Knicks · GameThread: Knicks @Bulls, 8pm MSG (page 3)

Philc1 @ 10/28/2026 10:37 PM
Great comeback win over the bulls and Josh Kiddie
ScoreBot @ 10/28/2026 10:43 PM 
Final
NYK 133 CHI 127
Philc1 @ 10/28/2026 10:45 PM
Uptown wrote:Unable to watch tonight but see that Bridges has only 13 mins....was he benched?

Load management and Shamet was shooting well

Uptown @ 10/28/2026 10:53 PM
BlueKnickers wrote:
Uptown wrote:Unable to watch tonight but see that Bridges has only 13 mins....was he benched?

Our bench is playing like a bunch of murder hornets eating the Bulls like a snack. Made Bridges unnecessary.

On a back to back 2nd game, having a deep bench is key.

No lead is safe against us.

Thanks for the update!

BlueKnickers @ 10/28/2026 11:06 PM
Uptown wrote:
BlueKnickers wrote:
Uptown wrote:Unable to watch tonight but see that Bridges has only 13 mins....was he benched?

Our bench is playing like a bunch of murder hornets eating the Bulls like a snack. Made Bridges unnecessary.

On a back to back 2nd game, having a deep bench is key.

No lead is safe against us.

Thanks for the update!

YW

Like Phil said, Shamet was snapping the net. Clarkson had a nice 2nd half. Kolek was running the team well and the rally started with Brunson resting.

Main takeaway from last two games is our 2nd half defense is a choice being made by the team. They have not imposed their will on D for a whole game, probably because they feel they can do it when they want to, though I'm not sure that's the right attitude to have. But both nights they locked in later and dictated the flow and the outcome of the game. Both nights, the first halves were actually fairly close and entertaining as offensive contests, but winning a championship has shown them that the rubber only hits the road when they decide to clamp down on defense.

Extrapolating from these two wins, our success in the regular season will be based on our defense. The NBA is a scoring league now so any night the other team may be able to outshoot you if you're not locking them down.

Because our offensive repertoire is so deep, anytime we play great defense we're going to win 90% of the time. The identity of this team will be defined by our defense, not our plentiful scoring options. 90% sounds like I'm hyping up their potential, but I'm not. No team plays great defense every night, but when they do they will probably win.

Rookie @ 10/28/2026 11:10 PM
I had to switch rooms with a few seconds left in the half. I didn’t even realise l restarted the game with a few seconds left in the 3rd. Looks like missing the 3rd Q saved me some agita
Nalod @ 10/29/2026 12:32 AM
Kolek making a case for himself.
Josh did his thing, and Brunson was the man.
KAT doing his dumb foul thing but otherwise a really good game!
Clarkson finally joined the season.
Mikal? One can guess. He played well vs. Detroit and if the legs not fresh best to manage and prevent injury.
Knicks still not close to peak play. League knows what they do now. But stopping it is a different story.
Road wins are always good, Especially back to back!
martin @ 10/29/2026 8:58 AM
SergioNYK @ 10/29/2026 9:07 AM
Fun game! Back and forth to start and we kind of lost focus and the Bulls finished that 2nd quarter strong and went on to extend their lead to 19 but as you know, no lead is too much for this team. It only took the Cap 4 games to get that three point shot right! Hit 6/10 and had one of the filthiest cross overs on Normal Powell you'll ever see! Hart was a menace! Grabbed some key soul killing offensive rebounds. Kolek was phenomenal! 9 assists with zero turnovers and now he's at 21 for the season with ZERO turnovers! Kudos to KAT and Shamet. Both got knicked up but toughed it out and played well. If that was Embiid or LeBum, they sit out the rest of the game and sit out a few games. I will fight anyone who ever questions KAT's toughness or calls him soft! But this was the Jordan freaking Clarkson game! Such a reliable steady vet! Always ready! Made an impact at both ends! LOVE JC!
MaTT4281 @ 10/29/2026 9:35 AM
2-3 with a chance at revenge on Philly. If guys are finally locking in, we should take it.
NYKBocker @ 10/29/2026 10:40 AM
Bulls is a very interesting team. Tiago is going to be a very good coach. They need a very good vet to lead them. They should trade for Kyrie. The only problem is that could push them to the ECF or push them out of the playoffs.
martin @ 10/29/2026 2:22 PM
BlueKnickers @ 10/29/2026 3:14 PM
Jose made a nice contribution during the Finals, but Kolek has always been the one who should be running the floor when Brunson rests.

