The popular consensus will be picking the best remaining Knick as they're still down 3-2 in the series with tonight's game in Indiana. However, outside of the "Big Four", the Knicks don't really have a reliable person to pick. Mitchell Robinson is the clear 5th now that he's been inserted as a starter, but he still only plays around 20 min and doesn't have a very high ceiling. So if you've played all of those Knicks and/or you're a bit skittish about Mitch Bob, I'd suggest going Against The Grain and selecting a Pacers bench player that's been hot lately & thus will have a longer than normal leash in this game. That player is Bennedict Mathurin. He was 23/9 last game in 25 minutes after scoring 20 points in the previous game. There's no guarantee he'll get anywhere near the minutes or production in the Finals if they make it there, which makes him an enticing pick in this round.
That all said... GO KNICKS!
hes my pick
ReplyDeleteWhat of Knicks win G6? Everyone will be scrambling to pick Haliburton in G7 and going to miss out on Siakam
ReplyDeleteI picked both of them long ago. I guess I didn't consider all the Pacers folks still have left. But obviously they're still very favored to make the Final so having both of those or even great would be great to have along with OKC's big guns.
DeleteFinals: Pacers@Thunder
ReplyDelete!!!
Congrats to the Pacers. Well deserved. But how many times did they score quickly after a Knicks made shot? Zero focus and effort, this should be something basic you learn as a kid. Quite a disappointing ending for the Knicks season, even reaching a Conference Finals so many years later. But given the circumstances it's very disappointing. And the worst part is I have the sensation that this is the ceiling for this team under this coach
ReplyDeleteouch
ReplyDeleteI'm underwhelmed by these Finals. I just don't think the Pacers can compete... but I've doubted them before.
ReplyDeleteThey don't have a chance, but you'll see playoff basketball. These Pacers players buy-in to Carlisle's system (something Carlisle can't get Luka and his Mavs then to do). Carlisle is a championship coach -- he'll at least make it a chess match.
Deletehttps://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45443832/sources-knicks-firing-tom-thibodeau-coach-5-seasons
ReplyDeleteI thought the firing is dumb and a knee-jerk reaction. There is no coach out there who can do better with this roster built around Thibs' style of play.
I know Brunson is pissed right now.
cant win with no bench
DeleteI already said my opinion even before knowing the results. Obviously you need to hire the right coach after this. But I got desperate watching so much iso ball, or high screens just to try to switch to a worse defender and play iso ball...that was 95% of the half court offense for the Knicks. You can't win a Championship with this style of play in modern basketball. Nothing guarantees you are going to win with another coach, but I do think you need to at least try. And you need to add depth to your team and hire a coach who believes in it. So my opinion is just the opposite
ReplyDeleteOther teams have solved this with getting dedicated assistant offensive and defensive coaches. Even Carlisle had them back in the 2011. The head coach does not have to do everything.
DeleteJust have to look at Thibs' record. Carlisle lost so many playoffs and actually had haters (especially in the media) and flaws to him, but Mavs stuck with him to two Finals appearances and a ring.
With Brunson's fave coach out the door, I actually see the Knicks dissipate again.
Just trade Josh Hart to the Mavs and be done with the rebuild :) Josh has been bragging about playing in Dallas for so long.
doubt they trade Hart..Have to sign free agents like Beasely and one more player
DeleteI'd rather have a new coach who believes in what he is doing, than hiring an assistant coach to do what the head coach is unable to do. That's like taking authority off him in the eyes of the players and the fans. And I don't need to say Carlisle's style is completely different from Thibs, so the comparison isn't useful to me. It was never about his record in the regular season, no one can argue about that. It's about an outdated style of play
DeleteI was actually proud of how Thibs worked in the bench throughout the Pacers series. I think the firing is pretty lame man.
DeleteYou mean after game2? And using a bench that is rusty after not playing for a month? I am sorry, but I can't agree. Anyway, we will see next year if it's a lame move or not. It will depend on who is the next coach. I could name a few examples of coaches who took their teams to the next level after another coach put them on the Playoff picture
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