Chapter 1: What recent performance highlights the Knicks' defensive capabilities?
That's the Knicks team that we're going to see and the team that we saw Friday night in Milwaukee. That's a contender team. That's a team that plays defense. That's a team that actually took 48 three-point shots yesterday. It's insane. But really, for me, it's always about defense and it's always about... Holding a team under 100 points in the NBA is quite an accomplishment.
And, of course, San Antonio, you know, they weren't shooting the ball very well. And quite frankly, the Knicks, you know, they needed these last two wins. They needed it all to calm down around them. But that's the playoff Knick team.
You know, that's the team that I was saying that there was two weeks ago we were talking about this saying, I'm not going to get all worried about up and down and performances. And I know that Cleveland and Detroit kind of own them this year.
But the point is, is that if that team that we saw yesterday against a very good Spurs team who has beaten OKC quite a bit this year and has obviously, you know, this super freak in Wemenyama, if they're going to play defense the way that they did yesterday, that actually shows you that they are capable of doing it.
So to me, as a Knicks fan and watching this yesterday, and it was great watching it because it was intense. They got off to a horrendous start, and you thought that they were going to get blown out of the building. But then all of a sudden, they turned it on. They started hitting some shots.
And then when you take a look at the amount of shots that were taken per guy, again, Carl Anthony Towns, only nine shots, but yet another double-double. Josh Hart had a double-double. You look at their top six players today. I think everybody had at least nine or more shots. Nobody had a 30-shot performance. And it was really well-balanced, and they played exceptionally well defensively.
And that's exactly what we would want as Knick fans. So they can do it. It's in there. We saw it yesterday. And now the question is, is where are they going to end up in the pecking order when it comes to the playoffs? playoffs. And still, you know, 20 games to go or whatever. But to your point about Carl Anthony Towns, you know, no two games are the same.
Like yesterday, when you look at the shot distribution, when Mikkel Bridges is hitting like he's hitting and playing the way he's playing, you know what? More shots are going to go to him. And they should. And you talk about the defense. He had four, maybe even five steals in this game. And he had the one that led to an open court dunk. They had the runs you mentioned in the front.
They didn't get out to a good start. That run between the first and second quarter goes 26-2. And then even in the fourth quarter. So I was doing a short show for Maryland yesterday to get us to Nets pregame. And I'm following the game on my phone.
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Chapter 2: How did the Knicks manage to win against the Spurs?
I'm like, man, you know what? You look in the fourth quarter. Here comes San Antonio. They're down nine. And in a blink... It surged back to 20 as they go on that 13-1 run. And I'm with you. That is the team that back in December when I sat here with Willie Colon, I said, this is the team that can win the Eastern Conference.
And if that's the version of the Knicks you are going to get, then you're going to be in for a ride come May and June. So 17 three-pointers made by the Knicks. I think it was only eight or nine by the Spurs, and the Knicks didn't shoot well from the free-throw line either. This could have been even a bigger blowout than it turned out to be.
But again, I look at the opposing team's score, and you look at the opposing team's players, and then you say to yourself, this was more smothering defense than it was. I'm more impressed with that than I am the offensive part of it. Although the... As they would say, and I don't want to get into all these different cliches, the ball distribution and all that other crap.
But when you saw Jose Alvarado on the court. Took doors out of my mouth. Yeah. I mean, you could see the energy that he brings. And again, he's had to adjust. And now I think he's starting to feel a little bit more comfortable. And Diarua is another one. He hit four three-pointers. Two really big ones in the fourth quarter, I thought. Exactly.
To kind of stem the tide a little bit and to slow things down and to get the momentum back on the Knicks side. So, again, this is all that ā and by the way, I was reading this morning about, you know, Diarra and how whether or not they're going to continue to ā He should always play. He should be in the rotation. I think he deserves it. I think he looks like he belongs out there.
He plays good, solid defense as well. So maybe, just maybe, they've started to turn the corner a little bit. But I could always reflect back on this particular game, saying that it's in there. The defense is in there, and if they play with that kind of intensity... There'll be a problem for every team they play.
And the one thing I think you like as well as a Knick fan is the fact that you didn't need Jalen Brunson to score 40 points in this game. Well, that's, again, it's ball distribution. Everybody participated. And that's the beauty of a well-played game. You know, when you look at a well-played game, I don't care what sport it is. Let's say it's football.
Let's say the quarterback has, you know, 28 completions. If you see seven guys all have two or three or more receptions in that game, then you know that the quarterback is seeing the defense and he's reading and he's processing and he's getting the ball out to his wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends.
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Chapter 3: What role does shot distribution play in the Knicks' success?
And those guys are all making plays, so they now all have skin in the game. It's not just about one receiver catching 15 balls and making sure that he can set NFL records. It's not about that. It's about winning the game, and that's what I thought yesterday. It was just balance. The whole thing was balance, and there was an intensity on defense. That was brought by Bridges.
