The Three Things Knicks Must Do To Get To a Game Seven

With their backs up against the wall and facing elimination, the New York Knicks took to the court Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, and in front of 19,812 screaming, loyal fans, played their best game of the postseason, dominating the Indian Pacers from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, en route to a 111-94 victory.

Jalen Brunson - AKA, Mr. Clutch - led all scorers with 32 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns - playing with a bad knee - dominated in the paint with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

But just like in the fourth quarter of game three, there were plenty of heroes for the men in orange and blue, starting with the head coach. Tom Thibodeau went with an unprecedented ten-man rotation. This meant the starters weren't gassed in the closing minutes of the game. Not one Knick logged more than 36 minutes.

Landry Shamet and Delon Wright continued to impress coming off the bench, as did Precious Achiuwa, who has appeared in only nine of the Knicks 17 playoff games. All three were plusses on the night. 

But the biggest reason this series is going back to Indiana for a game six was the New York defense, which was, in a word, incredible. The Knicks forced the Pacers into a half-court offense, something they don't thrive in. Tyrese Haliburton, who had quite possibly his best game as a Pacer in game four, had a defender on him every time he touched the ball. Indeed, every Pacer was guarded closely throughout the game. It's the first time we've seen the Knicks this aggressive on defense all season, and it worked. 

Before the start of the Eastern Conference finals, I wrote that if this series became a track meet, the Knicks would lose; if it became more of a half-court series, the Knicks would win. Well the Knicks finally got the memo in game five.

So what do the Knicks have to do tonight to force a game seven back at the Garden?

1. Dictate the pace. Rick Carlisle will make adjustments, just as he has done throughout the series, but it still comes down to which team controls the tempo. The Pacers will want to run and gun; the Knicks must remain disciplined and not allow them to. Brian Windhorst of ESPN put it this way. If the score is 26-24 after one, regardless of who is ahead, that bodes well for the Knicks; if the score is 38-35, that bodes well for the Pacers. In other words, if it's a high-scoring game, the Knicks will likely be eliminated. 

2. Defend, defend, defend. The best way to control the tempo of this game is to make Indiana work for every basket it gets. That means that Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have to guard Haliburton and Pascal Siakam like their lives depend on it. No wide-open three-point attempts like the Pacers had in games one, two and four. Every shot has to be contested, no exceptions.

3. KAT has to continue to dominate in the paint. When Towns has played at his best, the Pacers have had no answers for him. Myles Turner tries, but he's badly outclassed. Indeed, it seems the only one capable of stopping Towns is Towns himself. With the Knicks leading 72-52 halfway through the third quarter in game five, KAT picked up his fourth foul, forcing Thibs to pull him, which led to a 12-2 run by Indiana. He has to be smarter than that in game six for the Knicks to survive.

Now it's entirely possible the Knicks could do all this and still lose the game. As I wrote in my preview, this is an excellent Pacers team. Since January 1, they have the fourth best record in the NBA. You don't accomplish that just by beating scrub teams.

But one thing is certain: if the Knicks fail to do the above, their season will be over.

You can take that to the bank.

Knicks Go From Cardiac Arrest To Cardiac Kids in Fourth Quarter

After blowing a 14 point lead with 2:51 to go in game one, and then following that up with a very lackluster second-half effort in game two, the New York Knicks were on the verge of falling behind 3-0 in their series against the Indian Pacers with 3:20 to go in the second quarter. At that point, the Pacers were ahead 55-35 and were in complete control of the game. The Knicks looked more like a team that was eager to get to the golf course than a team that was looking to capture its first title in 52 years.

But there were signs that the patient wasn't completely dead. The Knicks went on a 10-3 run to close out the half. And trailing 74-59 with 4:46 to go in the third quarter, the Knicks went on another run to get within ten heading into the fourth.

And that was when Karl-Anthony Towns decided to show up. Through three quarters, the 7-0 center had just four points. Let me repeat that. Towns had just FOUR FUCKING POINTS through three quarters! To put that in perspective, Mitchell Robinson had six. I already had the title for my next Knicks piece: "The Incredible Shrinking Center." It looked like Kitty KAT was phoning it in.

But in the fourth quarter, he was a man possessed. He hit the first of three three-pointers just 20 seconds in, followed by a pair of driving layups in the first couple minutes and a thunderous dunk with 8:02 to go that evoked memories of another center who went by the nickname "Chocolate Thunder." In all, Towns had 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists and was a plus 14 in the quarter to help his team get back in the series. With the win - their sixth in seven games - New York now trails Indiana 2-1 and has a shot at getting even Tuesday night.

But as great as Towns was, he had help. Josh Hart, who had been benched by Tom Thibodaeu to start the game, and was a minus 16 in the first half, had four points, five rebounds and was a plus 16 in the fourth quarter. In fact, every Knick was a plus in that quarter, including Jalen Brunson, who once again got into foul trouble, but still managed to score six points.

Another unsung hero for the Knicks was their bench. In an uncharacteristic move, Thibs elected to go with a nine-man rotation. That meant that both Delon Wright and Landry Shamet played meaningful minutes and did not disappoint. For the game, the entire Knick bench was a plus, with Shamet (+12) leading the way. 

But it took four free throws - two by Brunson and two by Hart - in the closing seconds to seal the win for New York. After going 28-40 (70 percent) in game one, the Knicks have now shot a collective 45-51 (88 percent) from the foul line over the last two games.

So, after failing to even the series at one game a piece in game two, the Knicks now face another "must-win" situation in game four. A loss would mean they'd have to go 3-0 the rest of the way, and only 13 NBA teams have successfully come from 3-1 down in a best of seven series to win. Ironically, the Knicks (1997 against the Miami Heat) were one of them.

So, how do they do it? That's the question. First off, the starters have to play better at the start of the game. That means KAT can't go MIA for three quarters, and Brunson has to stay out of foul trouble. As these two players go, so go the Knicks. There is no path to a series win, much less an NBA championship, that doesn't include both players leading the way. They are an integral part of this team's success.

Secondly, it is incumbent that New York play defense for an entire 48 minutes. For most of this series, the Knicks have treated the Pacers like they were China dolls; delicate and not to be touched. That meant clean looks for Indiana from the three-point line. Last night, the Pacers went 1-8 from beyond the arc (12.5 percent) and didn't get a single offensive rebound in the fourth quarter. Now that's how you defend. 

And lastly, Thibodeau needs to continue with a nine-man rotation. It worked in game three and it can work in games four, five and beyond. Against a Pacers team that is deep and athletic, the Knicks have to get as many of their bench players involved as possible, even if it's only for a few minutes per game. Even an old dog like Thibs can learn a new trick once in a while.

Game four is Tuesday night. We will see if Sunday night was indeed the beginning of a comeback or if it was just an anomaly.

For the Knicks, the Shoe Was on the Other Foot

That there was another double-digit, fourth-quarter comeback in an NBA playoff game Wednesday night was hardly news. Going into the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, there had been six such comebacks this postseason, and the Knicks and Pacers were responsible for five of them.

Make that six now.

In a classic example of the shoe being on the other foot, it was the Knicks who were on the wrong end of a dramatic come-from-behind win this time around. Trailing 119-105 with 2:51 remaining in regulation, Indiana outscored New York 20-6 to force overtime, where they completed the comeback to take a 1-0 series lead.

It's hard to describe what a gut punch this was for the Knicks. Not only did they blow a fourteen point lead with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, they actually blew a nine point lead with 58 seconds left. Since 1998, playoff teams were 0-1,414 when trailing by nine points or more with under a minute to go in the fourth quarter.

