GT: ECF:@Knicks vs Pacers: Wed: 5/21/25: TNT; 8pm

[god shammgod]

But this is just not true. They like to push pace but they don’t rely on just that. They are a good half court team. They are 8th in transition fga and we have actually attempted more field goals in transition than they have. They are top in efficiency and scoring per possession but they aren’t relying on just that. They are a better pick and roll team than Boston. I’m not confident in KATs ability to successfully defend their pick and roll attack. They will look to attack the middle and spray out to shooters. They can go to Siakam in isolation and in the post. They can shoot and have guy who can attack the rim on a close out. They have depth on the bench. It won’t be easy. I still believe we have the better team and should win the series especially if we take it to another level and it’s possible we could with the way we ended the Boston series. Confidence should be very high and hopefully we continue building on it

I didn't say they were relying solely on scoring in transition, just that they push the pace. Last year we controlled the pace against them in the 7 game series, the scores were high just because neither team could get stops. But, with our full roster I would expect us to control the pace again, and this time with Mitch & healthy Hart as well I'd expect some of their pace to be hurt by the fact they will have to gang rebound. They have depth, but some of that depth is just poor defenders like Bryant, McConnell and Obi, and if Obi is leaking out when Mitch, KAT and Hart are on the floor at the same time they're going to get obliterated on the glass. I just see a fast pace team that doesn't rebound well and doesn't have any singular great defensive player or elite offensive scorer. The Celtics to me were better.

more minutes for lower quality players works just fine for me

their bench minutes have been bad in the playoffs. they're basically losing whenever haliburton is off the floor.

[CyKnickal]

That form

Read on Twitter

So, what Thibs has to do is....





I was **** my pants about Boston all year when I heard Jaylen Brown talk about their Josh Hart defensive plan after game one of the season...and after seeing how it worked during the season, lost hope. Then all of a sudden...we start switching. Mind blown.

Nobody else scares me, and coupled with the new wrinkles I saw in utilizing Josh, he's going to be alright. He's not going to bench him, but what he is doing is the next best thing. Thank God.

The moment Kornet came in game 6 and went to start doubling, I had a pit in my stomach. But the very next three plays, Josh was involved in rolling, setting screens, attacking, making Kornet work. I was amazed when I saw three screens set for Brunson, by Bridges and Josh, while Kat set the third one as Josh rolled for a layup because Kornet wasn't paying attention to him as usual. And that was it for White Howard.

Thibs got this. Good for him, he's really showing his bag of tricks at just the right time. I'm sure having high IQ players with a leader who speaks his mind helps get through to him things that he wouldn't see coaching the numbskulls we had in the past. Heard they held a players only meeting before game 6 and went over the details and locked in. Love these guys...a group that actually makes their coach better...who would've thought. That Villanova championship pedigree.

I'm shocked that the Pacers are getting this much praise...it's like nobody remembers what we went through and still dragged them to a game 7. Don't expect a sweep because these guys do fall asleep at the wheel...but if they don't make it past them it would be very disappointing considering what Brunson did with a bunch of role players last year.

This is gonna be fun. Go Josh....nobody on that team has his motor and knack to get the ball, they suck at it....get these pu$$ies...this is gonna be your series. Just look at the hoop when you're about to release, not the ball.

[CyKnickal]

And so much more M@thf2ckas!

Watch on YouTube

It's crazy right...in this league of small ball, three point chucking, forwards playing center, centers shooting soft baby jumpers, that a big high flying ball swatting menacing beast is a problem.



And they have the audacity to call our boy Kat zesty.

These Pacers are softer than baby wipes. Time to flush them.

[HEZI]

The rely on pushing pace, they would have more trouble scoring in the half court than the Celtics have. If we get sucked into playing their game then yeah they're more balanced but they also have more things that can go wrong, like what happens if we can switch and contain in the half court, then what? They don't have any tier 1 scorers to fall back on. The Celtics can get stupid at times with the threes but there's just a lot more pressure their offense can put on a team in the half court because there's 4 different guys that can attack closeouts, 2 high level creators and 2 decent to good playmakers with those guys.