That was brought by Hart. That was brought by OG. OG had another solid game. I mean, so you have the makings of it. Now the question is, can they sustain it? I don't think they'll sustain it for 20 games.
But I do know that if they can stay healthy, that's the playoff team that you believe, or I believe, and maybe other Knick fans are along with us, believe at least they can make it to the Eastern Conference Championship and then, you know, But the chips fall where they may. Yeah, and the goal is to win four out of every seven when you get to the playoffs.
This team, I do believe, is built to do that at least for a few rounds. We shall see if they do. I also, you know, you mentioned the fact that they win the two. This one to me was really important just because, you know, you win at Milwaukee. To me, they were expected to win that game, fair enough.
To back it up, though, not only with a win, but the way they won against that team that, you know, make no mistake, that team, They are one of the best teams in the NBA. As young as they might be in spots, the Spurs, they are as good as they get. You mentioned the fact they've had some success against Oklahoma City. I mean, they're second in the Western Conference.
So to do that at home, to back up that win on Friday night, to me was a big deal to show, again... and I'm not even saying yesterday was the ceiling, but to show how they can compete and thrive and beat the top teams in the NBA. Now, can you do it at a best of seven? I have no idea.
But yesterday for 48 minutes, or at least for 45 minutes, they were the best team on the floor after they got out to a slow start. They were one of the top five teams in the NBA yesterday. And, you know, to me, it really comes down to health, and their schedule is not going to get any easier here. That's the thing. This little stretch right here is very difficult for sure. Right.
So they're at Toronto, then they're home versus Oklahoma City. Then they have to go to Denver, the Lakers, the Clippers, the Jazz, the Pacers. Right. Well, that's where it lightens up when you get to Utah. Utah and the Pacers. Correct. And then I don't even think, I know you have the schedule up there, I don't think the back end, the final couple of weeks is all that difficult as well.
I think this is it. No, it's Atlanta, Boston, Toronto, Charlotte.
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Chapter 4: How important is team balance for the Knicks' playoff chances?
I mean, Charlotte's not a bad young team. Memphis is in there. Chicago's in there. They have to go back to Oklahoma City. They've got to go to Houston. They've got to go to Memphis. Memphis, they've been trading players. Look, this team will either be third or second in the Eastern Conference. Yeah, for sure. They're going to win 50 games again.
I would think even more than that, actually, when you look at that schedule. Then the real work begins. And then that's when, you know, all season long and, you know, starting with when they let Tibbs go and then they make the hiring of Mike Brown, who, as you pointed out on Friday, clearly was not their first choice, but that's who they wind up with. I know, I know. But, you know, all of this...
The length of the season is about the moment we're about to get to in about a month or so, a month and a half or so, when the playoffs do begin. And that's when all the questions are really answered, because all of this is great. We know they're a playoff team, and we see the upside like yesterday.
Everything gets decided and answered when we finally get to the postseason, and what does this team look like? Can they defend like they did yesterday in a best-of-seven series? Do they get out-physicaled by Detroit? Can they beat Cleveland in a best-of-seven? And I think yes to both Both of those, quite frankly.
To me, one of the probably best stories for the team itself, and I'm not talking about the Knicks for this other team, is just how good the Boston Celtics are without Jason Tatum. Amazing, actually. I mean, yeah. So they're number two in the Eastern Conference right now, and the Knicks are a game and a half behind them. Think about that for a second. They're missing their best player.
And yet, here they are, they're sitting with 40 wins, and they are second in the Eastern Conference. That is quite the accomplishment, because I don't think anybody thought that they would be where they are today. No, I think most people thought they'd be a playoff team, they'd hang around, they'd be in that second four in terms of the Eastern Conference.
But the season Jalen Brown has had has been pretty incredible, and for them to be where they are... That's why you're starting to see, in a lot of places, Joe Mazzulla, best coach in the league. I mean, look what he's done. And there is conversation about Jason Tatum getting back here at the end. I don't know that he's going to.
But if I'm a Celtics fan, as much as you want him on the floor, it's almost like, why fix what's not broken? Well, remember, so he had his surgery. Was that early June or late May? I would say it was more like the surgery was probably late in May. All right. So, you know, you're talking about could he get back here after a year? I mean, that's about the time.
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Chapter 5: What challenges do the Knicks face in their upcoming schedule?
I mean, depending. I'm sure he is. May 13th. May 13th. So, okay. And that was the second round of the playoffs or the first round? The Celtics was the second round. Second round of the playoffs. Look, I could see him back for the second round of the playoffs. A year removed from an Achilles, I could see it.
So the question on him would be... The question is, would they actually try to play him before the season was over just to get him... Well, so I read last week, unless he gets on the floor in significant real-game type of action in practice, it's not even a thought. What I'm trying to see is where he's at right now in terms of... Man, that would be a year. I mean, I would think...