Make that 1-1,415.

This was a brutal loss for New York; far worse than the Reggie Miller "eight points in nine seconds" collapse. And that game has been seared into the collective consciousness of Knicks fans for literally thirty years. It's the principal reason why he is so despised; that and the choke sign he made after the win.

Why is this worse? Because in that Miller game, the Knicks were in complete control until the last nine seconds; in Wednesday night's game, the collapse actually began several minutes earlier.

Let's start with Jalen Brunson. In these playoffs, Brunson has been nothing short of brilliant; he's been by far the Knicks best player on the court. But in two games he has gotten into foul trouble. In game five against the Boston Celtics and game one against the Pacers. And in both instances, the Knicks have lost. 

When Brunson picked up his fifth foul with 10:05 to go in the fourth, Tom Thibodeau took him out of the game and inserted Josh Hart. At the time, the Knicks were ahead 94-92. They then went on a 14-0 run, thanks to OG Anunoby (7 pts), Karl-Anthony Towns (5 pts) and Deuce McBride (2 pts) to go up 108-92 with 7:24 left in the fourth.

After Pascal Siakam made a five footer to break the run, Towns then hit a three pointer to put the Knicks up 111-94 with 6:26 to go. The Pacers then hit two consecutive baskets to make it 111-98 with five minutes to go. At that point, Thibs called a timeout to put Brunson - five fouls and all - back in the game, even though New York had gone 17-6 with him on the bench and McBride was doing an outstanding job on defense.

With five fouls on him, Brunson was utterly useless on defense and the Pacers knew it. In fact, every Knick starter except Towns was a minus for the game, with Mikal Bridges the worst offender at minus 15. Indiana went up and down the court virtually unimpeded, with Aaron Nesmith hitting six(!) three pointers in the final 4:45 of regulation. It was like watching a pickup game.

But here's the thing: as putrid as the Knicks defense was, they still would've won had they hit all their free throws, but Towns and Anunoby each missed a critical free throw with less than 15 seconds left that would've iced the game. In all, New York was 28-40 (70 percent) from the free-throw line. If they had just gone 30-40 (75 percent) - the exact percentage Indiana finished at - the Knicks would now be up 1-0 instead of trailing 1-0.

So now what? How does a team put behind it the worst collapse in a postseason game in 27 years? By not repeating the same mistakes, that's how. The reality is for most of game one the Knicks were the better team. They out-rebounded the Pacers, outscored them in the paint, and - no pun intended - outpaced them. But as I tweeted at halftime with the Knicks up 69-62, "They're playing into Indiana's hands."

Put succinctly, the Knicks cannot keep up with a Pacers team that is built like a Roadrunner. I wrote at the start of this round that for New York to win they needed to make this a half-court series. If it turned into a track meet, Indiana would win. Guess what happened Wednesday night? The Pacers did pretty much what they wanted, and in the end, the Knicks simply ran out of gas. You can say they didn't close the game out, but that's just a polite way of saying they were gassed.

The fact is during the regular season, Indiana went 25-2 in games where they scored 120 points or more. In games where they were held to less than 120, they went 25-30. Quite a difference, wouldn't you say? Now you know why Pacers coach Rick Carlisle wasn't that concerned when his team was trailing by seven at half time, or fourteen with 2:51 to go, or nine with 58 seconds to go. He knew his team could make up the difference against a Knicks team that was, by that point, running on fumes.

That's why for the Knicks to even the series - indeed for them to win the series - they must control the tempo. Indiana will tempt them into a running game; they must resist. The higher the score in these games, the more likely it is that the Pacers will prevail and advance to the finals. The best scenario for New York would be a nice, low-scoring game: say 111-104 Knicks.

Another thing that has to happen for New York to even the series is for Brunson not to get into foul trouble. While he's never been known as a defensive stalwart, he needs to be smarter when Indiana has the ball. He can't be an easy target in clutch time like he was in game one. And if he does get into foul trouble in game two, Thibs has to have the courage to keep him on the bench. Against a Pacers team that isn't exactly known for its defense either, McBride and Cam Payne were surprisingly effective. The former had nine points in 25 minutes while the latter chipped in with six in just ten minutes. This might be one of those rare instances where the Knick bench plays a vital role in this series.

And finally, when the Knicks do go to the free throw line, they have to make their shots. No more 70 percent shooting nights. They're too good for that. The fact is if the Knicks had converted on their free-throw attempts in game one, we'd be taking about a close shave instead of an epic collapse. 

I hate saying this is a "Must Win" for New York. Frankly, it's the most overrated expression in sports. But in this case, it's appropriate. The Knicks must win tonight in order to have any shot of going to the finals for the first time since 1999. A loss would mean they'd have to go 4-1 the rest of the way against an opponent that only gets stronger as the series goes on.

And that isn't very likely.

Knicks Playoff Preview (Round Three)

With the Boston Celtics being dethroned, there will be a new NBA champion for the seventh year in a row. And if their fans have anything to say about it, that champion will be the New York Knicks.

For the first time in 25 years, New York finds itself in the Eastern Conference Finals. And their opponent is a familiar one. The Indiana Pacers have faced the Knicks three times in the conference finals, with the Knicks winning in 1994 and 1999, and the Pacers winning in 2000.

But it was their last meeting in the second round of last year's playoffs that is front and center now. The Knicks had beaten the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round and were seconds away from potentially taking a 3-0 lead on the Pacers when Andrew Nembhard hit a three pointer with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Indiana the win.

The loss was significant for New York. OG Anunoby suffered a groin injury in the closing minutes of game two and was unavailable the rest of the series; Mitchell Robinson sustained an ankle injury against the Sixers and appeared in only one game against the Pacers; Josh Hart would later pull an abdominal muscle in game six and was ineffective in game seven; Jalen Brunson broke his left hand in game seven and played only 29 minutes; and Julius Randle - their second-best player - had gone down with a dislocated right shoulder in January and was lost for the remainder of the season. The Pacers would eventually go on to win the series in seven against a Knicks team that looked more like a MASH unit than an NBA roster.

This time around, the Knicks are not only healthy, they're better. Just compare the starting five from last year's series to this year's:

2024: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein.

2025: Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bridges and KAT are vast improvements over DiVo and I-Hart respectively; and while this year's roster isn't as deep as last year's, we all know that, barring injuries, Tom Thibodeau typically goes with a seven-man rotation. That means that Deuce McBride and Mitchell Robison will get the bulk of the minutes coming off the bench. Squawk if you want, but this is how Thibs rolls. 

In each of their first two playoff rounds, the Knicks had to overcome challenges in order to win. In round one, they had to contend with a Detroit Pistons team that was nasty and physical. In round two, they had to contend with a Boston Celtics team that could shoot the ball like no one else's business. In this round, they will have to contend with an Indiana Pacers team that from January 1 had the fourth best record in the NBA and plays in fifth gear pretty much from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer.

There's no getting around it: Indiana will try to dictate the pace, no pun intended. It will be incumbent upon the Knicks to not let that happen. If this series becomes a track meet, the Knicks will lose; if it becomes more of a half-court series, the Knicks will win. Here are the keys:

KAT needs to dominate in the paint. With all due respect to Myles Turner, KAT is the better center; he must play like it. That means no disappearing acts and staying out of early foul trouble. He needs to replicate what he did against the Celtics in game six. The fact is the more involved he becomes in the Knick offense, the harder it will be for the Pacers to double team Brunson. When Towns plays up to his potential, there aren't many players in the league who can stop him.

