Knicks · GameThread: Knicks host Philly for afternoon match, 3pm ABC (page 3)

If we handled that better it would not have been close at all

BlueKnickers wrote:

KEEPCAMBYNY wrote:The Knicks tried everything they could to lose this game. Thank god the Sixers were trash today.

Come on man, the refs were swallowing the whistle in the last few minutes when we got hammered and were manufacturing BS to help keep Philly in the game. That's not choking, that's corporate malfeasance

I don’t know I thought Knicks made boneheaded after boneheaded play and choked on almost every free throw.

Some great moments in game, refs sucked per usual and Knicks played like clowns last few minutes.

Kat a disgrace and the writhing in pain is SO RIDICULOUS and Mikal —- wow that was a choke job.

Wonder if Kat/Mikal know the Buck/Blazer /Knick deal is all set.

BlueKnickers wrote:It was actually a good win

The Sixers were not trash in the first half.

We made them play like trash in third and that won us the game.

Game ball to Mitch

GREAT 3rd quarter.

BlueKnickers wrote:OG has been the MVP down the stretch

OG looked like he was dunking on nerf hoop on his nephews.

MaTT4281 wrote:What was OG doing? Why are you even attempting the shot?

Agreed but Shamet also threw him the pass rather than dribble it out.

BlueKnickers wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

ToddTT wrote:

Maybe my favorite you've posted - thank you and may Julius go for a 50 bucket next game.

She's saying:

"You'll last 10 seconds"

She’s definitely talking to me.

ToddTT wrote:Bridges taking on Embiid?

I need to make an appointment with my eye doctor.

Mikal had to be thinking here goes my consecutive game streak.

Kat can defend him straight up very well but simply can’t stop from fouling before the possession is over.

Mitch the same - can defend him great but starts putting hands in cookie jar.

Mitch was great today —- I’m sometimes tough on Mitch but he was all over the court.

LivingLegend wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

KEEPCAMBYNY wrote:The Knicks tried everything they could to lose this game. Thank god the Sixers were trash today.

Come on man, the refs were swallowing the whistle in the last few minutes when we got hammered and were manufacturing BS to help keep Philly in the game. That's not choking, that's corporate malfeasance

I don’t know I thought Knicks made boneheaded after boneheaded play and choked on almost every free throw.

Some great moments in game, refs sucked per usual and Knicks played like clowns last few minutes.

Kat a disgrace and the writhing in pain is SO RIDICULOUS and Mikal —- wow that was a choke job.

Wonder if Kat/Mikal know the Buck/Blazer /Knick deal is all set.

We had a good lead and played too loosely the last 4 minutes of the game so that much is true, especially at the FT line.

But the ref behavior tonight was beyond suspect, regardless of us not securing the win more decisively when we could.

OG had multiple key plays down the stretch though that kept us with the lead. Without him we may have blown the game.

However, I wondered why Mitch was sitting down the stretch and OG was guarding Embiid. It didn't backfire re: guarding Embiid, but a couple of boards from Mitch would have sealed the victory. Sixers had too many second chances down the stretch even though they didn't capitalize on that fully.

Anyway, my point earlier is we dictated the course of the game in the third. We shut them down hard and showed real D with Mitch on the floor. Embiid was a mere blip on offense the rest of the game.

Knicks won the game legit in the third. The chaos of the 4th does not rule out that narrative. It was won by the Knicks more than lost by the Sixers if that makes sense.

LivingLegend wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

ToddTT wrote:

Maybe my favorite you've posted - thank you and may Julius go for a 50 bucket next game.

She's saying:

"You'll last 10 seconds"

She’s definitely talking to me.

I just put in a good word for you and she promised not to go Full Kegel on you until 60 seconds have elapsed

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

Yes, Giannis is # 1 choice as he is a two-way C who can play team D and provide roaming rim protection even if he doesn't camp out in the paint like Mitch does so well

Ideal scenario then: Giannis and Mitch are both long-term Knicks

Main adjustment with Giannis is running the offense through him less than he is used to with the Bucks. He should be willing to trade less PPG for more victories.

LivingLegend wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:It was actually a good win

The Sixers were not trash in the first half.

We made them play like trash in third and that won us the game.

Game ball to Mitch

GREAT 3rd quarter.

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

I know you're joking but I don't think Giannis makes sense for us (not to mention we'd end up gutting our team). Of course, he's better than KAT defensively by leaps and bounds but the ball sticks with him to the detriment of others. And Giannis has his fair share of bone-headed players barreling into defenders; kinda like KAT. I view him as a suped up version of the Julius experience (though I actually liked and preferred Julius for us).

Considering Giannis' track record with Dame (albeit an aging Dame), I'd be very cautious about pairing him with Brunson. I know it's not rationale but if I had to choose between the two, I pick Brunson every single time. I hope he retires a Knick. I love that dude so much that I think I'm naming my first-born Jalen, lol.

BlueKnickers wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

KEEPCAMBYNY wrote:The Knicks tried everything they could to lose this game. Thank god the Sixers were trash today.

Come on man, the refs were swallowing the whistle in the last few minutes when we got hammered and were manufacturing BS to help keep Philly in the game. That's not choking, that's corporate malfeasance

I don’t know I thought Knicks made boneheaded after boneheaded play and choked on almost every free throw.

Some great moments in game, refs sucked per usual and Knicks played like clowns last few minutes.

Kat a disgrace and the writhing in pain is SO RIDICULOUS and Mikal —- wow that was a choke job.

Wonder if Kat/Mikal know the Buck/Blazer /Knick deal is all set.

We had a good lead and played too loosely the last 4 minutes of the game so that much is true, especially at the FT line.

