The Knicks want to point out up on Sunday afternoon in opposition to the Celtics as a result of in the event that they don’t present up in opposition to a crew higher than they’re, when do they the remainder of the common season, and why ought to anyone assume they’ll within the playoffs? All of us noticed what occurred on Friday night time in Cleveland in opposition to the Cavs when, lengthy earlier than halftime, it was already truthful to ask if the Knicks knew the sport counted.
You hear on a regular basis that the common season doesn’t matter all that a lot within the NBA. Yeah, it does, particularly whenever you’ve acquired a crew being carried alongside by the roar of the group, the way in which the Knicks are, however hardly ever present up in opposition to the most effective groups. This season the most effective groups are the Cavs, Thunder, Celtics. They Knicks have but to get a sport off any of them.
And if that is one other season when the Knicks can’t get previous the second spherical of the playoffs, one thing no Knicks crew has finished in 25 years, then their followers may have an ideal proper to assume their crew remains to be caught within the center, even the way in which they’ve moved up this season within the Japanese Convention. As a result of the truth of their scenario underneath Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau is that their most dramatic playoff victory up to now is over the 76ers and Joel Embiid, taking part in on one leg on the time.
Have they arrive again a great distance since Rose and Thibodeau acquired to city? You already know they’ve. Do they matter once more? They do, and loudly. However now a crew that has come again this far wants to point out it may hold going. They should personal New York within the spring even with the Yankees and Mets trying loaded once more, the way in which Pat Riley’s Knicks and Jeff Van Gundy’s Knicks did within the ’90s.
However they will’t do it shedding to Trae Younger within the first spherical, the way in which they did just a few years in the past, on the very begin of the street again. They will’t do it shedding to the Warmth within the second spherical, the way in which they did two years in the past, or to the Pacers final yr, although they had been as wounded by the point they acquired to the Japanese Convention semis as they had been again in 2000, when the Pacers took them out in six within the Japanese Convention finals, the official finish of the ’90s in Basketball New York.
“We didn’t make it all the way to where we wanted to go, obviously,” Dave Checketts, who introduced Riley to New York and introduced the Knicks again within the ’90s, informed me as soon as. “We didn’t beat Michael and didn’t win it all. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a time.”
We did. Now the Knicks are giving us one other one over the previous few years after having spent most of this century performing just like the basketball Jets. Now they give the impression of being that approach once more in opposition to the Cavs, Thunder, Celtics, regardless of having compiled one of many higher data within the league in opposition to all people else. It’s why, coming off the way in which they acquired clowned in Cleveland, they should present that they will at the least give the Celtics a sport on Sunday, after not coming near doing that of their two earlier conferences this season, both at their Backyard or ours. The Celtics rolled them on Opening Night time and so they rolled them a few weeks in the past, on a Saturday night time that turned out to be as a lot of a disappointment as LeBron and the Lakers placing it on the Knicks one week earlier.
The Celtics didn’t merely dominate the Knicks in these two video games. They had been dismissive of them, although the Knicks are proper there behind them within the standings.
Right here it’s: May the Knicks get a playoff sequence off the Celtics if the Celtics cease making a few hundred 3-pointers a sport? Completely, they may. If the Timberwolves may upset the defending champion Nuggets in final yr’s playoffs, Knick followers must hope their guys have the firepower and the expertise to do the identical. The distinction is that the Timberwolves, a crew on which Karl-Anthony Cities performed, had at the least overwhelmed the champs twice throughout the common season and the Knicks haven’t come shut this season, up to now, in opposition to the defending champs from Boston.
The Knicks of 2025 are entertaining and sophisticated and sometimes as embarrassing as they appeared on Friday night time in Cleveland, after they had been already behind 77-50 at halftime and almost acquired rung up for 150 factors ultimately. They are surely as a lot enjoyable to observe on offense as any Knicks crew in 50 years, with out query. However the glory-road Knicks of the ’60s and ’70s had been generally known as a lot for the nice Purple Holzman’s see-the-ball protection as for the attractive sport they performed on offense. These Knicks are recognized for taking part in hardly any laborious protection in any respect.