Knicks must defend against the fast break. Few teams in the league can transition from defense to offense like the Pacers. Their speed will test the Knicks resolve. To thwart Indiana's fast-break game, New York will have to get back on defense quickly. That means no standing around to see if a shot goes in. This will take discipline on their part, but they'll have to do it in order to advance.

Brunson must continue to excel. Tyrese Haliburton is on a mission to prove to his critics that he's not overrated. But Jalen Brunson is on a mission of his own to prove to his critics that he's worthy of being called an elite player. Both statements are true. Haliburton is not overrated, but in this series, he will be the second-best point guard on the court. The fact is that what Brunson is doing in these playoffs is truly something to behold, and the only people who haven't acknowledged it are the ones who refuse to admit they were wrong about him in the first place. If Mr. Clutch continues to play as he has, the Pacers are in trouble.

Knicks have to distribute the ball. While Brunson will be the Knicks best player in this series, he can't be their only option offensively. New York is at its best when it distributes the ball; conversely, it struggles when it doesn't. It won't do any good if Brunson scores 35 points while Towns, Bridges and Anunoby collectively score 25. To win, all the kids have to play in the sandbox.

Bottom line, the Knicks are the better team; they're healthy and they have the home court. But the Pacers are hardly Swiss cheese. They knocked off the number one seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and they've had the Knicks number the last three times they've met. This will be another close series, but the men in orange and blue should advance to the finals for the first time since 1999.  Knicks in six.

Western Conference Finals: 

Minnesota over Oklahoma City in seven. I know I picked the Thunder to win it all in my last preview, but frankly I like the Timberwolves in this series, and not just because KAT vs. Julius Randle would be a finals for the ages, but because OKC struggled at times against a Denver Nuggets team that was as thin as a piece of loose leaf paper. What will they do against a Timberwolves team that is bigger and just as athletic as they are? I'm guessing they won't do as well.

Knicks Half Way Home

In the end, it wasn’t close. The New York Knicks, who needed fourth quarter comebacks in games one, two and four, left nothing to chance in game six. They dominated the Boston Celtics pretty much from the opening tip-off, en-route to a series-clinching 119-81 victory Friday night at Madison Square Garden. It was, by far, their most complete game in these playoffs.

Every starter was in double digits, with Josh Hart recording a triple double. Jalen Brunson led all Knicks with 23 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 and grabbed a team-high twelve rebounds. The win catapulted New York into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000; it was also the first time since 1999 that the Knicks clinched a best of seven series on their home court.

The off-season acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Towns - often criticized during regular season - have given this franchise its best starting five since the Pat Riley / Jeff Van Gundy era.  If this is what Leon Rose envisioned over the summer when he gave up five first-round picks, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, then he has been vindicated, at least for the moment.

But it was the return of Mitchell Robinson from a left ankle injury at the end of February that seems to have had the biggest impact on this team's fortunes. The 7-0 center has vastly improved the Knicks rim defense. Against the Celtics, New York was a plus 46 when Robinson was on the court versus a minus 43 when he was off. Imagine how many more regular season wins the Knicks might have had if Robinson had been healthy all year. Indeed, the best decision Rose appears to have made was not unloading him at the trade deadline for a depth scorer. Had he done so, the Knicks would probably be on the golf course right now.

I'd be lying if I said I saw this coming. My heart may have said Knicks in seven, but my head said Celtics in five. Given how many times my heart has been broken over the years, I had every reason to expect a quick and decisive loss for the men in orange and blue.

To quote a well-known scripture verse,  "O ye of little faith."

In my defense, though, I was hardly alone. Even an incurable optimist would've had a hard time believing the Knicks were capable of beating the Celtics in the playoffs, given they were 0-4 against them during the regular season, and only one of those losses was competitive. That most of the sports writers and talking heads had Boston winning in four or five games was less about an anti-New York bias than it was about an objective, sober analysis of where both teams were. The overwhelming view was that the Knicks were a very good team that was still a year or two away from challenging for the title.

But then a switch was thrown and logic went out the window. The fact is these are no longer the same Knicks who struggled during the regular season against the elite teams in the league. They have a swagger about them that is eerily familiar to those '90s teams. The resiliency that was missing most of the season, and which defined last year's team, is back with a vengeance. They believe in themselves, and they feel they are never out of a game, as evidenced by the fact that they've come-from-behind in six of their eight postseason wins.

And now they are eight wins away from their first NBA championship since 1973.

52 years! God, when you say it like that, it sounds like an eternity. That's because it is. Think about it: 90 percent of the fans who showed up outside the Garden to celebrate the Knicks win over the Celtics probably weren't alive in 1973. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if a third of them weren't around when they last went to the finals in '99. When I tell people I remember Clyde Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere, I'm not bragging; I'm just showing my gratitude for having had the opportunity to see such greatness in my lifetime.

And now all of us have the opportunity to see such greatness right before our very eyes. There is something special about this Tom Thibodeau-coached team; I can feel it. Every once in a while the basketball gods shower their favor upon a team. Don't get me wrong: I am not predicting a championship. Knowing my luck, that would be the kiss of death. What I am saying is that if the Knicks play the Indiana Pacers like they did the Celtics in game six, I like their chances. A lot.

This much is certain: the next time my head contradicts my heart, I'll tell it to go fuck itself!

Knicks Need To Wake Up!

It's generally accepted that when the Boston Celtics are fully healthy, they’re damn near impossible to defend against. With Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis, they can spread the floor better than any team in the NBA. When you add the likely sixth man of the year award winner Payton Pritchard to the mix you can see why they won 61 games this season, and why they went 16-3 last season in the playoffs. Yes, they're that good.

But with Tatum out and Porzingis not remotely close to being himself, they have only two legit scoring threats on the court: Brown and White. In theory, this should make them easier to defend against, right? 

So much for theory. The Celtics, facing elimination, routed the Knicks Wednesday night 127-102 to force a game six Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Brown had 26 points and 12 assists, while White led all scorers with 34 points. 

Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson had his worst game as a Knick, picking up five personal fouls in the third quarter and fouling out in the fourth; OG Anunoby went 1-12 overall from the field; and Karl-Anthony Towns got into early foul trouble and ended up playing only 29 minutes in the game. The only bright spot was Mitchell Robinson, who actually went 6-6 from the free-throw line.

Frankly, I'm at a loss to explain what happened here. New York, with a chance to wrap up the series and advance to its first conference finals appearance in 25 years, had a horrific second half, getting outscored by the Celtics 68-43. Every Knick was a minus for the game. 

Surely they had to have known which two players on the Celtics were going to have to carry the load offensively. And yet on virtually every Boston possession, both Williams and White were so alone, they could've sent out for a pizza. Did the Knicks really believe the Celtics would just roll over and die? The total lack of urgency on their end was stunning to behold.

And now the Knicks, who haven't won a best of seven series on their own court since 1999, will have to close out the defending champs Friday night or face the very real prospect of being only the 14th team in NBA history to blow a series after leading 3-1. 

Don't kid yourself. While game six is not technically a must win for the Knicks, losing it would mean a game seven in Boston, where the Celtics, even without Tatum, would be the overwhelming favorites to move on.

So how do the Knicks keep that from happening?

It starts with defense. New York did a terrible job communicating as a team, especially in its own zone. The result was missed coverages that led to wide open three point attempts. That cannot continue in game six. The Knicks have to force Williams and White into contested shots; they have to be on them like white on rice. Waiting until they get the ball in their hands is too late.

