PG: Knicks vs. Bulls: We Win in the MUD!!!

[sol537]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

[knicks94]

Ummm...we have done that quite often this season. Cleveland struggled against BKN last night until the end of the game when BKN went cold. A win is a win. ATL has beaten the best teams in three league this year. Where are they going? The play in. Everyone can predict the future around here with absolute certainty but, no one has the winning lotto tickets. It's all BS.

There are 27 games left. We are not that far off but, everyone wants to shyt on what's going on around here. People talking about trading KAT after 4 months. People talking about Mikal/Hart after 5 preseason games. People complain about every fuggin thing and everyone on this team and we are TOP FOUR IN THE LEAGUE!!

I have been complaining about the HC all year. That's where I think we fall short against most teams(not just the top 3) but, we are STILL top 4 in the league. I have the common sense to calm down some to wait and see what we look like fully healthy.

I want the ECF at least. I want the team fully healthy come playoff time. If we can't accomplish those two things because of overuse injuries and bad coaching... Then I want Thibs fired. Other than that, I love this team and have the common sense to appreciate what's really going on here. Winning. It feels really good knowing we can win every night. I don't care who we play.

And having a coach who overplays his starters, has difficulty developing his rookies and does not have a game plan to defend the perimeter in a league that heavily relies on 3 pointers is enough for me to be convinced that this season might not be it.

Teams like the Celtics and OKC laugh at the way the Knicks play under Thibs, while teams like the Bulls and Hawks are not fooled by what our record looks like.

If anyone who doesn’t watch the games opened up the Daily News sports column and saw the standings they’d put this team on par with the ‘73 Knicks, but if they actually saw how many times we’ve played down to the level of our competition or how we’ve had no answer to the teams with better records than ours they’d have a different opinion.

You're not talking to someone who reads the Daily News to form his opinion. You're not talking to someone who thinks we will win it all this season. You're talking to someone who has watched 90% of the games this year and who knows what the biggest weakness of this team is.

That doesn't negate the fact that we are a top 4 team in the league. That doesn't mean we can't improve with everyone healthy. That doesn't guarantee we can't get hot at the right time and make a run to the finals.

Like I said, ATL has beaten the best teams in the league multiple times. They are in the play in and not even .500 team. So that destroys the idea that a more talented team can't win against them. It's just nonsense.

Do we need better coaching? Absolutely. Do we need to see how the team performs with Mitch in the lineup? Uhh...yeah. Would we need to make the playoffs fully healthy for us to have a chance to win it all? Absolutely. Until those things happen...or not...no one can honestly predict how far this team goes. No one.

It's ridiculous to read how bad a top 4 team in the league is every single day. You're literally in here talking to me like I shouldn't be happy or have any hope at all that we can win. We have plenty of talent. We have to see if that talent can put it together in the next few months. Period. Did I say we will win it all? Not once. Am I confident we will win it all? Not yet but, that's why I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I'm not the one in here coming to conclusions with absolute certainty. I'm the one with a wait and see approach even though I do not think the HC can ever get us to the finals. Anything is possible. That's the truth of it all. I could be dead wrong about Thibs. I'm willing to admit that. Everyone else is acting like they are dead right about things that they can't possibly know yet. There's a huge difference. If they(not you) feel like that, then stop watching and go away. What's the point?

I don’t think anyone is negating that the Knicks are at the 3rd seed or are not happy with the positives. You can be a fan of a team yet have great concerns for them at the same time.

I mean it is the fact that this team has great talent and are top seeded that causes people to have high expectations for them. And the higher the bar the more disappointing it is when you do not meet those standards.

If this were 2021 and Elfrid Payton was our PG and RJ Barrett was our second best player and we beat this same Bulls team by 2 points I would be ecstatic about the win. But the fact that we have 2 all star starters and a borderline all star in Bridges makes these type of games exasperating.

And it is not only the Bulls and Hawks who have been a thorn on the side of the Knicks, many other inferior opponents have given us problems this season such as the Jazz, Nets, Wizards, and others.

Do top teams occasionally have an off night or experience trap games? Yes, but we have struggled to dominate inferior opponents all season long. And we are still 0-5 against the teams ahead of us.

Sure the playoffs can be a crapshoot in any given year and I am not saying that the Knicks can’t eventually win a title in the next few years, but I refuse to be giddy over barely beating a bad Bulls team in February despite what our record looks like.

[Gravy]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

If Thibs has Towns and Hukporti on the court at the same time then he should experiment with Towns and Mitch together like how Minny did with Gobert.

[KnixinSix]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

If Thibs has Towns and Hukporti on the court at the same time then he should experiment with Towns and Mitch together like how Minny did with Gobert.

This will MOST definitely be happening. Thibs has already alluded to it.

[louisorr]

just saw Payton Pritchard led the Cs in scoring with 28...he also played more minutes than most starters.
That could never happen on this team. Thibs just doesn't have the mental flexibility to deviate from prescribed roles.
It's frustrating to no end.
But we're winning!.....

OT games against lottery teams.

[j4remi]

Random note: Landry Shamet has had a few good performances recently. Nothing world-breaking, but he's given good minutes off the bench and actually made a few threes recently. I'd lost patience with him, but there are hints of coming around to hitting "reasonably useful" status. Last night was the first time that he took a jumper (the corner three) where I was confident he'd knock it down because his form was clean and he was in good rhythm.

...it's the little things.

[KnixinSix]

But following the game action, Towns made sure to give credit where credit is due around the roster to other contributors –– one of those guys being Knicks' rookie Ariel Hukporti.

"Shoutout also to Hukporti, man," Towns said. "Our rookie was really, really good tonight. He was special. It was a team win, so everyone deserves credit. Mikal, Ariel, Miles, Cam, Precious, I mean everybody, we can go down the list... They all contributed in a big way in big spots in the game."

