I love this team, I love this squad of players and I love the coach.
Down 2-0 Thibs didn't guess or tinker... he went with what Thibs does best, and found a quick way to inject some juice into his defense. That's what Thibs does and that's his strength. Biggest move for me was Wright over Payne. We are not getting good PG play from Brunson or Payne, might as well go with a guy who's going to give you quality defense. Found a way to eat some of Brunson/KAT's minutes (foul trouble), went big and held the Pacers to fewer points every quarter. I love what Thibs does and how his players respond.
Game 4 is the season. I have some really high hopes and I think we found some things. I love that we won and got a shit game from Brunson. He's going to bounce back. Mikal is going to bounce back. McBride is getting his confidence and he and Wright are a nice counter to the Pacers who play 10 small quick guys. Shamet also. No Cam. Sorry man.
Superstar moments for KAT. He's not getting the supermax for no reason. Dude is just a scoring machine and when those 3s start hitting dear god. The sheer domination of KAT in the 4th qtr was MVP caliber play. What you expect from Jokic/Giannis types. Just phucking awesome.
If we can find a way to win game 4 the thrill is ON!
Looks like Thibs is on the split the bad defenders bandwagon already
Wright/Shamet are not great players, but they are NBA guys with some skills and can play a role. The other 7 are right there. McBride (love him) is the weakest link there so when we are getting good play from him we start getting REALLY tough.
I think moving forward Thibs needs to slow this down, make it a physical half court game and stick the 9 guys. Grind every possession and let our size wear them down while relying on Bruson/KAT as the best scorers on the floor for both teams.
We are continually able to break down their defense when we are patient. Sometimes it's moving the ball. Sometimes it's just KAT/Mikal/Brunson pounding the ball for 15 seconds until Indy panics and does something stupid.
I hate the phucking Pacers... PLS can we win tomorrow?
martin wrote:Looks like Thibs is on the split the bad defenders bandwagon already
Pacers do not have an answer on defense for KAT/Brunson. Despite Brunson's poor game he again hits huge buckets and FTs to ice the game. Obviously KAT with the huge body blows and he got us the lead.
I do think Brunson/KAT both have adjustments on defense that will improve us that can be made. Brunson's foul trouble is part of his efforts. He can do better.
Phucking Josh Hart. The HUGE rebound/foul/clutch FTs late were so boring and so critical. They MADE us win it at the FT line and the boys phucking nailed it down 
fishmike wrote:I love this team, I love this squad of players and I love the coach.Down 2-0 Thibs didn't guess or tinker... he went with what Thibs does best, and found a quick way to inject some juice into his defense. That's what Thibs does and that's his strength. Biggest move for me was Wright over Payne. We are not getting good PG play from Brunson or Payne, might as well go with a guy who's going to give you quality defense. Found a way to eat some of Brunson/KAT's minutes (foul trouble), went big and held the Pacers to fewer points every quarter. I love what Thibs does and how his players respond.
Game 4 is the season. I have some really high hopes and I think we found some things. I love that we won and got a shit game from Brunson. He's going to bounce back. Mikal is going to bounce back. McBride is getting his confidence and he and Wright are a nice counter to the Pacers who play 10 small quick guys. Shamet also. No Cam. Sorry man.
Superstar moments for KAT. He's not getting the supermax for no reason. Dude is just a scoring machine and when those 3s start hitting dear god. The sheer domination of KAT in the 4th qtr was MVP caliber play. What you expect from Jokic/Giannis types. Just phucking awesome.
If we can find a way to win game 4 the thrill is ON!
I think Thibs is good coach but you are more of a Thibs guy than I am....I give him credit for finally pulling the plug on Cam and inserting Wright. something I've been calling for since the Celtics series...I love that Thibs sat Brunson as long as he did in the 4th when that unit that was on the floor was playing well. It's one of the reasons, along with Kats eruption in the 4th, why we won. With that said, not sitting Brunson long enough in game 1 may have cost us that game. Remember, we streteched the lead in game 1 when Bruson was sitting and when he came back in, the Pacers began their run to get back into the game.
Either way, Thibs finally relented and exteded the bench...Shamet and Wright earned minutes moving forward and hopefully we continue to see them the rest of the way.
thought Thibs also did a good job saving time outs and it really helped with some late game subs. Being able to swap out Brunson/KAT for McBride/Mitch in late game offense/defense is some nasty shit
Kat, Hart, Shamet, Deuce and Wright lineup got us back in the game...that 4-5 min stretch of defense they played in the 4th was outstanding.
Philc1 wrote:God please give me this win I promise I will be a good Jew.
God listened and now it time to get in line.
Wait, your Jewish? I thought you were a Jet fan?
Who had KAT Hart Wright Shamet Deuce as the killer lineup?
martin wrote:Looks like Thibs is on the split the bad defenders bandwagon already
I feel like foul trouble has played a role in this but it’s good to see regardless. Every series is different and we need defensive guards out there to contain their speedy guard oriented attack.