Brunson and Towns have to be the best players on the court. While it's highly unlikely that Brunson will repeat his brutal game-five performance, he needs to be that clutch player who clinched the series against the Pistons and led his team to victory in game four of this series. As for Towns, he's been hot and cold in these playoffs. He needs to assert himself more in the paint and avoid early foul trouble. There's no way a third-string center should ever dominate someone with his ability.

Bring a sense of urgency for a full 48 minutes, not just the last twelve. The Knicks need to treat game six like it's game seven. From the opening tip off to the final buzzer, they need to outwork the Celtics, who will, once more, be looking to stay alive. That means they need to fight for every loose ball, avoid costly turnovers and get back on defense when the shot doesn't go in. Remember, Boston is still shorthanded. New York needs to exploit that to its advantage.

If the Knicks play their best basketball; if they play hard the entire game, they should prevail. If they don't; if they blow this series against the Celtics, they will have no one but themselves to blame. 

Knicks Making Believers Out of Non-Believers

After Saturday afternoon's rather underwhelming effort by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the prevailing sentiment by the "experts" was that even though the Boston Celtics still trailed 2-1, they had taken control of the series and were now favored to wrap it up in six.

There was only one small problem: the Knicks never got the memo. They came out Monday night with their best performance of the postseason, beating the Celtics 121-113 to take a 3-1 lead and a stranglehold on the series.

Indeed, except for the last minute and a half of the first quarter in which the Celtics hit four consecutive three-pointers to take a 39-28 lead, the Knicks were the better team on the court for most of the night. Unlike the first two games in Boston, the men in orange and blue did not wait for the fourth quarter to mount their comeback. They began it with 9:05 left in the third, trailing 72-58.

And just as he has done throughout these playoffs, Jalen Brunson led the way for his teammates. He scored 26 points in the second half, 18 in the third quarter. Overall he finished with 39 for the Knicks. But he was not the only hero for the home team. OG Anunoby (20), Mikal Bridges (23) and Karl-Anthony Towns (23) each answered the bell, as well. It was, by far, the most balanced scoring attack the Knicks have had in this series. New York outscored Boston 70-51 in the second half.

To paraphrase Jerry Garcia, what a long, strange series it's been. In each of the first four games, the Celtics have had a double-digit lead in the third quarter, and in three of those four games, the Knicks came from behind to win. And the culprit in each of those Boston losses was their poor shooting performance from three-point range.

In games one and two, the Celtics shot a collective 25-100 (25 percent) from beyond the arc; in game three, they were 20-40 (50 percent) from downtown; and in game four, they went 12-24 (50 percent) from three in the first half, but only 6-24 (25 percent) in the second half. 

Put succinctly, when the Celtics hit their threes, they win; when they don't, they lose. There's no Plan B. Boston's inability, or unwillingness, to make in-game adjustments has been its biggest problem in this series. In short, their arrogance has been their own worst enemy. And now the Knicks, who entered this series as heavy underdogs, and were 1-11 during the regular season against teams ahead of them in the standings, are one win away from their first conference finals appearance since 2000.

And without Jayson Tatum, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury late in the fourth quarter, the chances of Boston mounting its own comeback and preventing that from happening is about as remote as a leopard changing its stripes. All season long, the Celtics have lived by the three and now they seem determined to die by it.

Which is just fine for a fanbase that has waited 52 years to celebrate a championship. And here's the best thing: should the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers advance - both teams lead their respective series 3-1 - New York would have the home court advantage. 

The lion's share of the credit for this metamorphosis goes to Tom Thibodeau. He has badly out-coached his counterpart, Joe Mazzulla in this series. He has made the necessary adjustments that have put the Knicks in position to capitalize on the Celtics shortcomings.

Case in point, the way he's handled Mitchell Robinson. The backup center is a plus 35 over the four games against Boston, but his liability at the free-throw line has been a big concern for the Knicks. However, rather than bench him, Thibs continues to play him, which has forced Mazzulla to foul him and, as a result, put the Celtics in the bonus earlier than he would prefer. Who'd have thunk that the Knicks of all teams would be winning the battle of coaching?

Bottom line: the Knicks are making believers out of non-believers; they are playing clutch basketball; their best players have been better than the Celtics best players; and they are almost halfway through this most improbable journey. 

A journey whose final destination has yet to be determined. 

Pride and Prejudice

In the days leading up to Super Bowl 25, Bill Belichick had a huge problem. He had to design a defense that could contend with the most prolific offense in football that season. The Buffalo Bills, led by Jim Kelly, steamrolled their way through the AFC playoffs. They put up 44 points against the Miami Dolphins and 51 against the Los Angeles Raiders. Kelly was a collective 36-62 for 639 yards in both games, with 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 126 passer rating. If he had that kind of success against the Giants, Big Blue would be in deep trouble.

The defense that Belichick finally came up with was the 2-3-6 defense. It consisted of two defensive linemen, three linebackers and six defensive backs. It had one mission: to stop, or at least curtail the Bills passing attack, which was lethal. What Belichick and head coach Bill Parcels were basically saying was this: we'll let you run the ball, but we're going to take away your ability to throw the deep pass. All Bills head coach Marv Levy would've had to do was run the ball more and the Bills might not have needed Scott Norwood's 47 yard field goal attempt to win the game.

But Levy wouldn't, or couldn't bring himself to adjust his game plan. The Bills got there on the strength of Kelly's arm and they weren't going to fundamentally change who they were. And while Thurman Thomas did get 135 yards, he only touched the ball 15 times in the game. By comparison, Kelly was 18-30 for 212 yards, zero touchdowns and a passer rating of 81.5. Meanwhile the Giants, with a balanced attack, ate up most of the clock and hung on to win what many consider to be the most exiting Super Bowl in NFL history.

The moral of the story is this: pride kills. Levy's arrogance cost his team a Super Bowl win. The failure to make adjustments in sports is the primary reason most teams lose. I say "most" because sometimes, no matter how solid your game plan is, the other team is just better. But that being said, the purpose for having a coach is to anticipate what could go wrong and prepare accordingly; it isn't simply to make out a lineup card.

In the series between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the Celtics are a collective 25-100 (25 percent) from three-point range. They have lost the first two games by a grand total of four points. They have blown consecutive 20-point leads to a team that, going into the series, was a decided underdog. And while most analysts have focused on their poor shooting, the real culprit has been the Boston strategy. 

The fact is attempting 60 three-point shots in a game is insane. There's no excuse for it. But when you listen to the players and the head coach attempt to rationalize it by insisting that this is who they are and they're not going to change, it is eerily reminiscent of that Bills team that lost to the Giants in Super Bowl 25. Marv Levy and Joe Mazzulla might as well be distant relatives.

The worst-kept secret in the NBA is that the Knicks have a terrible perimeter defense. And going up against a Celtics team that led the league in three-point attempts, it was incumbent upon them to tighten it up. But for all the talk about the Knicks shortcomings, it is, ironically, the Celtics shortcomings that are coming home to roost in this series.

Put succinctly, they are a one-dimensional offense. The reliance on the three-point shot has been both the Celtics greatest asset and their biggest vulnerability. It allowed them to go 16-3 in last season's playoffs. But it also masked weaknesses within their roster which have now been exposed this postseason by a Knicks team that is as relentless as it is resilient. And like the compulsive gambler who, having lost a month's wages in Vegas and insists his luck will change sooner or later, the Celtics find themselves two losses away from sports bankruptcy.

