NYKMentality wrote:HofstraBBall wrote:This is a must win game. 
It is a must win game in regards to...
Would you rather be only 1.5 games ahead of Atlanta in the Standings (loss) before heading into All-Star weekend?
Or.
Would you rather be up 3.5 games ahead of Atlanta in the Standings before heading into All-Star weekend?
1.5 vs. 3.5 imo is a big difference in regards to breathing room.
And the real reason why it's a must win (imo) is because the likes of Cleveland/Philadelphia and Miami/Brooklyn all play one another tonight.
Beat ATL and we'll A.) Gain 1 game on multiple teams and B.) Not fall behind in the standings by 1 game to multiple teams.
Okay so maybe it's not a "must win game"
But man oh man is this game extremely important (if we've got dreams of a top 3-4 seed).
We are crazy fans. Every game is a must win.
honestly every game is very important and here's why... This is the team. Mitch will come back and that will really help and we have been > .500 (barely) without him and that's great, but when he's back it doesnt change who we are.
So now that we know the team, we know the rotation, we know the style of play, we know the sets, we know the end of game strategy so does the rest of the league and now have a nice stretch of games to really take a look at this group and if they can win games and continue to get better.
Thibs in the mental toughness old school trust your guys school of coaching. It works for him. Players play hard. We have seen young guys get better under him. We have seen vets get better under him.
I really do think (to echo coach speak) this remaining stretch and every game in it is going to be a test of how good this squad is. I love that we dont need to hit 3s to win, and when Thibs says "if we are around league average we are good" what he really means is if we are hitting that average you are phucked. We dont turn it over. We pound the glass. We defend. We take good shots. We got fresh legs
it's pretty bonkers the Knicks didn't need to mortgage picks and players to get their guy
fishmike wrote:honestly every game is very important and here's why... This is the team. Mitch will come back and that will really help and we have been > .500 (barely) without him and that's great, but when he's back it doesnt change who we are.So now that we know the team, we know the rotation, we know the style of play, we know the sets, we know the end of game strategy so does the rest of the league and now have a nice stretch of games to really take a look at this group and if they can win games and continue to get better.
Thibs in the mental toughness old school trust your guys school of coaching. It works for him. Players play hard. We have seen young guys get better under him. We have seen vets get better under him.
I really do think (to echo coach speak) this remaining stretch and every game in it is going to be a test of how good this squad is. I love that we dont need to hit 3s to win, and when Thibs says "if we are around league average we are good" what he really means is if we are hitting that average you are phucked. We dont turn it over. We pound the glass. We defend. We take good shots. We got fresh legs
What will be learn if the Knicks win 13 important games and lose 10 important games?
martin wrote:it's pretty bonkers the Knicks didn't need to mortgage picks and players to get their guy
I strongly, agree.
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle @ only 26/28 are two of the very best NBA Free Agent additions within the entire league (regardless of which Franchise) and both look like Cornerstone Players to build your team-around (long-term).
And I don't think this Knicks-Take is me just being my typical homer self either.
Knickoftime wrote:fishmike wrote:honestly every game is very important and here's why... This is the team. Mitch will come back and that will really help and we have been > .500 (barely) without him and that's great, but when he's back it doesnt change who we are.So now that we know the team, we know the rotation, we know the style of play, we know the sets, we know the end of game strategy so does the rest of the league and now have a nice stretch of games to really take a look at this group and if they can win games and continue to get better.
Thibs in the mental toughness old school trust your guys school of coaching. It works for him. Players play hard. We have seen young guys get better under him. We have seen vets get better under him.
I really do think (to echo coach speak) this remaining stretch and every game in it is going to be a test of how good this squad is. I love that we dont need to hit 3s to win, and when Thibs says "if we are around league average we are good" what he really means is if we are hitting that average you are phucked. We dont turn it over. We pound the glass. We defend. We take good shots. We got fresh legs
What will be learn if the Knicks win 13 important games and lose 10 important games?
