PG: Knicks Win Game One Even Without Nova Mob Juice

[Jalen Bluntson]

This match up has to be one of the most minimizing of OG's impact that there is. Maxey is one of the few players that OG has trouble with so he can't really do his thing with ball pressure and the Knicks don't really want him on Embiid all the time either, that messes up other match ups on the floor.

The Sixers don't have that dynamic high scoring wing which he would he take away so he's spending most of his time guarding Harris, Oubre and Batum who aren't main offensive cogs for them so OG's value is often left to being a helper, which he is elite at so he impacts as he can.

Luckily for the Knicks they have one of the few guys in the league who can disrupt Embiid in Mitch so as long as he stays disciplined and not foul it will make his life tough. Also, I want to see Deuce mirroring Maxey's mins as much as possible, he's the best the Knicks have against him.

It really is a good problem to have. Just unleash Deuce/Mitch on Maxey/Embiid and let OG/Hart keep the other scrubs from going SOTN. Let DDV/iHart cook with the bench unit more. Seems like the best plan defensively.

Deuce's emergence as a legitimate offensive threat, a 3 level scorer, is so crucial for the Knicks because if he was just a defensive stopper with no to little offensive impact his mins on the floor still might be a net negative. He may not be able to run an offense that well yet but he's providing offensive energy that is important if he's going to be in the playoff rotation.

I also don't think Thibs should be meddling with the starting line ups as so many are knee jerk reacting with. Let the players stay comfortable in their roles but adjust the floor time to account for the preferred match ups. For one, Mitch is still getting himself into game shape so no need to expose him to extended mins or foul trouble and I like Deuce's change of pace and energy off the bench.

Idc if he starts them or not but, match up the minutes as much as possible. Mitch frustrates Joel and Deuce is literally the only player on the team who can keep up with Maxey. That's the head and tail of the snake for them.

[Deeeez Knicks]

It seemed like yips for JB, they also defended him well, and he may be gassed or all the above

They def had a good defensive plan. Nurse dusted off his game plan for defending Curry in the finals. They mixed it up with some box-and-one, zones, man, traps…constant pressure on Brunson. I can’t recall his jumper getting blocked that many times. Brunson did seem to force things a little too much at times. He will settle down and have better games,

Good news is we saw it and still pulled out the win.

There is gonna be a lot of chances for Hart and others to make plays and shots.

I thought it was very weird to see all the comments about brunson needing to slow down.


I think the opposite needs to happen. all his blocks came when he slow walked into the paint and they had that bracket coverage where they kept the initial defender on his back and showed multiple bodies in front.

he needs to play faster and take the first option he sees.


that and more iso so he can see the help defense in front of him vs the bracket defense they were playing where they kept the initial defender on his back

Brunson kinda plays both slow and fast and has a unique pace about him. He lulls the defense a bit, then hits a button and uses his agility/quickness at just the right time. He usually doesn't seem to rush anything. It's all very smooth and natural like a symphony.

He was off in this game in terms of pace and just making shots. The timing just wasn't right. At times he rushed, at times maybe a little too slow. Credit to the defense too. Brunson still had his moments and hit some big shots.

Understandable to have an off game especially when we pull out the win. He should def have better games and think he'll come back strong in the next one. Great sign we pulled out the win. Very much a learning experience

[The Vo Show]

It seemed like yips for JB, they also defended him well, and he may be gassed or all the above

They def had a good defensive plan. Nurse dusted off his game plan for defending Curry in the finals. They mixed it up with some box-and-one, zones, man, traps…constant pressure on Brunson. I can’t recall his jumper getting blocked that many times. Brunson did seem to force things a little too much at times. He will settle down and have better games,

Good news is we saw it and still pulled out the win.

There is gonna be a lot of chances for Hart and others to make plays and shots.

I thought it was very weird to see all the comments about brunson needing to slow down.


I think the opposite needs to happen. all his blocks came when he slow walked into the paint and they had that bracket coverage where they kept the initial defender on his back and showed multiple bodies in front.

he needs to play faster and take the first option he sees.


that and more iso so he can see the help defense in front of him vs the bracket defense they were playing where they kept the initial defender on his back

Brunson likes to keep the defender on his back or on his hip usually. But the moves he uses when he keeps the defender on his back (his floater, his lean-in pull up) are being read by Oubre and Maxey. They know those shots are coming and are swatting it from behind. I think he has 2 options, to go faster like you said, or to stop and let the defender bump him in the back before going up. I'm sure he'll figure it out after watching the tape of what they were doing to him.

[knickabocker88]

Happy that Gus got to call game 1. The Mitch / Embiid sequence and the Hart 3 calls were A1.

[aggo]

They def had a good defensive plan. Nurse dusted off his game plan for defending Curry in the finals. They mixed it up with some box-and-one, zones, man, traps…constant pressure on Brunson. I can’t recall his jumper getting blocked that many times. Brunson did seem to force things a little too much at times. He will settle down and have better games,

Good news is we saw it and still pulled out the win.

There is gonna be a lot of chances for Hart and others to make plays and shots.

I thought it was very weird to see all the comments about brunson needing to slow down.


I think the opposite needs to happen. all his blocks came when he slow walked into the paint and they had that bracket coverage where they kept the initial defender on his back and showed multiple bodies in front.

he needs to play faster and take the first option he sees.


that and more iso so he can see the help defense in front of him vs the bracket defense they were playing where they kept the initial defender on his back

Brunson likes to keep the defender on his back or on his hip usually. But the moves he uses when he keeps the defender on his back (his floater, his lean-in pull up) are being read by Oubre and Maxey. They know those shots are coming and are swatting it from behind. I think he has 2 options, to go faster like you said, or to stop and let the defender bump him in the back before going up. I'm sure he'll figure it out after watching the tape of what they were doing to him.

this is not the regular season where there is 1 extra help guy in the paint they send when he walks in.