The more I think about it, the more this Knicks team reminds me of that Giants team in 1990. They, too, were underdogs, but found a way to overcome the odds and win. Tom Thibodeau is no Bill Belichick, that's for sure. But like Belichick, who had Lawrence Taylor, Thibs does have an ace in the hole. Jalen Brunson is, without question, THE best player in these playoffs, and it isn't even close.

Spare me all the nonsense about how great Jayson Tatum is. What has he done with the game on the line in this series? Hell, he wasn't even the MVP in last year's finals. Call me old-fashioned, but I'll take the player who has more clutch-time points (41) than the Minnesota Timberwolves (34), Celtics (26) or Cleveland Cavaliers (25).

The amount of disrespect the Knicks in general and Brunson in particular have gotten borders on pathological. It's one thing when fans do it; that's why they're called fans. But when so-called "professionals" who are paid to be objective do it, that's another story. Whether it's an anti New York bias or just plain ignorance is irrelevant. The fact is there isn't a professional sports league in the country that wouldn't benefit financially from having a New York team in its championship round. Ask Major League Baseball how much better their ratings were having the Dodgers and Yankees play in the World Series. I can tell you the sponsors certainly didn't mind.

And now these same geniuses who said the Knicks would be lucky to win one game against the Celtics are now saying that they need to win game three in order to win the series. You literally can't make this shit up. Sometimes I wonder how they show themselves in public.

There's no conspiracy here. The reason the Knicks are ahead 2-0 in this series is because in the fourth quarter they have been the better team. Period. You don't need to be a rocket scientist or a basketball "expert" to figure that out. You just have to take off the blinders that have prevented you from seeing the truth.

The Boston Steal Party

"Against a very inexperienced Pistons team, the Knicks were able to mount multiple comebacks to win. I guarantee you that won't happen against the Celtics."

The genius who said those words was none other than yours truly. So much for my prognostication skills. It's a good thing I don't work for the Weather Channel.

All kidding aside, though, the Knicks were trailing 75-55 with 5:47 to go in the third quarter. That wasn't the Detroit Pistons out there on that court; it was the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. One could be forgiven for thinking the game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

But then something unexpected happened. The Celtics suddenly went cold. The three-pointers they were hitting earlier in the game became bricks, and the Knicks, who couldn't punch their way out of a paper bag, began chipping away at the Boston lead. They went on a 20-9 run to close out the quarter down only 84-75.

And they didn't let up in the fourth quarter. New York outscored Boston 22-5 to take a 97-91 lead with 3:28 to go in regulation. The fans at TD Garden were stunned. To tell you the truth, so was I. Jalen Brunson continued his fourth-quarter dominance, scoring 11 points in just 8 minutes. In seven games this postseason, he has 77 fourth-quarter points in only 63 minutes of court time.

But the Celtics were hardly done; they went on a mini run of their own, outscoring the Knicks 9-3, to tie the score at 100 with 53 seconds to go. Both teams had opportunities to re-take the lead in the closing seconds, including Brunson, who missed a last-second layup that would've won it in regulation. 

In overtime, the Knicks took over. They outscored the Celtics 8-5, led by, of all people, Mikal Bridges, who played 51 out of a possible 53 minutes in the game. The man Leon Rose surrendered five first-round picks for last summer had arguably his best five minutes as a Knick. He had a three pointer, a blocked shot and two steals; the last one coming against Jaylen Brown with less than three seconds remaining to seal the deal for New York.

Brunson and Bridges weren't the only heroes last night. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart were equally impressive on both ends of the court. OG had 29 points in 46 minutes, while Hart contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. And even though Towns had a rather pedestrian night offensively, he did have 13 boards.

It was an incredible comeback for the Knicks, their fourth in these playoffs. But as incredible as it was, there was an element of luck involved. For instance, for some reason that only he knows, Tom Thibodeau decided to put Mitchell Robinson in for Karl-Anthony Towns when the latter got into early foul trouble. It's well known that Robinson is not a very good free-throw shooter; during the regular season he shot only 68 percent from the free-throw line. The Celtics knew this and fouled him every chance they could to send him to free-throw line, where Robinson missed seven of 10 shots. Had the Knicks lost this game by a couple of points, Thibs would've had some serious 'splainin' to do at his post-game presser.

The other thing that helped the Knicks out was the poor shooting of the Celtics. In the game, Boston went 15-60 from three-point range (25 percent), while New York went 17-37 (45.9 percent). As good as the Knicks defense was in the second half - particularly in the fourth quarter - the fact is the Celtics missed several wide open shots, any one of which could've won the game for them. It's hard to imagine Boston being this inept going forward.

That being said, the Knicks earned this win, and with it the right to crow a bit. Nobody gave them a shot at beating Boston. And just to be clear, this series is far from over. All the Knicks did by winning game one was capture home court. The Celtics are more than capable of returning the favor by getting a split at Madison Square Garden. They did, after all, win 33 games on the road this season, six more than the Knicks won at home.

But for now, Knicks fans can sit back and enjoy the moment. Their team, which went a collective 0-8 against the Celtics and Cavaliers, now has a 1-0 lead against the former in the second round of the playoffs.

Knicks Playoff Preview (Round Two)

Having avoided the unthinkable - losing to the Detroit Pistons - the New York Knicks begin a best of "seven" series against the defending NBA champion Celtics tonight in Boston. I put the word seven in quotation marks because the Knicks went 0-4 against the Celtics during the regular season and three of the four losses weren't remotely close. The one competitive game was at the Garden in April, where the Knicks had a three-point lead with 11 seconds to go before Jayson Tatum drilled a three pointer to send it into overtime.

The last time these two teams met was in 2013. The Knicks were 54-28 that season; the Celtics were 41-41. Led by Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 29.2 points per game in the series, New York prevailed 4-2. But as the saying goes, that was then, this is now.

It pains me to say this, but this has the potential to be one of the ugliest and most lopsided series drubbings in Knicks playoff history. That's because the one thing New York has struggled with all-season long just happens to be Boston's number one strength. In their 31 losses this season, the Knicks allowed their opponents to shoot 43 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics as a team average 48 three-point shot attempts per game. That's the basketball equivalent of lighting a cigarette while filling up your gas tank.

So, with that in mind, do the Knicks have a shot at beating the Celtics? And if not, can they at least avoid a sweep?

The answer to both questions comes down to three keys:

Karl-Anthony Towns: Leon Rose brought him to New York specifically to go up against Kristaps Porziņģis. This is his moment. He must rise to the occasion. No way this team can win with him scoring 10 points like he did twice against the Pistons. Among Knick starters, only Josh Hart has taken less three point shot attempts in these playoffs. That's inexcusable.

Perimeter defense: There's no other way around it. The Knicks must do a better job at defending from downtown or the Celtics will light them up like a Christmas tree. This will require Tom Thibodeau to do something he's not comfortable doing: adjusting his coaching style to match the opponent. If Thibs thinks he can beat the Celtics mano e mano, this will be a very short series. And by short, I mean don't bother booking a flight back to Boston for a game five.

Get off to good start: Against a very inexperienced Pistons team, the Knicks were able to mount multiple comebacks to win the series. I guarantee you that won't happen against the Celtics. In their first three meetings this season, the Knicks trailed Boston after the first quarter by 19, 11 and 19 respectively. All three were blowout losses. In their fourth meeting, they led Boston by three after one and six at the half. The Celtics eked out a narrow two-point OT win in that one. And just in case you were wondering, every Celtic starter except Jaylen Brown played at least 37 minutes in that game; Tatum led with 48 minutes. If the Knicks can avoid their typical slow starts they can make this a series. If they can't, it'll be a sweep.