But this is just not true. They like to push pace but they don’t rely on just that. They are a good half court team. They are 8th in transition fga and we have actually attempted more field goals in transition than they have. They are top in efficiency and scoring per possession but they aren’t relying on just that. They are a better pick and roll team than Boston. I’m not confident in KATs ability to successfully defend their pick and roll attack. They will look to attack the middle and spray out to shooters. They can go to Siakam in isolation and in the post. They can shoot and have guy who can attack the rim on a close out. They have depth on the bench. It won’t be easy. I still believe we have the better team and should win the series especially if we take it to another level and it’s possible we could with the way we ended the Boston series. Confidence should be very high and hopefully we continue building on it

I didn't say they were relying solely on scoring in transition, just that they push the pace. Last year we controlled the pace against them in the 7 game series, the scores were high just because neither team could get stops. But, with our full roster I would expect us to control the pace again, and this time with Mitch & healthy Hart as well I'd expect some of their pace to be hurt by the fact they will have to gang rebound. They have depth, but some of that depth is just poor defenders like Bryant, McConnell and Obi, and if Obi is leaking out when Mitch, KAT and Hart are on the floor at the same time they're going to get obliterated on the glass. I just see a fast pace team that doesn't rebound well and doesn't have any singular great defensive player or elite offensive scorer. The Celtics to me were better.

Celtics frontcourt was weak. KP was dealing with the illness and even got pulled from the starting lineup and didn’t play much. He wasn’t a factor due to the illness. Horford finally showed signs of aging and wasn’t much of a factor either. They were relying on Luke Kornet

Pacers front court is much better and they dominated two teams who have much better interior defense than we do in Milwaukee and Cleveland.

We should be able to score on them much better as they aren’t as good or as physical as the other teams we’ve played. Offensively we can match them and defensively we should be better so I do expect us to win the series

[3toheadmelo]

Does anyone have footage of the pacers fan trolling the Knicks fans before they trashed him?

[HEZI]

But this is just not true. They like to push pace but they don’t rely on just that. They are a good half court team. They are 8th in transition fga and we have actually attempted more field goals in transition than they have. They are top in efficiency and scoring per possession but they aren’t relying on just that. They are a better pick and roll team than Boston. I’m not confident in KATs ability to successfully defend their pick and roll attack. They will look to attack the middle and spray out to shooters. They can go to Siakam in isolation and in the post. They can shoot and have guy who can attack the rim on a close out. They have depth on the bench. It won’t be easy. I still believe we have the better team and should win the series especially if we take it to another level and it’s possible we could with the way we ended the Boston series. Confidence should be very high and hopefully we continue building on it

I didn't say they were relying solely on scoring in transition, just that they push the pace. Last year we controlled the pace against them in the 7 game series, the scores were high just because neither team could get stops. But, with our full roster I would expect us to control the pace again, and this time with Mitch & healthy Hart as well I'd expect some of their pace to be hurt by the fact they will have to gang rebound. They have depth, but some of that depth is just poor defenders like Bryant, McConnell and Obi, and if Obi is leaking out when Mitch, KAT and Hart are on the floor at the same time they're going to get obliterated on the glass. I just see a fast pace team that doesn't rebound well and doesn't have any singular great defensive player or elite offensive scorer. The Celtics to me were better.

Damn. Tatum, Brown, White and JRue Holiday all kind of suck and KP and Horford ain't sh*t, not when compared to the likes of the Pacers.

Boston did kind of suck Brown was playing with a partially torn meniscus, KP had the illness, Jrue and Horford look washed. Boston was basically relying on White and Kornet to win them games so yes I do see Indiana bringing more of a challenge but we should be better and win the series

[Jeff Van Gully]

I didn't say they were relying solely on scoring in transition, just that they push the pace. Last year we controlled the pace against them in the 7 game series, the scores were high just because neither team could get stops. But, with our full roster I would expect us to control the pace again, and this time with Mitch & healthy Hart as well I'd expect some of their pace to be hurt by the fact they will have to gang rebound. They have depth, but some of that depth is just poor defenders like Bryant, McConnell and Obi, and if Obi is leaking out when Mitch, KAT and Hart are on the floor at the same time they're going to get obliterated on the glass. I just see a fast pace team that doesn't rebound well and doesn't have any singular great defensive player or elite offensive scorer. The Celtics to me were better.

more minutes for lower quality players works just fine for me

their bench minutes have been bad in the playoffs. they're basically losing whenever haliburton is off the floor.

yep. and it's the best they can do.

those players have to try to turn it into a trackmeet to mitigate some of that dropoff. carlisle does what he thinks works best for them.

we do what works for the players we have. we've been up to the minutes. our guys spell and complement our guys.

if we were having issues with being present in the big moments and late games, i'd maybe be more receptive to that.

[Jeff Van Gully]

good morning. the knicks play the first game of the eastern conference finals at the mecca today.

praise be.

[SuperflyKnick]

Knicks need to come out with a urgency and show no remorse and take these games with conviction… split in Indy and come back and send these dudes home at the garden in game 5

[Deeeez Knicks]

It's hitting right now even more that we are in the conference finals. How an I supposed to get any work done?