But the ref behavior tonight was beyond suspect, regardless of us not securing the win more decisively when we could.

OG had multiple key plays down the stretch though that kept us with the lead. Without him we may have blown the game.

However, I wondered why Mitch was sitting down the stretch and OG was guarding Embiid. It didn't backfire re: guarding Embiid, but a couple of boards from Mitch would have sealed the victory. Sixers had too many second chances down the stretch even though they didn't capitalize on that fully.

Anyway, my point earlier is we dictated the course of the game in the third. We shut them down hard and showed real D with Mitch on the floor. Embiid was a mere blip on offense the rest of the game.

Knicks won the game legit in the third. The chaos of the 4th does not rule out that narrative. It was won by the Knicks more than lost by the Sixers if that makes sense.

Would be nice once for this team on the road to just snuff a team out completely- instead we always dick around and things get dicey.

Very nice win but doesn’t taste quite as good with last 2 minutes of follies (agree refs were typical bad actors).

BlueKnickers wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

ToddTT wrote:

Maybe my favorite you've posted - thank you and may Julius go for a 50 bucket next game.

She's saying:

"You'll last 10 seconds"

She’s definitely talking to me.

I just put in a good word for you and she promised not to go Full Kegel on you until 60 seconds have elapsed

Probably going closer to the 10 vs the 60 if being honest.

NardDogNation wrote:

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

I know you're joking but I don't think Giannis makes sense for us (not to mention we'd end up gutting our team). Of course, he's better than KAT defensively by leaps and bounds but the ball sticks with him to the detriment of others. And Giannis has his fair share of bone-headed players barreling into defenders; kinda like KAT. I view him as a suped up version of the Julius experience (though I actually liked and preferred Julius for us).

Considering Giannis' track record with Dame (albeit an aging Dame), I'd be very cautious about pairing him with Brunson. I know it's not rationale but if I had to choose between the two, I pick Brunson every single time. I hope he retires a Knick. I love that dude so much that I think I'm naming my first-born Jalen, lol.

Nah, that’s the super pessimistic version. Giannis would need to play C long term and it would create mismatches for defenses. And it would add needed ball handling and a down hill guy. And shore up the D and make it super complicated for teams defending them.

It’ll come down to what Knicks would give up.

NardDogNation wrote:

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

I know you're joking but I don't think Giannis makes sense for us (not to mention we'd end up gutting our team). Of course, he's better than KAT defensively by leaps and bounds but the ball sticks with him to the detriment of others. And Giannis has his fair share of bone-headed players barreling into defenders; kinda like KAT. I view him as a suped up version of the Julius experience (though I actually liked and preferred Julius for us).

Considering Giannis' track record with Dame (albeit an aging Dame), I'd be very cautious about pairing him with Brunson. I know it's not rationale but if I had to choose between the two, I pick Brunson every single time. I hope he retires a Knick. I love that dude so much that I think I'm naming my first-born Jalen, lol.

Yes - Giannis might not work but Kat almost certainly isn’t getting it done (just a mental midget).

Wish there were other options that would help but doesn’t sound like we are going there. If it is Giannis I hope he’s just kind of going thru motions with Bucks thus far.

Giannis will make TO’s but don’t think he will make the awful defensive decisions like Kat and would think he will turn things up rather than crumble in the clutch.

So hard because Kat can be really really good BUT…………..

NardDogNation wrote:

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

ToddTT wrote:Mitch with a great second half.

Now with chucklehead Karl fouling out, Mitch is gonna need two weeks off.

That's the conundrum with Mitch

My ideal scenario is we trade KAT for a defensive starting C and keep Mitch as our secret weapon

A healthy Mitch that can play two quarters per game in the playoffs could be the X factor that wins you a championship.

Unfortunately, you cannot build a team with Mitch as your sole starting option at Center due to injury potential.

Giannis

I know you're joking but I don't think Giannis makes sense for us (not to mention we'd end up gutting our team). Of course, he's better than KAT defensively by leaps and bounds but the ball sticks with him to the detriment of others. And Giannis has his fair share of bone-headed players barreling into defenders; kinda like KAT. I view him as a suped up version of the Julius experience (though I actually liked and preferred Julius for us).

Considering Giannis' track record with Dame (albeit an aging Dame), I'd be very cautious about pairing him with Brunson. I know it's not rationale but if I had to choose between the two, I pick Brunson every single time. I hope he retires a Knick. I love that dude so much that I think I'm naming my first-born Jalen, lol.

Giannis aside, I'd like to affirm your statement about Brunson. He's a gem and should be appreciated and built around.

The risk is assuming because Brunson is a defensive weak link that makes him culpable for some of the issues we're going through. I'd say he is exactly the kind of player you construct around and you compensate for his defense in order to maximize his impact on offense.

I think of Brunson as a net positive player under most circumstances.

Conversely, I think of KAT as a neutral to net negative player under most circumstances. That excludes his better games, including ones like a playoff game he won for us singlehandedly in last year's playoffs. But those are largely outliers.

Brunson's game can adapt enough to include everyone on offense and to mesh together an effective team defense when he's on the floor.

I cannot say the same for KAT, primarily due to KAT himself and secondly due to his position.

KAT has a below average basketball IQ. He is almost entirely a creature of instinct and many of those instincts rear their ugly head at the wrong times.

Brunson's game was built out of a laborious cerebral process. He has a basketball brain that he can tap into even if sometimes he needs to rein in his ISO tendencies. You don't build a game like Brunson's without years of breaking down every single step and motion like a kung-fu artist deconstructing a form's parts and then putting them back together again.

Brunson is the Knicks AFAIK. I'd ride or die with Brunson.

I do not feel anything like that for KAT.