Bottom line, even if all the above goes their way, the Knicks will still have a very difficult time beating a Celtics team that is deep, fast, explosive and well coached. I've been a Knicks fan since the glory days of Red Holzman. This is a good team with some very good players, and one generational talent. Had they played them last season in tact, who knows, maybe they would've beaten them. It's just hard for me to see that happening this time around.

My heart says Knicks in seven; my head says Celtics in five. 

I think my head may be right. 

Here are my predictions for the other second round matchups:

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland over Indiana in seven: The Pacers will hold their own against the Cavs, especially if Darius Garland is hobbled by that toe.

Western Conference:

Oklahoma City over Denver in six: SGA vs. the Joker. The winner will likely go on to the finals.

Minnesota over Golden State in six: In the last two postseasons the Ant-Man has eliminated the likes of Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Steph Curry will be the next to fall.

If the Knicks advance, I'll preview both conference finals. If they don't, my initial prediction for the finals stands: OKC should win the title.

Will the Third Time Be the Charm for Drury?

Gerard Gallant was an accomplished head coach who guided the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season to the Stanley Cup finals. Peter Laviolette was an accomplished head coach who took three different teams to the finals and actually won a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Mike Sullivan is an accomplished head coach who was behind the bench when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back to back Cups. 

What do all three men have in common? They were all hired by Chris Drury to coach the New York Rangers. The first two lasted two seasons before being relieved of their duties. The third was just hired yesterday. Suffice to say, Drury is hoping - praying - that the third time will be the charm. 

As Yogi Berra would say, "It's déjà vu all over again."

It's easy to sit here and say that Sullivan is just another retread, like his predecessors. That Drury should've gone for someone younger; someone like David Carle, the current head coach of the Denver Pioneers - the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four champs. Now that would've been bold; that would've been newsworthy. 

That also would've been quite impossible. Let's forget for a moment that Carle has repeatedly said he isn't interested in leaving the University of Denver. Let's also forget for a moment that Carle's name has been mentioned as a possible future replacement for Jared Bednar should he decide to step down as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. The last time the Rangers hired a coach from the college ranks it was David Quinn from Boston University in 2018. We all know how that turned out. If you think for a moment that James Dolan would ever sign off on hiring another college coach you've taken one too many pucks to the head.

But here's the thing. If Gallant, Laviolette and Sullivan are all retreads then so is Paul Maurice, the current head coach of the Florida Panthers. His 916 career wins are the most among active NHL coaches, and last year he guided the Puddy Tats to their first Stanley Cup championship. One man's retread is another man's savior. It's worth noting that when Mike Keenan was hired by Neil Smith in 1993, the prevailing sentiment among many was that he too was a retread who was brought in because of his celebrity status.

There are some interesting parallels between the Keenan and Sullivan hirings. In the 1991-92 season, the Rangers won the Presidents' trophy but did not win the Cup. They struggled mightily the following season, missing the playoffs. Under Keenan, the Blueshirts went on to win their first Cup in 54 years. 

In the 2023-24 season, the Rangers won the Presidents' trophy but failed to win the Cup. They struggled mightily the following season, missing the playoffs. No doubt Drury is banking on lightning striking twice.

There's another parallel between the two men. In 1987, Keenan coached Team Canada to a win against the Soviet Union in the Canada Cup. That team was put together in less than two weeks over the summer, and yet Keenan was credited with bringing them together. Earlier this year, Sullivan coached Team USA to a finals appearance in the Four Nations Face-off tournament. Like Keenan in '87, Sullivan had two weeks to assemble his roster and get everyone on the same page. Though Team USA lost to Team Canada in the final game, the prevailing sentiment was that Sullivan was the reason they go as far as they did.

Of course, there's one big difference between that '94 team and this one. The former had Mark Messier and Brian Leetch; the latter doesn't. As I wrote back in April, the real problem with this team isn't behind the bench - it never was - it's in the locker room. Drury can coax Scotty Bowman out of retirement and the result would probably be the same.

Mike Sullivan's biggest challenge with this team won't be drawing up the X's and O's, determining the line combinations and defense pairings, or how much ice time each player gets; it'll be dealing with a core that for most of last season behaved as if it needed a therapist more than it needed a head coach. 

Perhaps Drury should've hired Dr. Phil instead. 

Mr. Clutch Comes Through Again.

In what looked more like a bi-polar convention at a psychiatric ward than an NBA playoff game, the New York Knicks were on the verge of a loss that would've meant a seventh and deciding game at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon. The Detroit Pistons had erased a twelve-point, fourth quarter deficit and were leading 112-105 with 2:35 left.

That's when Jalen Brunson - aka, Mr. Clutch - stepped up and said, "I don't think so." The Captain scored eight of his team's final eleven points, including a three pointer that hit nothing but net with 4.3 seconds on the clock that will go down as one of the most iconic shots in NBA playoff history, to propel the Knicks to a 116-113 win. He would finish the game with 40 points and seven assists.

We're running out of superlatives to describe Brunson and what he means to this team. Just look at some of these stats:

• He's tied for second with Giannis Antekokoumpo, Dwayne Wade and Charles Barkley for the most 40 point road playoff games with two. Michael Jordan - the greatest basketball player of all time -had four during his career.
• He opened this postseason with four straight 30 point games. The last player to do that was Jordan in 1998.
• In the series against the Pistons, Brunson scored 66 fourth-quarter points in just 55 minutes. Over his career as a Knick, he's averaged just under a point per minute in the fourth quarter of the playoffs. 
• In the three games at Detroit, Brunson scored 23 clutch-time points; the Pistons as a team scored 24.
• As a Knick, Brunson has averaged 31.5 points per game in the playoffs. His regular season average is 26.4.
• Brunson has more 30 point playoff games (14) than Magic Johnson (12), and Johnson appeared in 190 playoff games while Brunson has only appeared in 55.

Some have compared Brunson to another Knick great: Walt Frazier. Respectfully, while Frazier does have two rings to show for his tenure in New York, I don't think it's that much of a stretch to say that when his career is over, his jersey will be hanging in the rafters. If the measure of a player's stature is how many times he comes through when it counts, then Brunson has earned every accolade he's received.

Case in point, the Pistons series. Going in, the so-called "experts" thought Cade Cunningham would be the best player on the court. Well, guess what? Jalen Brunson owned him, and it wasn't even close.

Detractors can mock his size all they want; they can continue to diminish his accomplishments on the court; or qualify them, as Candace Parker did last season on TNT. To his fans, he will forever be known as Mr. Clutch: the man who, night in and night out, dons a cape and delivers his teammates from the evil clutches of the loss column.

The man is legit, he's elite, and he's the reason the New York Knicks are headed to Boston to play the Celtics in the second round.

Critics be damned. 

Thibs' Terrible "Coach's Decision."

With 2:57 left in the fourth quarter, it was obvious both Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were hurt and needed to come out of the game. Tom Thibodeau called a timeout to put in Deuce McBride and Cam Payne. At the time the score was 97-95 Pistons. 

One minute later, the score was 101-95. Both Brunson and Hart were now at the scorers table waiting to check back in. Thibodeau had one timeout left but elected not to use it. Over the next minute and a half, the Knicks had three possessions and made exactly one basket: a fadeaway by Mikal Bridges with 50.1 seconds left to bring the Knicks within four.