[Gravy]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

If Thibs has Towns and Hukporti on the court at the same time then he should experiment with Towns and Mitch together like how Minny did with Gobert.

This will MOST definitely be happening. Thibs has already alluded to it.

Will Mitch eventually start because that will change the dynamic of the team

[j4remi]

But following the game action, Towns made sure to give credit where credit is due around the roster to other contributors –– one of those guys being Knicks' rookie Ariel Hukporti.

"Shoutout also to Hukporti, man," Towns said. "Our rookie was really, really good tonight. He was special. It was a team win, so everyone deserves credit. Mikal, Ariel, Miles, Cam, Precious, I mean everybody, we can go down the list... They all contributed in a big way in big spots in the game."

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I want to see more of the Towns/Huk combo for sure.

[Capn'O]

But following the game action, Towns made sure to give credit where credit is due around the roster to other contributors –– one of those guys being Knicks' rookie Ariel Hukporti.

"Shoutout also to Hukporti, man," Towns said. "Our rookie was really, really good tonight. He was special. It was a team win, so everyone deserves credit. Mikal, Ariel, Miles, Cam, Precious, I mean everybody, we can go down the list... They all contributed in a big way in big spots in the game."

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I want to see more of the Towns/Huk combo for sure.

He's playing so much better lately. A lot more awareness and that plus his raw aggressiveness makes for a useful player.There is a method to the Maniac's madness.

[HopelessKnick]

Short handed---so very good win with great contributions from many.

Brunson must be the clutchest Knick player of the past 30 years (since I started following the Knicks). In fact he must be one of the clutchest in the league.

[dakomish23]

That was a creative play by CHI but an even better defensive reaction by Mikal.

We should use that play for Towns. Except he'll dunk it b/c he can jump over a phone book

[Capn'O]

That was a creative play by CHI but an even better defensive reaction by Mikal.

We should use that play for Towns. Except he'll dunk it b/c he can jump over a phone book

Towns' hops always surprise me. His drive will be looking clunky and then he'll rise so quickly and with power.

[G_K_F]

But following the game action, Towns made sure to give credit where credit is due around the roster to other contributors –– one of those guys being Knicks' rookie Ariel Hukporti.

"Shoutout also to Hukporti, man," Towns said. "Our rookie was really, really good tonight. He was special. It was a team win, so everyone deserves credit. Mikal, Ariel, Miles, Cam, Precious, I mean everybody, we can go down the list... They all contributed in a big way in big spots in the game."

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I want to see more of the Towns/Huk combo for sure.

Huk will be permanently on the bench when Robinson gets back.

[j4remi]

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I want to see more of the Towns/Huk combo for sure.

He's playing so much better lately. A lot more awareness and that plus his raw aggressiveness makes for a useful player.There is a method to the Maniac's madness.

Yeah, he'll still get flustered and make some mistakes but his aggression is a difference-maker damn near all the time. I liked his defensive impact in the first half, then he had the block of the game in the second-half.

[HEZI]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

The only way is to be super efficient offensively as a team. It’s the only thing that can offset the defense. We have to be rolling offensively the way we were around December. Hard to sustain that though, things have stalled a bit, guys are standing around more the ball is not really moving, shots are not falling. Floor spacing also isn’t that good especially without OG. It’s hard to sustain that level of play for a long period of time so you do need defense as a backbone. We just don’t have that right now

[robillionaire]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

The only way is to be super efficient offensively as a team. It’s the only thing that can offset the defense. We have to be rolling offensively the way we were around December. Hard to sustain that though, things have stalled a bit, guys are standing around more the ball is not really moving, shots are not falling. Floor spacing also isn’t that good especially without OG. It’s hard to sustain that level of play for a long period of time so you do need defense as a backbone. We just don’t have that right now

This will be a decent defensive team if the whole team is healthy at the same time which may or may not ever happen. OG is essential though as he’s the glue that holds it all together. Mitch will shore up the bench and even Hukporti looks like he could be serviceable for a few minutes here and there if towns is getting killed. Also McBride has missed a ton of time last night was really the first time in a while he looked like himself and he’s a good defensive pest at the guard position. Precious did ok last night. We will be ok.

[HEZI]

I don’t think a team with KAT and Brunson can win a title because the defense is too vulnerable. You can get by with one but not both. KAT’s defense has been awful.

The only way is to be super efficient offensively as a team. It’s the only thing that can offset the defense. We have to be rolling offensively the way we were around December. Hard to sustain that though, things have stalled a bit, guys are standing around more the ball is not really moving, shots are not falling. Floor spacing also isn’t that good especially without OG. It’s hard to sustain that level of play for a long period of time so you do need defense as a backbone. We just don’t have that right now

This will be a decent defensive team if the whole team is healthy at the same time which may or may not ever happen. OG is essential though as he’s the glue that holds it all together. Mitch will shore up the bench and even Hukporti looks like he could be serviceable for a few minutes here and there if towns is getting killed. Also McBride has missed a ton of time last night was really the first time in a while he looked like himself and he’s a good defensive pest at the guard position. Precious did ok last night. We will be ok.

I’m not too worried about the overall team as much as I think the main issue will be with the more elite teams hunting the weakest links possession after possession which will cause breakdowns defensively all over the place. That’s what sol was also mentioning as far as the difficulty in needing to cover for both KAT and Brunson. Having 1 guy as a liability is manageable but two is a lot tougher to cover for. Boston already showed us that they will hunt them and the breakdowns will occur. The only thing we can do is counter offense. Having defensive specialists won’t really help much. We will need to score more and do it efficiently

[NYKinMIA]

the usual suspects complaining after winning with 2 starters out.

what a miserable way to live. get some perspective ffs!

[ctorres]

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