There are many star gamers within the NBA who don’t play almost sufficient protection, in order that hardly makes Jalen Brunson and Cities distinctive in that regard. That is certainly not meant to disparage how a lot Brunson and Cities have meant this season, or alter the gorgeous great incontrovertible fact that Brunson really is a very powerful Knick since Patrick Ewing acquired to the Backyard from Georgetown. However when stops are wanted within the postseason as a lot as pops, they’re going to must do extra, and meaning an entire lot extra. Possibly if they will ever hold Mitchell Robinson on the ground — and if as large as he’s — it should make issues simpler on all people.
For now there are nonetheless simply too many nights, not simply Friday night time, after they hand over approach too many factors, and meaning even with OG Anunoby at full power. Do the losses to the Cavs, Thunder, Celtics outline all the season? They don’t. And but, in so many large methods, they do. Nobody would counsel that these Knicks are comfortable. You noticed what would have been a foul loss to a foul crew just like the Bulls flip right into a terrific win on the finish when Mikal Bridges acquired that block on the finish of regulation. They’ve earned their option to the place they’re within the Japanese Convention, the place they hold getting as shut as doable to the Celtics earlier than then falling again.
The season isn’t over if the Celtics put it on them once more on Sunday the way in which the Cavs put it on them Friday night time. It’s simply that Knicks followers will really feel rather a lot higher about every part if their crew can lastly get a sport off the champs. And acquire some perception, with a 3rd of the common season to go, that what has been one other good season for the Knicks can turn out to be greater than that. Eventually.
NBA COULD LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE NHL, NOT ANOTHER AGING QB & GET ME THE TKACHUKS …
The USA crew did the reminiscence of Johnny Gaudreau proud within the 4 Nations Face-Off, didn’t it?
And by the way in which?
The hockey gamers from these 4 international locations not solely did themselves and their sport proud, they made the All-Star Recreation(s) of the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation appear to be much more of a joke than it already did.
Among the finest hockey gamers on the planet did this by one way or the other overcoming the concern of damage that we’re informed is the primary purpose the NBA stars flip their All-Star Recreation(s) right into a pillow combat.
You hear now that the format on the NBA’s All-Star Weekend — no matter that format was — produced extra aggressive motion than regular.
It simply exhibits you the way low the bar had been set over the previous a number of years.
At this time limit, the NBA has turn out to be a wildly overrated product.
Irrespective of how cool they clearly assume they’re.
Or how a lot cash they’re raking in.
Yet another factor about final Sunday night time’s All-Star Recreation(s):
Who thought on the NBA, or TNT, thought it was some form of nice thought to let Kevin Hart flip the entire thing into open-mic night time on the Chuckle Hut?
So the Yankees are lastly permitting facial hair — in 2025 AD — this season.
However they must be “neatly trimmed” beards.
Obtained it.
If not, the gamers who do have beards lose their web privileges.
When Steve Cohen informed Howie Rose the opposite day that Scott Boras sat there with out saying a phrase when Cohen was closing Pete Alonso’s deal, I’m virtually sure one other angel acquired wings.
I like the way in which Matthew Stafford has at all times competed, even earlier than he lastly acquired to L.A. and acquired his Tremendous Bowl.
Love his coronary heart as a lot as I like his arm.
And everyone knows that Stafford virtually had a ball within the air to beat the Eagles within the snow.
However say it once more:
Getting older quarterback.
Determined New York crew.
What may probably go mistaken?
Stafford is youthful, at 37, than Aaron Rodgers, you wager.
However when Rodgers was principally the identical age Stafford is now, he threw 26 landing passes for the Packers in opposition to 12 interceptions, had 3,695 passing yards and a passer ranking of 91.1
Final season for the Rams, taking part in 16 video games for the Rams as an alternative of the 17 Rodgers performed in his final season in Inexperienced Bay, Stafford threw 20 landing passes in opposition to eight picks, had 3,762 passing yards, and a passer ranking of 93.7.
Was Rafael Devers not conscious till he arrived in Fort Myers than Alex Cora is the one managing the Boston Purple Sox?
Who amongst us isn’t comfortable that Paul George was in a position to get some good trip time along with his spouse throughout the break?
However wait.
Hasn’t that just about been his entire season?
Sean McDonough’s work calling each Canada vs. USA video games was simply great.
I don’t learn about you, however I need the Tkachuk brothers on pace dial.
Initially Printed: February 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM EST