Finally with 27.1 seconds left, Thibs called his last timeout and put Brunson and Bridges back in the game. By that point, the sore was 103-97. Bridges made a three to make it 103-100, but Dennis Schroder made one of two free throws for the Pistons to make it 104-100. OG Aununoby, then hit a three-pointer to make it 104-103, but Cade Cunningham made two free throws to ice the victory for his team and send the series back to Detroit for a game six. 

When asked at the post-game presser why he waited so long to burn his last timeout, Thibodeau simply replied it was a "coach's decision." If that's true, it was one of the worst in his tenure as head coach of the Knicks.

To be fair, Thibs wasn't the only culprit last night. The Knicks as a team shot 59.3 percent from the free throw line, and Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns collectively went 9-30 from the field. If Brunson and KAT had each gotten just one extra bucket, or if the Knicks had made just four more free throws, this series is probably over. But that didn't happen, and while coaches aren't responsible for how well their players execute, they are responsible for putting them in the best position to win.

This is not the first time Thibodeau's decision-making has been questioned. Earlier this season, his refusal to foul Jayson Tatum with less than 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter and the Knicks up by three resulted in Tatum sinking a three-pointer to force overtime, where the Celtics eventually won. In last season's playoffs, the Knicks were 10 seconds away from wrapping up their series against the Sixers in five. Once again, Thibs refused to foul and Tyrese Maxey tied the score, allowing Philly to win it in OT.

Now it's entirely possible that had Thibs called his timeout earlier it wouldn't have made any difference. The way Brunson was hobbling on the court, who knows how effective he would've been? But that's beside the point. Rule number one in sports is you always go down with your best players on the court, field, rink, or whatever. 

Bottom line, Thibs needs to own this decision; a decision that gave a Pistons team that was trailing 3-1 in the series life. We know from history what can happen when you let your opponent off the mat. If Brunson continues to be hobbled by that ankle, the Knicks could very well find themselves out of the playoffs sooner than they expected. And if that happens, I can assure you James Dolan will not be a happy camper. 

Just ask Peter Laviolette. 

Knicks Need To Close It Out

The good news for the New York Knicks is that they're up 3-1 on the Detroit Pistons. The bad news for the Knicks is that they could easily be down 3-1. 

In game one, the Knicks came from behind in the fourth quarter to win 123-112. In game two, the Pistons held off a Knicks rally to win 100-94. In game three, the Knicks had a 13 point lead at halftime and held on to win 118-116. And in game four, the Knicks were trailing by 11 with 8:35 to go in the fourth quarter and came back to win 94-93.

As you can see, every game has been hotly contested; a total of eight points separates the two teams. The Knicks have not been so much dominant in this series as they've been resilient. Their two best players - Karl-Anthiony Towns and Jalen Brunson - have been better than the Pistons two best players - Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. Brunson, in particular, has been almost otherworldly, averaging 33.3 points per game in the series, and 13.3 points in the fourth quarter, the most by any player in the NBA since 1997.

The Pistons can complain all they want about the no-call by Josh Hart against Hardaway Jr with 8 seconds to go in game four, the fact is they've gotten most of the no-calls in this series, including one by Tobias Harris against Hart under the basket three seconds before Hardaway's three point attempt. You live by the no-call, you die by the no-call, I say.

That being said, it would behoove the Knicks to close out this series tomorrow night at the Garden. No way they want to go back to Detroit for a game six. The Pistons, having lost two games in their building, would almost certainly force a game seven. And once you get to a game seven, it's anyone's series.

There's another reason for the Knicks to want to wrap up this series in five. The style of basketball the Pistons employ can be very taxing on opponents. I wrote about their size advantage in my preview. And with the Knicks not having much of a bench, sooner or later, it's going to take its toll on the starters. 

Brunson, in particular, could certainly use the rest. He twisted the same ankle he sprained a month ago in the third quarter of game four and had to leave to get it re-taped. He came back in the fourth quarter and managed to score 15 points. But make no mistake about it, the longer this series goes on, the more stress that ankle will get. If the Knicks hope to do anything against the Boston Celtics in the next round, they will need their captain as close to 100 percent as possible. 

Bottom line: the Knicks control their own destiny. The last thing they want to do is play with fire. 

Giants Take Care of Business

Let's face it: it hasn't been easy being a New York Giants fan the last few years. In fact, since 2011 - the year they won Super Bowl 46 - the Jints have made the postseason twice and have one playoff victory to show for it. You can certainly appreciate the fact that going into the 2025 NFL Draft, the expectations among the fanbase were somewhere between guarded and skeptical.

So let me just say, as someone who's seen his fair share of drafts over the years, I think this might be the most surgically precise one the Giants have had since 2005; the year they took Corey Webster (43), Justin Tuck (74) and Brandon Jacobs (110). Any time you can walk away with what many considered the most physically dominant edge rusher in a decade, a future starting quarterback, a damn good defensive tackle, a power running back, an offensive tackle that can play guard and a tight end you had yourself one helluva weekend. 

Talk about checking all the boxes. 

Abdul Carter was the player Joe Schoen was hoping would be there at three and, sure enough, he was. The guy is a freight train whose specialty is making quarterbacks wish they'd chosen a different profession. Imagine what that this Giants defensive line is going to look like with him on one end, Kayvon Thibodeaux on the other and Dexter Lawrence in the middle. 

Jaxson Dart was the player Brain Daboll wanted from day one. And now the guy that coached Josh Allen in Buffalo finally gets his quarterback. Daboll has gotten a lot of heat the last two years - and deservedly so - but if he can turn Daniel Jones into a respectable signal caller, he should have no problem with a player who was considerably better at Ole Miss than Danny Dimes was at Duke. And the best part was that Schoen didn't have to reach to get him like Dave Gettleman did with Jones in 2019. Nicely played.

If the Giants elect to go with a 4-3 defense, Darius Alexander will play alongside Dexter Lawrence; if they elect to go with a 3-4, Alexander and Lawrence will platoon at nose guard. Either way, with Brian Burns, Micah McFadden and Bobby Okereke at linebacker, this front seven is going to be well stacked and very difficult to contend with.

The mystery of the 2025 NFL Draft is how Cam Skattebo managed to slip all the way to the fourth round. Nevertheless, Schoen and company were delighted he was there at 105. The Giants now have Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary in their backfield. The last time they had this many quality running backs was 2008, the year immediately after Super Bowl 42.

Marcus Mbow (pronounced Bow) will likely take over for Evan Neal at right tackle, but he can also play guard; Thomas Fidone II gives the Giants another option at tight end; and Korie Black will provide depth in the secondary.

Like I said, surgical. 

Look, I realize it's still April, and April is the month where everything looks promising. But I don't think it's hyperbole to suggest that with the free agent signings Schoen has made this offseason, along with his picks in this draft, 2025 might not be such a bad year for Big Blue; in fact, it could be fairly decent. 

Think about it: last season, the Giants lost eight games by a single score. If they had won four of those games, they would've finished 7-10 instead of 3-14. With an improved roster, 7-10 is certainly doable. Who knows, with a little luck, they might go 8-9 or even 9-8. 

All I'm saying is that maybe, just maybe, that light at the end of the tunnel isn't a freight train after all. 

Mets Off To a Roaring Start

Four weeks into the 2025 baseball season, the New York Mets are 18-7, five games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East and currently sitting atop the major league standings. After going 7-0 on this home stand, they are now 12-1 at home, their best start in franchise history, and that includes 1986.

