HofstraBBall wrote:martin wrote:Mikal only played 36 minutes? Was he hurt or something or Thibs just getting soft?
He is getting A LOT more comfortable!
Knicks also making a point to get him the ball in his spots.
Still believe his and OG’s consistency will be key for n how far we go.
KAT has been KAT from outside. We will see how that does in big games.
Love the ball flow and pace he brings to team. We just have to make those threes.
Great win. Dominant show of who is a better team right now.
Wolves depth and outside shooting is not good.
Yes - I have some worry about Kat in big games but I going into last night I also thought this would be a type of litmus test (playoff atmosphere) for how Towns would play in playoffs.
Thing with Kat - if the shot is off he can still get to FT line, best rebounder in league and with Joci best passing big in league - not to mention solid screen setter. Another thing I'm super impressed with Kat on -- very good outlet passer (quick and on-point).
nycericanguy wrote:Keep saying it but our NET rating is insane and indicative of an elite team. The defense will get better, especially once we get Mitch back, and the offense is ELITE and Brunson hasn't found his stride 100% yet, and Mikal is just starting to find his.
Quick glance at just scoring figures in ESPN standings. We are 6th in PPG offensively but now up to 7th in PPG defensively - I think point differential we are now #5. All these exclude pace.
I did not expect this game to go like this and it's hard not to get excited about this team and it's possibilities when we play like that!
Game def changed at the end of the first quarter. We're down 6 with 32 secs left and Deuce hits a 3 and then Randle losses it on the other hand and OG hits the layup at the buzzer to cut the lead down to 1 and we go on to have one of the best quarters of the season outscoring them 41-18 in the 2nd. And that's game over. We never looked back, we never even allowed the Wolves to make any type of run. Just a total team effort at both ends!
Hats off to KAT! One of the most difficult things is coming back to play your old team on the road and he couldn't have played much better. 32 points, 20 rebounds,6 assists and 5/5 from 3. Got to give love to Mikal as well cause he was awesome and he's been awesome the last few weeks after the slow start. 29 & 6 and 4 threes and played great defense on Antman.
Game also changed when we switched OG on Randle. It was weird playing against Randle and came out for blood at the start and just dominated Precious but once we had OG on him it slowed him down in the second half. Felt bad seeing DVo looking a shell of himself with that jersey. Just doesn't have that same swag on that team. Still wish Randle and DVo nothing but success.
But great win! The defense has picked up and this offense is pretty unstoppable.
LivingLegend wrote:DLeethal wrote:Knicksfan wrote:THIS is the starting lineup.This is the lineup I’ve wanted for a long time, but wasn’t sure how well it would play out but suspected it would be right. It’s just one game, yes, but you can tell the impact that a rightly balanced lineup has. And also, we all know that when given significant minutes, Precious delivers. And the defense and rebounding, you can see the impact! OG is amazing and can definitely give you minutes at the 4 when needed, but he is better suited at the 3.
I really hope we keep this lineup moving forward. Not only does this lengthens the lineup with a talented Swiss-army player like Josh coming from the bench, but you really take advantage of all of our players at their strengths. Get me a backup power forward through the wire at some point in the season and we are cool.
Knicks looked great but Precious was a -4 in a game we were up by 30+ for most of it and we didn't take over the game until the bench mob came in the second Q.
YES to DLeethal comments. I'm one of biggest Precious supporters but we were down 1 at end of 1st (+30 points for Wolves) and Precious was primary defender on Julius when he got a quick/easy 13 points.
I agree with Knicksfan that I think I like Precious next to Kat better and pushing OG/Mikal down to 3/2 BUT AGAIN don't see Thibs changing anything.
I really like when Cam comes in and starts turns the pace up and ball starts flying around - Cam/Mikal/OG/Precious/Kat I think was out there for a few minutes with Deuce sprinkled in as well --- better pace with Cam vs Jalen slowly getting into sets.
Teams are pressing and trapping Jalen in the back court and high up the front court. He is one of the most closely guarded players in the league. As a function we have to move slowly without a secondary ballhandler who can push it. Thats usually Josh, but he was out last night. Mikal has been awful handling the ball this year and has had issues with turnovers so we cant use him in that role right now. What I liked when Deuce was out was we played Payne and Brunson together some and freed up Brunson quite a bit. Wont work against big backcourts, but its a good look.
DLeethal wrote:Knicksfan wrote:THIS is the starting lineup.This is the lineup I’ve wanted for a long time, but wasn’t sure how well it would play out but suspected it would be right. It’s just one game, yes, but you can tell the impact that a rightly balanced lineup has. And also, we all know that when given significant minutes, Precious delivers. And the defense and rebounding, you can see the impact! OG is amazing and can definitely give you minutes at the 4 when needed, but he is better suited at the 3.
I really hope we keep this lineup moving forward. Not only does this lengthens the lineup with a talented Swiss-army player like Josh coming from the bench, but you really take advantage of all of our players at their strengths. Get me a backup power forward through the wire at some point in the season and we are cool.
Knicks looked great but Precious was a -4 in a game we were up by 30+ for most of it and we didn't take over the game until the bench mob came in the second Q.
I've always wondered if looking at a particular players +/- is a good thing our not. I think over the long haul it may be informative to a degree.
I haven't yet seen game so really can't speak to Precious and what he was doing but the Knicks team did well and that definitely speaks to something.
nycericanguy wrote:Keep saying it but our NET rating is insane and indicative of an elite team. The defense will get better, especially once we get Mitch back, and the offense is ELITE and Brunson hasn't found his stride 100% yet, and Mikal is just starting to find his.
Come to watch and behold the offense, appreciate that the defense is getting better.
Thibs holding account in garbage time! Love it
I'm vibing with this recap, love it
Different era but the numbers speak for themselves
One person's take. Knicks also may have sold high too, strangely.
I'll say this about KAT sticking it to the Timberwolves tonight...Tim Connelly has *rarely* been wrong in his career building NBA contenders.
If TC thought Wolves were on the verge of a title w/ KAT, he wouldn't have made the trade. It's that simple. Running it back was the easy move.
TC clearly felt very strongly that the Wolves weren't winning a title by running it back this season. He's right, IMO.
Instead, TC sold high on KAT -- a 29-year-old, oft-injured big who makes 36% of the cap and pushes the Wolves into 2nd apron roster-building restrictions -- to create flexibility over a multi-year window.
So... Either Tim Connelly was *wildly* wrong for the first time in his career. OR everyone just needs to chill and be patient.
In the meantime, I can be your punching bag 😂
/rant
I have this one on repeat, so good
They really need to modify this apron bs. Teams in 2024 should not have to break up or trade players because of financial reasons imo.
What a beatdown. Glad to see KAT get a warm welcome in Minny. They said he was there hours before the game signing autographs. Towns has taken his game to another level in NY. Plays more like he did when he entered the league, more of an all around game, fewer 3s, more post play. That was the player I was hoping to see in NY, and thats who we got, and then some. KAT is having the best season of his career.
How OG shut down Randle in the second half is why Im glad he's at the 4. A little surprised Randle snubbed his former teammates. A least DDV showed some class. Didnt help his shooting. But this game might give him the closure to stop looking in the rearview mirror. Wouldnt be surprised if he starts playing better going forward, we'll see.
In the scheme of things, I wouldnt get too pumped about this blowout. Its the teams who stand between us and Eastern conference crown which has more of my attention. Cant read too much into this win, as solid as it was. Onward.