show the box scores, analytics, highlights, crunch time possessions, +/- by group and who was available for those 13 wins and 10 losses and I'll give you some things we will learn
Player GP MPG Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk
---------------- --- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
J. Randle 59 35:53 24.7 10.8 4.2 0.7 0.3
J. Brunson 55 35:02 23.9 3.5 6.2 0.9 0.3
R. Barrett 52 34:33 19.8 5.2 2.8 0.5 0.2
J. Hart 2 26:47 19.0 5.5 3.0 2.5 -
I. Quickley 58 27:48 12.6 4.0 3.2 0.8 0.1
Q. Grimes 48 30:19 10.2 3.4 1.9 0.7 0.4
M. Robinson 38 26:54 7.2 8.9 1.0 0.9 1.8
E. Fournier 23 18:00 6.8 2.0 1.5 0.6 0.1
O. Toppin 44 14:54 6.3 3.1 0.9 0.3 0.2
D. Rose 26 12:54 5.8 1.5 1.8 0.3 0.2
I. Hartenstein 59 19:35 5.2 6.5 0.9 0.6 0.8
J. Sims 46 16:12 3.7 4.9 0.5 0.3 0.6
M. McBride 46 12:51 3.5 0.9 1.2 0.6 -Player GP MPG Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk
---------------- --- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
T. Young 51 35:29 26.9 3.0 10.2 1 0.2
D. Murray 53 36:35 21.0 5.5 6.1 1.6 0.3
D. Hunter 48 32:03 15.8 4.4 1.4 0.6 0.2
B. Bogdanovic 33 30:02 14.8 3.4 3 0.8 0.3
J. Collins 49 31:17 13.3 7.2 1.3 0.7 1.2
C. Capela 42 26:55 12.2 11.4 0.8 0.7 1.2
S. Bey 1 20:46 12.0 5.0 - - 1.0
O. Okongwu 56 24:03 9.4 7.4 1 0.7 1.3
A. Griffin 54 20:30 9.3 2.1 1 0.7 0.1
J. Johnson 54 14:34 5.3 3.9 0.9 0.5 0.4
A. Holiday 49 14:39 4.3 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.2
V. Krejci 20 05:50 1.3 0.7 0.6 0.1 0.1
Milwaukee and San Antonio with impressive streaks.
EAST W L PCT GB HOME AWAY PPG OPPG DIFF STRK L10
-------- -- -- ----- ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ---- ----
1 Boston 41 17 .707% - 23-7 18-10 117.7 111.8 5.9 L1 6-4
2 Milwaukee 40 17 .702% 0.5 24-5 16-12 114.9 111.8 3.1 W11 10-0
3 Philadelphia 37 19 .661% 3 22-8 15-11 114.3 110.4 3.9 W3 7-3
4 Cleveland 38 22 .633% 4 25-6 13-16 111.8 105.9 5.8 W7 8-2
5 Brooklyn 33 24 .579% 7.5 17-11 16-13 114.0 112.4 1.6 L2 4-6
6 Miami 32 26 .552% 9 19-10 13-16 108.4 108.2 0.2 L1 6-4
7 New York 32 27 .542% 9.5 16-15 16-12 114.4 112.5 1.9 W2 6-4
8 Atlanta 29 29 .500% 12 15-11 14-18 116.7 116.7 0.0 L1 5-5
9 Toronto 28 31 .475% 13.5 18-13 10-18 113.3 112.5 0.9 W2 6-4
10 Washington 27 30 .474% 13.5 14-12 13-18 113.6 113.5 0.2 W1 6-4
11 Chicago 26 31 .456% 14.5 16-12 10-19 113.3 113.3 -0.0 L4 4-6
12 Indiana 25 34 .424% 16.5 17-14 8-20 114.5 117.2 -2.7 L5 1-9
13 Orlando 24 35 .407% 17.5 14-15 10-20 110.9 113.7 -2.8 L1 5-5
14 Charlotte 16 43 .271% 25.5 8-18 8-25 112.4 119.1 -6.7 W1 3-7
15 Detroit 15 43 .259% 26 8-21 7-22 112.3 119.7 -7.4 L1 3-7 WEST W L PCT GB HOME AWAY PPG OPPG DIFF STRK L10
-------- -- -- ----- ---- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ---- ----
1 Denver 40 18 .690% - 26-4 14-14 117.1 112.8 4.3 W2 6-4
2 Memphis 34 22 .607% 5 23-5 11-17 116.1 112.2 3.9 L1 3-7
3 Sacramento 32 25 .561% 7.5 17-12 15-13 119.5 117.2 2.3 L1 5-5
4 Phoenix 32 27 .542% 8.5 20-9 12-18 112.8 111.2 1.5 W2 7-3
5 L.A. Clippers 32 28 .533% 9 15-13 17-15 111.4 111.2 0.2 W1 6-4
6 Dallas 31 28 .525% 9.5 19-10 12-18 113.1 112.4 0.6 L2 6-4
7 New Orleans 30 28 .517% 10 20-10 10-18 115.1 113.4 1.7 W1 4-6
8 Minnesota 31 29 .517% 10 20-12 11-17 115.9 115.8 0.1 W1 6-4
9 Golden State 29 29 .500% 11 22-7 7-22 118.6 118.5 0.1 L1 5-5
10 Utah 29 30 .492% 11.5 18-12 11-18 117.7 117.2 0.4 W1 5-5
11 Portland 28 30 .483% 12 16-14 12-16 114.9 115.0 -0.2 L1 5-5
12 Oklahoma City 27 29 .482% 12 16-12 11-17 117.6 116.6 1.0 L1 5-5
13 L.A. Lakers 26 32 .448% 14 13-14 13-18 117.0 118.4 -1.5 L1 4-6
14 San Antonio 14 44 .241% 26 9-21 5-23 112.5 122.7 -10.2 L13 0-10
15 Houston 13 44 .228% 26.5 8-20 5-24 110.0 117.9 -7.9 L6 2-8
fishmike wrote:Knickoftime wrote:fishmike wrote:honestly every game is very important and here's why... This is the team. Mitch will come back and that will really help and we have been > .500 (barely) without him and that's great, but when he's back it doesnt change who we are.So now that we know the team, we know the rotation, we know the style of play, we know the sets, we know the end of game strategy so does the rest of the league and now have a nice stretch of games to really take a look at this group and if they can win games and continue to get better.
