PG: DO YOU BELIEVE NOW?

[Context]

The story is really not that the Celtics blew two 20-point leads

I called it a choke earlier too, but not really

Knicks have been the better team in both games ... dominated for most of second half of both games ... the leads they build in the first halves were because they bomb 3's and the refs helped them

If you look at time of possessions where they have the lead vs us, they actually have dominated. It’s not even close, it’s something like 80 total minutes vs 13 total minutes or something crazy like that

But it’s kind of been the story even going back to the Pistons series, where we just grind and grind and grind and then turn it up in the 4th quarters and overtime’s. Having the best closer in the league certainly helps in finishing the job. But I don’t think Celtics were doing anything special and we could keep up without needing to go down by 20 if we just make our own open shots and free throws. We have the grit and the fight and the confidence to win a close game, now I want to see a more complete game from start to finish. Being able to build our own lead and hold it will elevate us to legit contention. Let’s not get down like that anymore, let’s finish these suckers at MSG for good

They're having trouble operating against our defense, we are playing above average defense, and our points don't come easy, but we're keeping pressure up, no aimless possessions

Mistakes of commission and aggression are always better than omission and being tentative

This is the bottom line...We are better defensively. when youre behind in back to back games on the road and you pull out 2 wins. That means you had to get stops and score.
That's 3 games in a row that the knicks put themselves in position to win. Two out of three of those games went to OT.

[stuporman]

Read on Twitter

But everybody keeps saying all the Celtics have to do is drive more, the lane is wide open it will be a layup line...right? Easy peasy...

[Jeff Van Gully]

Do they sell sandwiches in Oklahoma? That dude needs one.

i saw the way denver bullied him and put him on his ass at the end of game one. all i could think was:

Watch on YouTube

I am so lost

I've never looked up the origin/scenario of this classic vine. i feel like it was during the bath salts craze.

but the "he needs some milk" is just so powerful and sincere.

chet was getting moved around and pushed down because he's light. needs some milk.

[stuporman]

Pope Knickanova the 1st? Blessed be!

[Capn'O]

We are doing the opposite of that though. We are giving them open 3s and sending all types of help on Tatum

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Orlando switched but never sent help and just stayed home on the shooters so Tatum destroyed them in ISOs. We are leaving shooters open but collapsing the paint to provide help. Basically taking Tatum completely out of the series and cutting the head off the snake

Do they sell sandwiches in Oklahoma? That dude needs one.

i saw the way denver bullied him and put him on his ass at the end of game one. all i could think was:

Watch on YouTube

[KnicksGadfly]

The one nuance I keep reminding myself of though is simply that we actually have a GUY this time around. Jalen Brunson being one of the most capable and reliable closers in the NBA - a game-warping player that can take over and control games against the best teams, defenders, coaches, in the playoffs, in the 4th quarter, at the most highly pressurized moments in the game. So much of these first two rounds feels the same as the mid 90s to me in terms of the euphoria, the jubilation, and the giddiness, but with that recall also comes the memory of the pain. We were always waiting for Jordan to grab the game by the neck at the end, because as wonderful a player as Pat was, that wasn't reliably part of his bag. Starks wanted to be that guy, and had the stomach for it, but he didn't have the actual skill to be it. In the late 90s Houston and Spree had varying pieces of the closer/finisher composition, but neither was actually fully formed in that regard. We could get up, feel good, but then have it ripped away in a fairly predictable manner.

Jalen is legitimately one of the elite in the NBA at it - a true boogeyman to other teams - and I'm hoping that's the difference now. That's the only nuance I can focus on at this point.

I think about this all the time. We were always at the other end of that dynamic.

Yesterday I had to work late and popped out to the store for a bite to eat when we were down 20. Came back and we were down 12. Oh. So we have a shot. Cut it to 7 or 5 and we got this. First thing that popped into my mind. So this is what it feels like.

That never would have been the case in the 90s. Especially AGAINST the GUY. We had the pieces to be in any game and then come what may. But we couldn't grab it.

Brunson is **** special.

The thing is, other fans know it too. Tatum dunks early in the shot clock and Celtics up by 1 with 18 seconds to go? They know what's going to happen.

[Laertes]

[MrDollarBills]

We are doing the opposite of that though. We are giving them open 3s and sending all types of help on Tatum

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Orlando switched but never sent help and just stayed home on the shooters so Tatum destroyed them in ISOs. We are leaving shooters open but collapsing the paint to provide help. Basically taking Tatum completely out of the series and cutting the head off the snake

How are they quantifying wide open threes? I'm curious because they said we also gave up a lot of uncontested shots in Game 1 and I saw guys switching and rotating to get a hand up. Same as last night.

I vaguely recall Tim Legler challenging this the other day.

No one within 6ft of the shooter.

Thanks brother.

I need to focus in Game 3 then because I swear guys are contesting way more against the 3 than we have for most of the season. it's not adding up to me because guys are switching and rotating fairly well outside of some hiccups (JB, KAT).