[HarthorneWingo]

All those trainers and nobody says "load your wrist"

He has a weird little hitch in his shot. A little similar to DSJ when we first got him.

hands bent forward already

Yup

[robillionaire]

The pacers fan that got hit with a garbage bag got exactly what he deserved I condone it 100% and hopefully any other attention seeker acting like like a clown outside msg gets similar treatment. The garbage he got hit with represents everyone in Indiana. FAFO

Garbage take.

idk if you've seen, but there's a video circulating of him actively trolling and taunting the fans before trying to get away

Of course there is. Play stupid games win stupid prizes

[LFGK]

5 Games

[Jalen Bluntson]

When you two are done sharing that crack pipe can I get a hit?

Don't forget to sprinkle the angel dust on there too! Space base!! Turner vs KAT. I've seen a lot on here but, this one is pretty wild.

Not it is not wild. Not at all. If you look at the last 3 seasons, Turner has matured into a player that averages 17points per game on 50%/38%/77%. On offense he is still somewhat limited overall but he does fulfill his role as a modern shooting big pretty perfectly. On defense he blows KAT out of the water in almost any imaginable defensive category other than rebounding. He is elite at protecting the rim and he can guard the perimeter as well as the post.

On offense I would give Turner a 7/10. KAT gets a 9/10. On defense Turner gets an 8/10 but KAT gets at most like a 4 or 5/10.

KAT is the clearly better offensive player but on defense it is no contest. For whatever reason Turner is a bad rebounder, otherwise he'd win that contest. Mitch and Turner are somewhat different on defense but imagine someone along the lines of Robinson, able to get 17points, shoot 3s and shoot close to 80% from the ft line. It would be a no brainer.

Fans generally underestimate how problematic KAT's defensive deficiencies are for the Knicks. If they watch a game and KAT scores a couple baskets, makes those long drives and hits a 3 it looks spectacular and has you thinking "KAT is fantastic". The lack of defense is not always that eyepopping but it costs the Knicks tons of points.

And if you look at the playoffs specifically the difference in points is a mere 3 points per game. Turner the last 3 seasons has averaged like 16/8 on 50/45%/77% in the playoffs in like 31 games. KAT has average 19/10. Especially in the playoffs the difference on offense is not even that big.

It's ridiculous.

[Iron Mantis]

Now the Celtics suck and the Pacers are a superior team...

Where am I?

[Jeff Van Gully]

Garbage take.

idk if you've seen, but there's a video circulating of him actively trolling and taunting the fans before trying to get away

Of course there is. Play stupid games win stupid prizes

i'd like to see it. for research purposes, of course.

[Jalen Bluntson]

This whole situation is really a historic chance. People under 25 may not appreciate it as much and may think we will have multiple runs and everything but this is a historically great chance to make the finals and potentially win it. None of the remaining teams is unbeatable, all teams have had their moments of vulnerability. I just hope our team really seizes this opportunity and does not come out flat.

I know that making the ECF is already a pretty positive outcome for the season. But at this point a potential loss to Indy after what happened last year would be really dissapointing, it would almost negate that Boston series win to be honest. For me at this point, making at least the finals would make this season a true true success. I wouldn't be saying this if we were going up against a healthy Cleveland squad with no HCA. But going against Indy after last year with HCA I feel like we should pull through. This opportunity may not present itself again in decades.

Last year simply doesn't count for them. It is completely irrelevant to the chances Indy has but, the exact opposite for the Knicks. Indy has yet to face a healthy team in the playoffs in two years. We were injured beyond repair and still pushed it to seven games. This year we are a much better team than anything we put on the court from last February to that game seven loss against Indiana.

Beating Boston was huge. Cannot discount that when deciding how successful this season has been. We shocked the world by doing that. League is officially on notice now. We are running for that chip!!

Agree with the rest though. Brunson is going to do whatever it takes to beat these hicks! I think the team knows how difficult this is. They do this for a living. If we lose this series....oh boy.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Starting from tomorrow, 4 games to play within a week, that's quite a test to Casey Smith's team.

We're lucky to have Smith

I just found this. Nico Harrison is a head case

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/comments/1kqi3hv/casey_smith_a_former_longtime_mavericks_staffer/

i did not know this backstory.

dallas had this reputation and narrative of treating people so well.

this, brunson, luka, sexual harassment cases... i'm seeing something else.

oh, well. GAME 1 of the ECF is 8PM at MSG!

[Jeff Van Gully]

clip ram up still

melo, hit the got damn music.

Watch on YouTube

[RHODEY]

And so much more M@thf2ckas!

Watch on YouTube

It's crazy right...in this league of small ball, three point chucking, forwards playing center, centers shooting soft baby jumpers, that a big high flying ball swatting menacing beast is a problem.



And they have the audacity to call our boy Kat zesty.

These Pacers are softer than baby wipes. Time to flush them.