sp6r=underrated wrote:As a Knicks fan, I'm greatly enjoying this season despite knowing we are a clear level below the true contenders. I just don't see anyway we can get by Boston in the 2nd round. These Boston beatdowns are demoralizing because it isn't just them being more talented but they also seem to match up terribly for NY. I wish we were in the CLE side of the bracket. Still hard but doesn't feel hopeless.
But I'm still loving this team.
Yeah, it's just been a very weird season for Knicks fans. On paper, we have our most talented starting 5 since the 70s chip teams, but it still feels like we've haven't really put it all together. We have a very robust franchise-best +6.2 offense, good for 3rd in the league, yet there are moments and games where we look so lost on that end. And of course, we've been an abject disaster on defense, so much so that it tanks our SRS to a value lesser than last year's team and puts us on pace to only win 4 more games than last year as well. Looking at our remaining schedule, I think we should win ~14 more games, so we might barely hit the 54 win mark or miss it entirely. It's so bizarre because we've been great against everyone outside of the big 3; dominated Denver and Milwaukee twice, destroyed the Grizz at home, and picked a win off both Houston and Minny.
KAT's been more polarizing than I thought. He's genuinely a top 5-ish offensive player in the league, not just because of his individual goodness but also the spacing effect he has which has allowed guys like Hart to have career years. But my goodness is his defense terrible. Makes you miss Hartenstein, who wasn't really a high stocks guy but had fantastic positioning, instincts, and did all the little things.
Bridges has been underwhelming offensively. He lacks the aggression that you'd want from a third option, but the Knicks offensive scheme also doesn't really do him any favors to set him up for success. And I'd be fine with that if was giving anything close to DPOYish impact, but that just hasn't happened. So he's forever going to be compared within the context of the 5 frp we traded for him and all the possibilities of what we could have had.
OG has had injury and supposedly role issues, which is exactly what Toronto fans had warned us about lol. But even he can't plug all the holes for defensive sieves like Brunson and KAT.
Hart's been ok, I personally think he's regressed on defense, and his lack of spacing is a genuine concern against good playoff defenses, but inside the arc he's been his best version ever.
I think this is, or should be anyway, a make it or break it season for Thibs. Fact of the matter is, Thibs coached teams will always overperform in the regular season. I've had concerns about his coaching all season, but the final straw that broke the camel's back for me was him putting KAT back in the Celtics game after he got injured and the game was pretty much over. Idc what your player pleads, you just can't do something dumb like that.
It just sucks that the Cavs are also having an all time season. It shows what a difference a coaching change can make, but it caps our potential at another second round exit. Now, nothing is certain until we've fully integrated Robinson back, and I'm pretty optimistic about that. He was arguably our most important player in the last playoff series vs the Cavs, so we'll get a glimpse of that potential as soon as Friday reportedly, but still won't know for sure until the minutes restriction is lifted. As it stands though, I think it actually is the case that we're closer to a first round exit than a conference finals appearance, and that's just depressing.