He needs to stay in this role when Jose comes back. The more comfortable everyone gets with Tyler handling the ball, the better he will become

BlueKnickers @ 10/29/2026 3:20 PM
martin wrote:

Kid is a dime machine

He could be among the league assist leaders playing 20-25 MPG

This would keep the team on track and Brunson would stay fresh

Kolek can stay on the floor with Brunson for 5-10 of the minutes.

MaTT4281 @ 10/29/2026 5:52 PM
BlueKnickers wrote:Jose made a nice contribution during the Finals, but Kolek has always been the one who should be running the floor when Brunson rests.

He needs to stay in this role when Jose comes back. The more comfortable everyone gets with Tyler handling the ball, the better he will become

Yeah, this is where I'm at. Love Jose - it was a great trade for (essentially) Yabusele and a 2nd, he re-signed on a great contract, made key contributions and his Game 4 has been immortalized with the title. But was surprised Kolek was so quickly out of the rotation when we acquired him given how he was stepping up last season.

Offense stays fluid with him on the court, and he hasn't even shown the same scoring threat yet that he gave us last year.

Still think Deuce is moved at some point this year, just solely because of the contract status, which could open up a role for both Kolek and Jose to coexist.

BlueKnickers @ 10/29/2026 6:17 PM
MaTT4281 wrote:
BlueKnickers wrote:Jose made a nice contribution during the Finals, but Kolek has always been the one who should be running the floor when Brunson rests.

He needs to stay in this role when Jose comes back. The more comfortable everyone gets with Tyler handling the ball, the better he will become

Yeah, this is where I'm at. Love Jose - it was a great trade for (essentially) Yabusele and a 2nd, he re-signed on a great contract, made key contributions and his Game 4 has been immortalized with the title. But was surprised Kolek was so quickly out of the rotation when we acquired him given how he was stepping up last season.

Offense stays fluid with him on the court, and he hasn't even shown the same scoring threat yet that he gave us last year.

Still think Deuce is moved at some point this year, just solely because of the contract status, which could open up a role for both Kolek and Jose to coexist.

Yes, you're probably right about Deuce being moved and easing up the bottleneck.

The FO and maybe Brown decided last year to add Jose as a veteran for the playoff push.

It doesn't mean they were writing off Kolek, but it did move his development timetable to a later date.

They did give Kolek what was the best deal a 2nd rounder had ever gotten when they drafted him, so I don't think the initial impression they had of him has changed.

That Kolek may be in the rotation this year is probably a normal timeframe for this franchise, but it kind of has to be this year or move him.

I think his play the past 3 games probably closed the deal and Brown really has to find him time even at the expense of Jose.

But Jose got his dream outcome already. If he has to stay ready like Clarkson does, then I don't think that will be a problem for him or anyone else.

Because at the end of the day, Kolek is an engine that can drive this team to success far more than Jose who is actually best suited for 5 minute bursts once or twice a game.

BlueKnickers @ 10/29/2026 6:21 PM
I'd also add that we'd be 1-4 or 0-5 right now if it were not for Kolek's contributions the past two games.
martin @ 10/30/2026 9:01 AM
MaTT4281 wrote:
BlueKnickers wrote:Jose made a nice contribution during the Finals, but Kolek has always been the one who should be running the floor when Brunson rests.

He needs to stay in this role when Jose comes back. The more comfortable everyone gets with Tyler handling the ball, the better he will become

Yeah, this is where I'm at. Love Jose - it was a great trade for (essentially) Yabusele and a 2nd, he re-signed on a great contract, made key contributions and his Game 4 has been immortalized with the title. But was surprised Kolek was so quickly out of the rotation when we acquired him given how he was stepping up last season.

Offense stays fluid with him on the court, and he hasn't even shown the same scoring threat yet that he gave us last year.

Still think Deuce is moved at some point this year, just solely because of the contract status, which could open up a role for both Kolek and Jose to coexist.

I do wonder if some of the rumored locker room issues - and maybe "issues" isn't really the right word but perhaps disagreements - were not only mitigated by the way coach Brown handled things but also how both Clarkson and Jose stepped up as personalities in the locker room and on bench and court.

Could be why Jose got the minutes but pure guess.

Jalen and KAT are more quiet leaders

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