I know he likes that guy on the hip


he is pounding the ball and slow walking waiting for something concrete to happen which doesnt develop, because they aren't rotating hard to him inside the paint

the 5 turnovers and blocked shots is evidence of this.


he needs to play faster and not wait for something that isn't going to develop because Philly isn't overcommitting to help when he slow walks in.

the blocks on the backside are proof of this.

[stuporman]

I watched a bit of Sixers alt media about game 1 to see what they are saying and the cope is thick with them. It's like they didn't do any scouting at all, they are bewildered and have no clue what the Knicks are about.

[Meat]

It seemed like yips for JB, they also defended him well, and he may be gassed or all the above

nah man, a team with 1 shot creator is really easy game plan for, thankfully the knicks got deuce

[Fat Kat]

Watch on YouTube

[BKlutch]

Gotta take a minute to acknowledge the brilliance of Leon and Thibs re: Deuce McBride.

To have a 2RP come in and effectively win Playoff Game 1 is a massive triumph as an organization. Especially considering Deuce’s recent contract and the Grimes trade opening opportunity. Masterful execution by the FO and uncharacteristically superb player development by the coach. Bravo.

We who were surprised to lose IQ and Grimes have been really encouraged to see the good judgment they used in keeping deuce. I'm not sure the league was aware of his potential until after all the pieces were moved.

[Fat Kat]

Gotta take a minute to acknowledge the brilliance of Leon and Thibs re: Deuce McBride.

To have a 2RP come in and effectively win Playoff Game 1 is a massive triumph as an organization. Especially considering Deuce’s recent contract and the Grimes trade opening opportunity. Masterful execution by the FO and uncharacteristically superb player development by the coach. Bravo.

We who were surprised to lose IQ and Grimes have been really encouraged to see the good judgment they used in keeping deuce. I'm not sure the league was aware of his potential until after all the pieces were moved.

Deuce was probably killing Grimes and IQ in practice.

[KnicksGadfly]

Gotta take a minute to acknowledge the brilliance of Leon and Thibs re: Deuce McBride.

To have a 2RP come in and effectively win Playoff Game 1 is a massive triumph as an organization. Especially considering Deuce’s recent contract and the Grimes trade opening opportunity. Masterful execution by the FO and uncharacteristically superb player development by the coach. Bravo.

Don’t forget my man Mitch! The original 2RP.

[BKlutch]

Gotta take a minute to acknowledge the brilliance of Leon and Thibs re: Deuce McBride.

To have a 2RP come in and effectively win Playoff Game 1 is a massive triumph as an organization. Especially considering Deuce’s recent contract and the Grimes trade opening opportunity. Masterful execution by the FO and uncharacteristically superb player development by the coach. Bravo.

We who were surprised to lose IQ and Grimes have been really encouraged to see the good judgment they used in keeping deuce. I'm not sure the league was aware of his potential until after all the pieces were moved.

Deuce was probably killing Grimes and IQ in practice.

I love how this team was able to make the best move while keeping everyone in the dark. That made it possible to trade IQ in the Anunoby trade and also to trade Grimes for Bojan. If the league knew we were hiding Deuce, we'd never have been able to do that.

[moocow007]

Game basically went down exactly like I said. The Sixers were going to throw everything they can at Brunson and let someone else beat them. Mitch does well (relatively speaking) in matchups against Embiid and was key to limiting the reigning MVP (which requires Mitch to remain healthy himself). The Knicks need to dominate the boards to win (which they did). And someone else had to step up offensively (why come playoff time you need a bonafide 2nd shot creator cause your primary one will get everything and the kitchen sink thrown at him).

[drekwins]

They def had a good defensive plan. Nurse dusted off his game plan for defending Curry in the finals. They mixed it up with some box-and-one, zones, man, traps…constant pressure on Brunson. I can’t recall his jumper getting blocked that many times. Brunson did seem to force things a little too much at times. He will settle down and have better games,

Good news is we saw it and still pulled out the win.

There is gonna be a lot of chances for Hart and others to make plays and shots.

I thought it was very weird to see all the comments about brunson needing to slow down.


I think the opposite needs to happen. all his blocks came when he slow walked into the paint and they had that bracket coverage where they kept the initial defender on his back and showed multiple bodies in front.

he needs to play faster and take the first option he sees.


that and more iso so he can see the help defense in front of him vs the bracket defense they were playing where they kept the initial defender on his back

Brunson likes to keep the defender on his back or on his hip usually. But the moves he uses when he keeps the defender on his back (his floater, his lean-in pull up) are being read by Oubre and Maxey. They know those shots are coming and are swatting it from behind. I think he has 2 options, to go faster like you said, or to stop and let the defender bump him in the back before going up. I'm sure he'll figure it out after watching the tape of what they were doing to him.

Yeah, I was thinking a lot about this. I think he needs to just go. He hesitates to get the guy on his hip. But, when they are trailing on his back, hesitating just allows them to time him easier. It's also just uncomfortable when someone is out of your view, but you know he's there. If he just goes full-speed like a bat out of hell, he should be able to get more clearance and make it much more difficult to block.

Also, help defense might be a little less pronounced tonight, since Philly is so focused on rebounds. This may give Brunson more runway. I'm quite certain that Brunson and Thibs dissected all of the tape on how they were defending him.

[robillionaire]

Mitchell Robinson 30:21
Isaiah Hartenstein 17:39

Any comment on tonight’s minutes boss