PG: Knicks vs. Jazz: JO$$$$H HART TRIP DUB

[Guano]

Read on Twitter

Breen in his gentleman manner was DISGUSTED with that man's game.

Read on Twitter

My favorite.
"Clarkson, once again, gets it. Shoots it"

Channeling Hemingway - short and concise. Nothing wasted. Says a lot without saying a lot. He is just so damn good.

[GettinitDone]

Goddam work made me miss this game I won't miss the Thunder game tho

One thing I really love...they took 43 threes and we took 23. In this league, that level of disparity usually means that we're losing, but we're able to win games without relying on the three.

Remember back then before the 3pt era/ in the 2pt era, Pringles' Suns and then the Warriors used 3pt to their advantage and they wildly succeeded. Maybe in the 3pt era now, the way to beat these 3pt shooting teams is to revert back to 2pt era and beat them with efficient 2pt scoring.

[HopelessKnick]

I really just hope our players remain healthy. Other than that I'm as happy as one can be. Leon and his team have truly done an incredible job.

My only wish from now until the playoffs is some level of load management. I want our entire team to be healthy in April. I would easily sacrifice 3-4 regular season wins and the 2nd seed for a healthy rotation in the playoffs. Easily. Looking at how the east is shaping up we have the choice between:

a) Trying everything to catch the Celtics and go for HCA in a potential matchup but risk injury.

b) Load manage here and there, possibly come in as 3rd seed but have a higher likelihood of a healthy rotation.

I take option b any day of the week. To me HCA is not even worth losing one of our top 8 players.

[Chanel Bomber]

Breen in his gentleman manner was DISGUSTED with that man's game.

Read on Twitter

My favorite.
"Clarkson, once again, gets it. Shoots it"

Channeling Hemingway - short and concise. Nothing wasted. Says a lot without saying a lot. He is just so damn good.

Chanel style

[K_ick_God]

Precious master blasters are becoming a regular occurrence now as well

[GettinitDone]

I really just hope our players remain healthy. Other than that I'm as happy as one can be. Leon and his team have truly done an incredible job.

My only wish from now until the playoffs is some level of load management. I want our entire team to be healthy in April. I would easily sacrifice 3-4 regular season wins and the 2nd seed for a healthy rotation in the playoffs. Easily. Looking at how the east is shaping up we have the choice between:

a) Trying everything to catch the Celtics and go for HCA in a potential matchup but risk injury.

b) Load manage here and there, possibly come in as 3rd seed but have a higher likelihood of a healthy rotation.

I take option b any day of the week. To me HCA is not even worth losing one of our top 8 players.

I think HCA in playoffs is really important, especially if your team goes far (further than 2nd rd)...

Not saying I'd risk injuries but if Thibs is playing 3 guys in the whole league's top 5 in mpg RIGHT NOW, I don't think he's slowing down in March/ April, especially if Cavs somehow slip and we get a chance at #1...

I think there's a good chance C's maintain their #3 seed, so if we're at #2, we'll meet them in 2nd rd, but if we get 1st then we meet them in ECF. I think we'll be shooting for #1.

But I agree, the team's fully healthy at start of playoffs and during is what you could ask for, win-lose-draw be damned.

Precious master blasters are becoming a regular occurrence now as well

Precious is opening eyes, we'll become gollums in a few weeks for chanting his name too many times

[Chanel Bomber]

Walker Kessler, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Beverly
Four firsts
play towns out of position and can’t afford to pay him
All this for a 10 and 10 rim runner making 200+M
The first domino led to the next
I hope that WCF appearance was worth it cause they ain’t going back for the next decade

I agree but that's because they lost KAT, not because they have Gobert. They were dominant last year with both players starting for them, so it clearly wasn't an either/or situation.

All the players you mentioned (who they traded for Gobert) are fringe rotation players at best on a contender. Gobert meanwhile is a multi-time DPOY who has played on winning teams for the vast majority of his career.

KAT and Gobert had success together. Minnesota should have kept both. They didn't prioritize just Gobert over KAT, but also Naz Reid and McDaniels. It was foolish.

I think if we for a second forget the players and the teams involved and just strip my opinion down to bare bones it’s that I straight up don’t think a team with a rim runner at the 5 can win a championship in the year 2025 and they’ll eventually run into the playoff exposure regardless of their regular season success whereas I am now a stretch big 5 out maximalist and think you need to have that in order to win a championship. Having that = window open. Starting rim
Runner = window closed. That’s how I see the league. Maybe I’m wrong.

I thought differently in 2011. I liked Tyson Chandler a lot. But the 10 and 10 rim protector isn’t the archetype of player who I’m giving up the farm for in 2025. Especially if it might self sabotage the situation with a historic stretch big.

They had everything they needed already. They should have used that package for an elite PG.

Anyway it’s not my job to fix that dumpster fire organization I’m just glad we are now the ones locked and loaded with the mold of player that I think is necessary for a team serious about winning

Oh I see interesting, that's a fair argument to make.

I think having a skilled 7-footer definitely gives you a massive comparative advantage in contending for a championship. It's one of the reasons I'm so optimistic about the Knicks outlook with KAT with the defenders we put around him.

But I think it's still feasible to win a chip with an elite rim runner like Gobert, and Minnesota had the horses to go 5-out (with KAT) at any time if they needed to. They no longer have that luxury.

But Gobert had the least bad net rating among their rotation players in the WCF at -3.1. Towns was a -6.7. Edwards -8.1. Reid -11.7. McDaniels -5.6. Conley a -13.9. This is not to put the blame on any of these players. But what those numbers suggest is that Gobert wasn't really the obstacle to them making the Finals. The fact that he's an unlikeable, goofy-looking giant doesn't help his cause, to be fair.