And here's the thing: they are doing all this with Juan Soto still stuck in second gear. With a few rare exceptions, he's been a non-factor this season. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have done most of the heavy lifting. And speaking of Alonso, the Polar Bear is off to his best start as a Met. Here is his slash line so far and where it ranks: AVG .341 (5th), HRs 6 (5th), RBIs 26 (T 1st), OBP .440 (4th), SLG .681 (3rd), OPS 1.122 (2nd).

As for Lindor, after going hitless in March, the Captain is batting .349 with 5 HRs, 14 RBIs and a .972 OPS in April, including a walk-off homer against the St. Louis Cardinals and two dingers against the Phillies. How unusual is this? Last season he couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag in April and May.

And while The Three Amigos - Lindor, Soto and Alonso - rightly garner most of the attention, the rest of the lineup is starting to pick it up. Mark Vientos hit a pair of home runs on this home stand, Brett Baty crushed a two run homer into the upper deck and Starling Marte got the game-winning hit to complete the sweep against the Phillies. Isn't it fun when everyone contributes?

The pitching continues to dominate. In 2024, the Mets team ERA was 4.03. This year, it's 2.34, first in the majors. The San Diego Padres are next at 2.92, followed by the Detroit Tigers at 2.94. The starters have not allowed a home run in their last 12 starts, and the bullpen, apart from Edwin Diaz, has been almost spotless. In eleven relief appearances this season, Reed Garrett has yet to give up an earned run. Overall, the staff has the 8th lowest WHIP in baseball at 1.18.

What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Mets got off to a so-so start in April, then did a swan dive in May. It wasn't until after Memorial Day that they began to put it together. From June 3 through the end of the regular season, the Mets were the best team in baseball with a record of 65-38, and a .631 winning percentage. 

This season, the Mets winning percentage is .720. Over a 162 game schedule that translates to a record of 117-45. While no one seriously believes they'll win 117 games, if they simply duplicate last year's .631 win percentage from June thru September, that would come out to 102 regular season wins. I'm pretty sure Steve Cohen would be very happy with that, especially if it's followed up with 11 postseason wins. 

If you think I'm getting ahead of myself, consider this: we know that Soto is going to eventually start producing; he almost had his first CitiField home run the other day but it went foul by about two feet. Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez are set to return Friday, while Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are due back in mid May. With the Phillies bullpen in disarray and the Atlanta Braves off to a poor start, the Mets should be the clear favorites to win the NL East. The only question is whether they will have the home-field advantage in October?

To reiterate what I wrote in my last piece on the Mets: The excitement is palpable; the expectations couldn't be higher.

Drury's Real Problem Isn't Behind the Bench, It's in the Locker Room

Before I go any further, I wanted to take this time to personally express my gratitude to Sam Rosen for all the joy and smiles he brought Rangers fans throughout his illustrious career.

Let's step back for a moment and appreciate the enormity of what we were all privileged to witness. The man was behind the mic for forty years. To put that in perspective, Johnny Carson was on the air for thirty and Gunsmoke twenty. Whatever your favorite among all his memorable calls may be - and there are literally dozens to choose from - know this: there will never be another like him. 

From the bottom of my heart, Sam, thanks for the memories. 

Enjoy your retirement. No one has earned it more.

Now onto the main topic.

Stop me if you notice a pattern.

After David Quinn was fired as Rangers coach, the players said "We need someone who will let us play."

So Chris Drury hired Gerard Gallant.

After Gallant was fired, they said, "We need someone who will provide more structure."

So Chris Drury hired Peter Laviolette. 

After Laviolette was fired, now they're saying, "We need someone who'll communicate more with us."

So I guess Chris Drury will soon hire Dr. Phil. 

You know, my parents never took me to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey when I was a kid, but having watched the Rangers this season, I now know what a circus looks like. 

It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to shit the bed the way these players did and NOT be embarrassed. But based on their exit interviews with Chris Drury that appears to be the case.

Here are some quotes from some of the players on break up day.

Mika Zibanaejad: "I think there was frustration. I think it's just when you don't know everything, we don't know what's going on. I feel like mentally, what I went through the first few months, was probably the toughest I’ve ever been through in my career."

Alexis Lafreniere: "I thought I had a good start and then struggled to be consistent in my game. Didn’t really make a difference."

K'Andre Miller: "Kind of hard to talk about my future here, obviously. I have a great agent that is going to help me throughout this summer’s process."

Not everybody was that tone-deaf. 

Vincent Trocheck: "I think it’s on us, inside this room, in order to make sure that the outside noise doesn’t get to us. Whether that’s talking to somebody individually or if it’s just sticking together as a team and as a family and I think we can get better at that. Lifting guys up instead of bringing guys down, I think that goes a long way."

Igor Shesterkin: "In my mind, something broke during the season, and went the other way. We couldn’t handle it. It was our job to try to find a way to get back."

For those unfamiliar with how flow charts work, I'll explain: the players are answerable to the coach; the coach is answerable to the GM; and the GM is answerable to the owner. And in case you're wondering, the chart only flows in one direction. Nowhere does it say that management is required to communicate what is going on to the players. Even if you believe it wouldn't kill Drury to learn a thing or two about business etiquette, the fact is he's not a fucking guidance counselor, and Mika Zibanaejad is not a patient in a group therapy session.

Of all the seasons in which the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, this was by far the most frustrating. And that's because unlike all those other teams, this one had no excuses. They were not in rebuild mode; there were no major injuries; and they had won the Presidents' trophy the year before. By all accounts they should be in the postseason right now.

The fact is no matter who Drury hires to replace Laviolette, if he isn't able to hold his players accountable, that coach will suffer the same fate as his predecessors. He will have a good first season, followed by the inevitable sophomore jinx. And that's because the real problem with this team isn't behind the bench, it's in the locker room. That isn't to suggest that Quinn, Gallant and Laviolette were blameless. Far from it. Quinn never quite made the adjustment from college to the pros; Gallant took the term "player's coach" way too literally; and Laviolette was stubborn to a fault. But as I wrote in an earlier piece, Scotty Bowman would have a hard time coaching this group.

And that's why it wouldn't shock me one bit if Drury brings back John Tortorella. Of all the coaches this franchise has had in its illustrious history, only Mike Keenan did a better job lighting a fire under his players butts. One thing you can count on: that putrid power play would never be allowed to stay intact. Torts would dismantle it after a couple of games. The man has all the patience of a compulsive overeater at a Chinese buffet. 

Of course with James Dolan interjecting himself into the process - he attended all the exit interviews - anything is possible. If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to part ways with Mike Sullivan, he would definitely top the list of available coaches. While Sullivan does have an impressive resume, and is certainly qualified, the question begs why would you replace one underperforming coach with another? True, the problem in Pittsburgh is a front office that is in denial over the sorry state of its roster. But how much of that denial is to appease Sydney Crosby? And how much of that appeasement is on Sullivan's shoulders? Frankly, I'd be leery of hiring him. 

But that's just me.

Meanwhile, even though I don't have a horse in the race, here are my playoff predictions:

First round: 

Eastern Conference:

Caps over Habs 4-1 

Canes over Devils 4-2 

Leafs over Sens 4-2 

Bolts over Panthers 4-3 

Western Conference:

Jets over Blues 4-3 

Avs over Stars 4-2 

Golden Knights over Wild 4-2 

Kings over Oilers 4-3

Second round: 

Eastern Conference:

Caps over Canes 4-2 

Bolts over Leafs 4-3 

Western Conference: 

Avs over Jets 4-1 

Knights over Kings 4-1 

Conference finals: 

East: Bolts over Caps 4-2 

West: Avs over Knights 4-3 

Finals: Bolts over Avs 4-3