Thibs in the mental toughness old school trust your guys school of coaching. It works for him. Players play hard. We have seen young guys get better under him. We have seen vets get better under him.
I really do think (to echo coach speak) this remaining stretch and every game in it is going to be a test of how good this squad is. I love that we dont need to hit 3s to win, and when Thibs says "if we are around league average we are good" what he really means is if we are hitting that average you are phucked. We dont turn it over. We pound the glass. We defend. We take good shots. We got fresh legs
What will be learn if the Knicks win 13 important games and lose 10 important games?
show the box scores, analytics, highlights, crunch time possessions, +/- by group and who was available for those 13 wins and 10 losses and I'll give you some things we will learn
How about we just wait until all 23 are played and then analyze the trends in the big picture, rather than piece by piece?
Obviously Knicks winning tonight is most important but hypothetically speaking, say we
do win tonight....
PRE-GAME QUESTION FOR EVERYONE
Who are we rooting for tonight?
5th seed Brooklyn Nets (33-24).
Vs.
6th seed Miami Heat (32-26).
(Assuming the Knicks win tonight).
Is it better to root for a Brooklyn win in order to pass Miami for the 6th seed while remaining 2.0 games back of Brooklyn for the 5 seed?
Or.
Is it better to root for a Miami win in order to remain 1/2 game back of Miami for the 6 seed but yet only 1.0 back of Brooklyn for the 5 seed?
Who the heck do we want to see lose more tonight before heading All-Star weekend?
NYKMentality wrote:Obviously Knicks winning tonight is most important but hypothetically speaking, say we do win tonight....PRE-GAME QUESTION FOR EVERYONE
Who are we rooting for tonight?
5th seed Brooklyn Nets (33-24).
Vs.
6th seed Miami Heat (32-26).
(Assuming the Knicks win tonight).
Is it better to root for a Brooklyn win in order to pass Miami for the 6th seed while remaining 2.0 games back of Brooklyn for the 5 seed?
Or.
Is it better to root for a Miami win in order to remain 1/2 game back of Miami for the 6 seed but yet only 1.0 back of Brooklyn for the 5 seed?
Who the heck do we want to see lose more tonight before heading All-Star weekend?
Easy. Heat.
Knicks have three games left and are 1-0.
Beat them 2 of three and you gain 3 games (due to the tie-breaker). In other words, Knicks can take care of their own Heat business.
Knicks have 1 game left with Nets and 2 games back. They need outside help.
Pretty straightforward.
Three Knicks headed to Salt Lake tonight. Trae heading home. So sad
Oh shoot we’re dogs tonight. What the actual F?
I'm going to humble myself for this game thread.
Usually I come into games wanting to see a blowout by 20+ points.
But not tonight. Ever since 2020-2021 beat down these ATL Hawks have always scared me;
I'll be thrilled with just a 1 point win.
Julius (my favorite All-Star) Randle already red hot and on 🔥🔥🔥 8 Points 3/3!
Randle!!
For guys that say he can't do it in the 4th. Guess good starts are not important.
Something he does for us just about EVERY game.
Randle has to take that strong.
MaTT4281 wrote:GustavBahler wrote:fishmike wrote:GustavBahler wrote:Grimes vs. Murray is the matchup that interests me. RJ is playing better in the 4th. Hope to see a better start.
yeah he's not gonna be around in the 4th much longer if he doesnt get over his "disregard that 2-9 first half, Im gonna heat up later" schtick
RJ has closing skills. More important to me than a hot start. But you're right that RJ isnt doing enough in the 4th to obscure the poor starts.
So did Tim Thomas. I have higher hopes for RJ...but those hopes have been waning for longer than I'm comfortable with. I think we're all in agreement (even the RJ fanboys - of which I'm a part of), RJ has to do better. Otherwise we run some combo of Quick/Grimes/Hart at the 2/3.
Timmy played a role in a playoff run for another team, cant remember which one. Anyway it was good enough to get a big payday from the Clips.
Hope RJ doesnt play poorly enough to make benching a consideration for Thibs. Dont believe we've reached that point.