[MrDollarBills]

i saw the way denver bullied him and put him on his ass at the end of game one. all i could think was:

Watch on YouTube

I am so lost

I've never looked up the origin/scenario of this classic vine. i feel like it was during the bath salts craze.

but the "he needs some milk" is just so powerful and sincere.

chet was getting moved around and pushed down because he's light. needs some milk.

Chet needs some protein and good carbs badly

[KnicksGadfly]

Read on Twitter

[3toheadmelo]

Read on Twitter

[MrDollarBills]

Read on Twitter

But everybody keeps saying all the Celtics have to do is drive more, the lane is wide open it will be a layup line...right? Easy peasy...

Every time Tatum drives it's an offensive foul.

Even that clip where OG locked in on Brown, dude literally forearms several times

I hope the whistle in MSG sends Boston into hell

[Riot Randolph]

James Dolan is the real mvp …no more meddling 5 years strong

[thebuzzardman]

The new Pope is a Villanova alum!

Bullish for the Knicks!

Everything is coming up Cats!

Put him on the Knicks bench for a Hail Mary play.


I’m here all week. Try the veal!

[MrDollarBills]

Read on Twitter

I agree

[Context]

Read on Twitter

[K_ick_God]

If you look at time of possessions where they have the lead vs us, they actually have dominated. It’s not even close, it’s something like 80 total minutes vs 13 total minutes or something crazy like that

But it’s kind of been the story even going back to the Pistons series, where we just grind and grind and grind and then turn it up in the 4th quarters and overtime’s. Having the best closer in the league certainly helps in finishing the job. But I don’t think Celtics were doing anything special and we could keep up without needing to go down by 20 if we just make our own open shots and free throws. We have the grit and the fight and the confidence to win a close game, now I want to see a more complete game from start to finish. Being able to build our own lead and hold it will elevate us to legit contention. Let’s not get down like that anymore, let’s finish these suckers at MSG for good

They're having trouble operating against our defense, we are playing above average defense, and our points don't come easy, but we're keeping pressure up, no aimless possessions

Mistakes of commission and aggression are always better than omission and being tentative

This is the bottom line...We are better defensively. when youre behind in back to back games on the road and you pull out 2 wins. That means you had to get stops and score.
That's 3 games in a row that the knicks put themselves in position to win. Two out of three of those games went to OT.

Boston forced OT in the first game, but not the second. So things moving in the wrong direction for them.

[K_ick_God]

Read on Twitter

He's been the most important guy after JB IMO.

[stuporman]

I'm going to bring down the energy a notch and get real...the Knicks could have easily been down 2-0 desperate for a win at home against a team that plays really well on the road and as the Knicks struggle a little at MSG.

I'm still going to enjoy the extra day of rest, apparently Silver and God are Knicks fans for this, but there's no way to let their guard down. I'm glad to hear the Knicks players have the Kobe attitude that the job is not finished.

[thebuzzardman]

This is the exact description of how it felt as a Knicks fan playing against Jordan in the 90s. EXACT. Like, halfway through reading it I couldn't even tell you were posting about Brunson anymore because my MJ PTSD kicked in.

Crazy the Knicks have a guy that can show up similarly.

Where would we even rank Brunsons contribution in that game 2 win. Not that I really care to get in the nuance of ranking credit. It was a complete team win and everyone had key contributions. Hell deuce hit some clutch buckets on that run. Its just wild that we're up 2 and we haven't needed Brunson to be Brunson.

I don't know man, I can't even talk about this stuff at this point. This playoff high is so 90s to me, it's a euphoria I haven't felt in nearly 3 decades - being in series with GREAT teams and emerging victorious, sometimes as underdogs, from individual battles. But those 90s highs also came with catastrophic crashes when wars were lost in the end.

The one nuance I keep reminding myself of though is simply that we actually have a GUY this time around. Jalen Brunson being one of the most capable and reliable closers in the NBA - a game-warping player that can take over and control games against the best teams, defenders, coaches, in the playoffs, in the 4th quarter, at the most highly pressurized moments in the game. So much of these first two rounds feels the same as the mid 90s to me in terms of the euphoria, the jubilation, and the giddiness, but with that recall also comes the memory of the pain. We were always waiting for Jordan to grab the game by the neck at the end, because as wonderful a player as Pat was, that wasn't reliably part of his bag. Starks wanted to be that guy, and had the stomach for it, but he didn't have the actual skill to be it. In the late 90s Houston and Spree had varying pieces of the closer/finisher composition, but neither was actually fully formed in that regard. We could get up, feel good, but then have it ripped away in a fairly predictable manner.

Jalen is legitimately one of the elite in the NBA at it - a true boogeyman to other teams - and I'm hoping that's the difference now. That's the only nuance I can focus on at this point.

This needs hundreds of +1s