The Towns-Gobert lineups were +0.5 per 100 possessions in the WCF.
The Towns-Reid lineups were -17.0 per 100 possessions.

Skill matters I fully agree but so does defense. And Minnesota's defense collapsed without Gobert, even at the highest level of competition.

[Clyde_Style]

fwiw those are things really far apart

OK, join the literal bandwagon if you wish

Ahem. You know I'm going to nit-pick if a projected trade is $1 out of alignment. Why wouldn't I hate on this identification.

[Context]

I know some of you didnt know this, so- I will post it again for those who wont read all 14 pages:

Read on Twitter

[Context]

Must listen
LETS GO KNICK FAMILY!!!

Read on Twitter

[Clyde_Style]

Stole her from the mavs

never knew it was a female!

i mentioned a few game threads ago that the trainer we got from the mavs might be the unsung mvp of the season so far. we haven’t really suffered any devastating injuries to this point even with the mines thibs taxes the players with, hopefully the trend continues to hold up

Exactly she might be the unsung hero.

Truly a V.I.P. in the Knicks org now

[HopelessKnick]

Must listen
LETS GO KNICK FAMILY!!!

Read on Twitter

I do however think that if you let him continue shoot the 3s he will ultimately make you pay. Maybe hitting 7 out of 10 will be rare but if he gets 10 open or semi open 3s in his spots, he will make 4-6 more often than not. He is like 44% from 3 on the season and 40 for his career so he IS an elite shooter. It is not just mental---he has a track record of being elite from 3.

[Clyde_Style]

I'm going to need a quantum physicist explain to me how OG plays 41 mins of a 48 min game in which the Knicks win by 16, and he has a +/- of 0 because I'm pretty sure this breaks the laws of physics.

It should mean we scored 16 points during the 7 minutes he was sitting

[Clyde_Style]

Watch on YouTube

Hart El Debarge

[Clyde_Style]

crazy...neither did I
I also forgot to post OG's production. he essentially shut their offense down...

12/17 from our sg - the 3rd maybe 4th best performance of the night. Unbelievably talented squad.

btw, Tyler played this game early today:

Watch on YouTube

and then play on the same day in our Jazz game

Those passes to Toppin are crazy good. Kolek is a baller

[GettinitDone]

I watched the extended highlights... I still don't love the offense when Josh makes plays... The ball movement feels clunky when he's the point forward. Can he pass? Yes, he racks tons of assists, but I guess that's what happens to a lot of players in the L when the ball is in their hands a lot.

Imo we're far better with JB and Mikal and Towns creating shots... the ball movement feels more organic, quicker, and more spontaneous.

I think it's no coincidence we have slow starts in 1st Qs with Josh handling the ball so much trying to be a point forward. Against top tier teams, the slow starts and the clunkiness of our ball movement will expose us imo. The Thunder game in 2 days will be telling.

Not hating on Josh here, I love him I think he's incredible, esp rebounding and defense but we need him to come off the bench so we become even more dangerous as a team.

Start Precious, bench Josh.

[Context]

Read on Twitter

[NoStatsGuy]

I really just hope our players remain healthy. Other than that I'm as happy as one can be. Leon and his team have truly done an incredible job.

My only wish from now until the playoffs is some level of load management. I want our entire team to be healthy in April. I would easily sacrifice 3-4 regular season wins and the 2nd seed for a healthy rotation in the playoffs. Easily. Looking at how the east is shaping up we have the choice between:

a) Trying everything to catch the Celtics and go for HCA in a potential matchup but risk injury.

b) Load manage here and there, possibly come in as 3rd seed but have a higher likelihood of a healthy rotation.

I take option b any day of the week. To me HCA is not even worth losing one of our top 8 players.

yea completely agree. i dont think much of the cavs tbh until i see they can actually win a tough series.

our way is going through boston. to me, it doesnt matter when we face them. i dont care if we lose to them in the ECF, semis or first round. it wouldnt change how i think about this team at all.

homecourt could be an advantage but i really dont think our players care that much, if they are in boston or in NY for a potential game 7. our team looks like they embrace the hostile environment as much as the homecrowd. the most important thing, and more important than homecourt is, that we have our full roster in that series. lets work in Huk and Kolek starting now. but im sure thibs wont do it, so i dont have high hopes.

[robillionaire]

I watched the extended highlights... I still don't love the offense when Josh makes plays... The ball movement feels clunky when he's the point forward. Can he pass? Yes, he racks tons of assists, but I guess that's what happens to a lot of players in the L when the ball is in their hands a lot.

Imo we're far better with JB and Mikal and Towns creating shots... the ball movement feels more organic, quicker, and more spontaneous.

I think it's no coincidence we have slow starts in 1st Qs with Josh handling the ball so much trying to be a point forward. Against top tier teams, the slow starts and the clunkiness of our ball movement will expose us imo. The Thunder game in 2 days will be telling.

Not hating on Josh here, I love him I think he's incredible, esp rebounding and defense but we need him to come off the bench so we become even more dangerous as a team.

Start Precious, bench Josh.

We scored 119 points in a game without our first and second string PGs, and he had the highest +\- of the starters at +15, and we won in a blowout, what more would you have him do?

I think precious has the ability to thrive more in his current backup role personally

[Jalen Bluntson]

Motherfuggin OPTIMUM shut down MSG and now my Gotham sports app doesn't carry MSG either!! Fuq!!