The statement was true at that point of the game, and I think he was -11 at that point, as most Knicks traditional starters were. Why do they all have to wait until the 4th quarter to play better? Stop getting in 20-point holes and kill the opponent; forget the refs and always hustle back on D and stop bailing out Indy with late shot-clock lazy fouls. Continue using Wright over Cam and ride good stretches a few minutes longer, regardless of who is on the bench. KAL and JB have not played well, but JB is still clutch late. KAL misses most shots in the first quarter, usually 1st three quarters. JB this series has 17 assists & 13 TOs, and is 7-23 from 3s for 30%. How we won this game with 13 team assists is unbelievable.
Ew1ng5Fan wrote:NYStateOfMind wrote:You can hide Hart on the bench, yet the big negative guys are all the usual starters. I was worried about 2 teams all year, OKC and Indy. They play a pace and style that we matchup terribly against.
NYStateOfMind wrote:The statement was true at that point of the game, and I think he was -11 at that point, as most Knicks traditional starters were. Why do they all have to wait until the 4th quarter to play better? Stop getting in 20-point holes and kill the opponent; forget the refs and always hustle back on D and stop bailing out Indy with late shot-clock lazy fouls. Continue using Wright over Cam and ride good stretches a few minutes longer, regardless of who is on the bench. KAL and JB have not played well, but JB is still clutch late. KAL missed most shots in the first quarter, usually 1st three quarters. JB has 17 assists & 13 TOs, and is 7-23 from 3s for 30%. How we won this game with 13 team assists is unbelievable.Ew1ng5Fan wrote:NYStateOfMind wrote:You can hide Hart on the bench, yet the big negative guys are all the usual starters. I was worried about 2 teams all year, OKC and Indy. They play a pace and style that we matchup terribly against.
Holy cow didn’t even realize both of those sentences. Knicks had 13 assists with 15 TO’s last night.
And not for nothing but Brunson (amongst others) probably gave game 1 away with some TO’s.
fishmike wrote:Wright/Shamet are not great players, but they are NBA guys with some skills and can play a role. The other 7 are right there. McBride (love him) is the weakest link there so when we are getting good play from him we start getting REALLY tough. I think moving forward Thibs needs to slow this down, make it a physical half court game and stick the 9 guys. Grind every possession and let our size wear them down while relying on Bruson/KAT as the best scorers on the floor for both teams.
We are continually able to break down their defense when we are patient. Sometimes it's moving the ball. Sometimes it's just KAT/Mikal/Brunson pounding the ball for 15 seconds until Indy panics and does something stupid.
I hate the phucking Pacers... PLS can we win tomorrow?
Wright and Shamet don't have to be great. Kornet, Houser, Shepherd, Obi and other opponent bench players aren't great either. But they play a role and help their teams. It's been a mistake all season to have a short bench. Hopefully, next game Shamet and Wright play even better. Be great to see Shamet have a 8-8 from 3pt type game.
martin wrote:Looks like Thibs is on the split the bad defenders bandwagon already
This is the exact reason why we've been so frustrating all year and NEVER really clicked defensively.
Two best players are 1) crappy defenders and 2) don't lift each other offensively (I think Kat definitely helps JB but not other way)
fishmike wrote:Wright/Shamet are not great players, but they are NBA guys with some skills and can play a role. The other 7 are right there. McBride (love him) is the weakest link there so when we are getting good play from him we start getting REALLY tough. I think moving forward Thibs needs to slow this down, make it a physical half court game and stick the 9 guys. Grind every possession and let our size wear them down while relying on Bruson/KAT as the best scorers on the floor for both teams.
We are continually able to break down their defense when we are patient. Sometimes it's moving the ball. Sometimes it's just KAT/Mikal/Brunson pounding the ball for 15 seconds until Indy panics and does something stupid.
I hate the phucking Pacers... PLS can we win tomorrow?
It's really energy and low mistake basketball we need from those guys (Shamet/Wright). Our other players have been so up/down with tons of sketch plays and blown assignments. Even with less talent just getting a few vets in to up the ball pressure, move the ball and bingo something positive happens.
LivingLegend wrote:fishmike wrote:Wright/Shamet are not great players, but they are NBA guys with some skills and can play a role. The other 7 are right there. McBride (love him) is the weakest link there so when we are getting good play from him we start getting REALLY tough. I think moving forward Thibs needs to slow this down, make it a physical half court game and stick the 9 guys. Grind every possession and let our size wear them down while relying on Bruson/KAT as the best scorers on the floor for both teams.
We are continually able to break down their defense when we are patient. Sometimes it's moving the ball. Sometimes it's just KAT/Mikal/Brunson pounding the ball for 15 seconds until Indy panics and does something stupid.
I hate the phucking Pacers... PLS can we win tomorrow?
It's really energy and low mistake basketball we need from those guys (Shamet/Wright). Our other players have been so up/down with tons of sketch plays and blown assignments. Even with less talent just getting a few vets in to up the ball pressure, move the ball and bingo something positive happens.
seems against us that type of vet always kills us for a game or two. Time for our seldom used vet to beat out opponents now.
