Knicksfan1992 wrote:Don't know if anyone watching the broadcast picked up on it but there was a point right after the half, I think, where the camera focused on Brunson on the bench during a timeout but you could see PJ Tucker was ANIMATED yelling at the guys on the bench. Knicks went on a run right after...
I know we've gotten drips and drabs about how PJ has helped behind the scenes but, I don't think that acquisition gets brought up enough. This specific version of the team was missing that kind of OG (pun intended) who has been there before, knows what the required intensity and focus needs to be to win in the playoffs and can be the guy that the players listen to when you maybe don't wanna hear it from Thibs. It's the kind of stuff that analytics and stat sheets just do not account for that make good teams great.
Have to wonder if he deserves some credit for the "dawgness" Mikal has been playing with.
Objective criticism of this roster on a personal level would be they don't really have "feisty" guys. Not that it's absolutely needed, not all teams do. But I do think it helps to have a "rally the troops" kind of guy especially if the coach isn't doing it.