. It's almost like this regular season. You go through the motions.
You don't, as a fan or as excited or bummed out or anything, it's about the playoffs, it's about the playoffs, it's about the playoffs. It ruins... the regular season for you when your team's good.
You're a victim of your own success. Yeah. Yeah, there's no doubt. And, you know, I think you have to take it for what it is at that point. You know they're good. You know they're going to be in the playoffs. Just enjoy it. And don't get so crazy with the ups and the downs when you know that they are secure in their playoff position.
And then you get to the postseason like now, and now it's go time. Now you really start to emotionally get invested in what is going to become best of seven wars, you think, in sports terms. But I do understand it feels a lot like what we've dealt with for the Yankees for the last...
25 or 30 years that you know that 96 team was so much fun 98 was wild but then it was like 99 let's get to the world series 2000 let's get to the world series then you got the mets holy crap gotta win the world series nobody's getting crazy 2001 gotta get to the world series don't wind up winning and every year after that it was as if it's just to now it's like all right well they're not playing so great right now well it's about the postseason right it's all it's hard to enjoy it
Yeah, I mean, at least the Knicks have, you know, they could get to the finals and we'd be thrilled about that because that's something that they haven't done, you know, in a very, very long time. You know, getting back to the Eastern Conference Finals was one thing that you knocked off the list. Now getting back to the finals, but they just haven't won a championship. It's amazing.
You win a bunch of championships, then all you want to do is win another championship. You don't win a championship forever, then the only thing you're going to be satisfied with is a championship. It's just sometimes we just... The psyche of a sports fan. Yeah. There's no doubt.
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