I would think that he's probably doing some running and stretching. Yeah, so it says as of Saturday, he's begun participating in five-on-five in practice. Well, there you go. So now not cleared, not cleared to play yet, and obviously I don't think that they've got any date in mind.
But if on February 28th, now today's March 2nd, if he's already practicing five-on-five, is it fair to say that April 1st he could be back? So it's about nine months. What's about nine? Ten months. Ten months. He's 10 months in. It's about right.
And if he continues to practice and maybe they put him in a couple of the games late in the season, I could definitely see him becoming a part of all this. The question would be, I don't know how bringing back a superstar upsets anything. But could it upset what the Boston Celtics have already built this year without him? I think the way it upsets it would be, and give him credit for this too.
I mean, he's even come out and said, if I can't be what I have to be. to be. I don't want to come in here and play and be like 80% of myself. I need to be 100%. So I do agree with you. That to me is the only way it could upset things.
If he's out there and he's not quite right and he's taking minutes away from guys in a rotation that has obviously succeeded quite well this year with a record of 40 and 20 through 60, that to me would be the only way that I think that he could upset things. Other than that,
I mean, how could you not be excited to have a Jason Tatum come back and join a team that could be, as you know, right now, number two in the East. I don't know if they'll be two when all is said and done, but two, maybe three in the East. How has that not helped their case to go deep in the playoffs? All right, so the last regular season game for the Knicks is April 12th. Okay.
Okay, so you're looking at, what, about six weeks now? Yeah. And if he's practicing for six weeks, I mean, does he get any run here towards the end of the season, towards the middle of April maybe for Boston just to see what it looks like? I would certainly think he would want that.
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Chapter 6: How can the Knicks sustain their recent momentum?
I mean, to at least shake the rust off, get out there, get up and down the floor, even if it was 10, 12 minutes. And that's the other thing, too. How does he get used in the postseason? Is he a sixth man off the bench? Is he a piece? Is he a starter? Are you getting 40 minutes? Are you getting 20 minutes? Could you imagine?
I mean, if they get him back and he is the player that he was and somehow they make it ā if they win another championship with him. Because what they're doing in Boston right now is like it's ā I mean, the Knicks match up good against them right now. Adding that to the mix, that could throw a whole wrench in all of this.
But I still go back to saying yesterday's intensity and defense, that's the Knick team that I think we all want to see. It is interesting, before we take a break, everyone has looked at the NBA Western Conference as... Everybody's great in the West, and there's no doubt. Starting with Oklahoma City, phenomenal conference. Denver's really good. We know that. Houston, San Antonio.
Houston, I think, is third right now with Kevin Durant, Mr. Social Media himself. Minnesota is a really good team. But, you know, you look at the East with Detroit, Boston, New York, and Cleveland. That's no joke either. Like, to me, I almost feel like as the season has gone on, I feel like the gap has been closed a little bit.
I always felt like, you know, especially in the beginning of the season towards the middle of the season, that winning the East was a consolation prize to go out and lose in the NBA Finals. I don't know on March 2nd as I sit here now, I feel that way anymore. I think any of those four teams I just mentioned ā could go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the West.
Does that mean they're going to win? No. But do I give them a puncher's chance to do so? Yeah, and I don't know four months ago I would have done that. Yeah, well, I don't know either.
But all I do know is that the last two games that I've seen from the Knicks, especially yesterday in front of their home fans, where they are, they're much better at home this year than they were last year, where they really, I mean, this was one of their best games that they played all year. For sure. For sure.
And it was very satisfying watching it and watching how frustrating Weminyama was getting. And the way that, you know, anytime he put that ball on the floor, it seemed like somebody, like whether it be Alvarado or Brunson or somebody, was trying to come in from behind and go get the ball. Good game planning. It was great game planning.
So as much criticism as I've thrown their way after losing to Detroit and Cleveland, I'm going to give a huge pat on the back and say that's the team that can win a championship if they continue to play that way. And how about the, let's see, 8 p.m., 12 a.m., how about the 20 hours at Madison Square Garden with the destruction of Villanova from St. John's on Saturday night at 8 o'clock?
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Chapter 7: What impact could Jalen Brunson's performance have on the playoffs?
Well, Jerry, you also got an overtime win by the Rangers over the playoffs. Oh, that is true. Yeah, come on now. Don't forget that. Don't forget that. And it's a rare home win, I understand. And the UConn women completed an undefeated regular season. At MSG? Last night. No. Not at MSG. Was it at MSG? No. Yeah, and the Knicks was in the afternoon, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, it was.
I saw that they won. They completed the undefeated season. Who did they play there? St. John's. Oh, okay. I didn't know that. Ah, there you go. So, Gina Wariamma doing it again.