Almost Home

The New York Knicks are in the finals!

The last time that happened I still had black hair, my wife and I were on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, and Bill Clinton was in the White House. That was 27 years ago. To put that in perspective, Johnny Carson was on the air for 30.

They say time flies when you're having fun. Fun would be the last word fans of this franchise would use to describe the hell they've gone through. Between 2001 and 2020, New York made the playoffs five times, advancing to the second round once. Over that stretch, a litany of GMs from Isaiah Thomas to Phil Jackson have come and gone. 

But it wasn't until James Dolan hired Leon Rose in 2020 that things began to turn around. Rose immediately went to work rebuilding an organization that had become the laughingstock of the league. His first decision was to hire Tom Thibodeau as head coach that summer. In Thibs first season, the Knicks made the playoffs, losing in five to the Atlanta Hawks. Though it was a bitter defeat, a foundation had been laid.

Over the next few years, Rose made several significant moves. In the summer of 2022, he cleared enough cap space to sign Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract; a move that was widely criticized at the time as an overpay. Then at the '23 trade deadline, he acquired Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers for Cam Reddish. Over the summer, he signed Donte DiVencenzo.

But his boldest moves were yet to come. In December of '23, Rose traded RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second round pick to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa. Then in the summer of '24. he traded five first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. Like the Brunson signing, this too was considered an overpay. But the final piece of the puzzle came right before the start of the 2024-25 season. In a stunner, he traded Julius Randle and DiVencenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. Rose had coveted the 7-0 center for years and now, at last, he had his man.

The Knicks would have their best postseason in a quarter century, beating the reigning champion Boston Celtics in six to advance the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. But the manner in which they lost to the Indiana Pacers - blowing a late fourth quarter double-digit lead in game one - did not sit well with Rose. He fired Thiboadeau and replaced him with Mike Brown.

Throughout the 2025-26 season, the Knicks displayed signs of a true contender. They won the NBA Cup in December, routed elite teams like the Denver Nuggets by 39 and the San Antonio Spurs by 25; the latter one of only three defeats the Spurs would suffer from February 1 through the end of the regular season. 

But there were also some bumps in the road. They barely beat a tanking Nets team and needed to come from behind to beat a Golden State Warriors team that was missing most of its starters. This dichotomy between greatness and underachievement was frustrating to watch, primarily because you never knew which Knicks team was going to show up. 

Going into the postseason, I wrote "the Knicks are capable of going all the way to the finals; they're also capable of being ousted in the first round." And after a game three loss that put the Hawks up 2-1, it was beginning to look like the latter was a very real possibility. The "Fire Mike Brown" contingent was in full force.

It was at that point that the Knicks had a come to Jesus moment. They went on a tear, the likes of which have rarely been seen by any New York area team. They won the next three against the Hawks, blowing them out by 51 points in game six. They then swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Both closeout games were ostensibly over by halftime.

The numbers are staggering. Of the Knicks twelve wins, eleven have been by double digits and five have been by 25 or more points; they've held their opponents to under 100 points seven times; and their point differential of +271 is the highest through three rounds in NBA history. Their defensive rating of 104.4 leads all postseason teams.

Leon Rose has done a masterful job assembling this roster, and Mike Brown has done an equally masterful job coaching it. This is not meant as a knock on Thibs, but no way in hell this team gets this far with him as coach. So dominant have they been that even some of their harshest critics have been forced to grudgingly admit that they are legit; though they still maintain that they had an easy path to the finals. Oh, well, you can't fix stupid, but you can sure as shit block it. 

Which is what I've been mostly doing. Nobody is going to rain on this parade. I've waited 27 years for this moment and I'll be damned if I'm going to let the haters take away my joy. I haven't felt this way about a team I root for since the '86 Giants went through the NFL like shit through a goose.

I believe in these players, and I believe they have what it takes to go all the way, regardless of which team they face in the finals. As for who that might be, I'm done projecting. I wanted the Raptors in the first round; I got the Hawks. I wanted the Celtics in the second round; I got the Sixers. I wanted the Pistons in the conference finals; I got the Cavs. At this point, I could care less who they play.

The New York Knicks are in the finals! 

They are four wins away from their first NBA championship since 1973. 

That was 53 years ago. 

What Could Leon Rose Be Thinking?

While we wait to see whether the Dallas Mavericks grant the New York Knicks permission to "speak" with Jason Kidd concerning their head coaching vacancy, and whether, if it's granted, the two teams can agree on compensation, another even bigger story has emerged that, if true, threatens to undermine everything this organization has built up over the last three seasons.

As you're probably aware by now, it was recently revealed that the Knicks attempted to acquire Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline last March. Obviously, the deal never went through, but according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Knicks are still in the market for KD's services, along with several other teams, it should be pointed out.

The Suns have been a huge disappointment over the last two years, and this season failed to make the playoffs. Going into the 2025-26 season, they are $11 million over the second apron with only ten players signed. To put that in perspective, the Knicks are $8 million under the second apron with eleven players signed. What that means is that the Suns are in what is commonly referred to as cap hell with a bad team that will be severely restricted from making improvements to the roster. This is unsustainable.

The 800 pound gorilla in the room, however, is Durant's contract, which is an astonishing $54.7 million. Any team looking to add him to their roster would have to send an equal dollar amount the other way. There's only one player on the Knicks who fits that bill, and that's Karl-Anthony Towns. The 7-0 center, who Leon Rose traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for last September, is due to earn $53.1 million next season. Ideally, the Suns would like to get more than just one player in exchange for KD, but that would mean the Knicks would have to package two players in the deal, further shortening an already short bench.

Let me just go on record right now as saying that this trade, if it were pulled off, would be one of the worst in franchise history. As talented as KD is, he does not get the Knicks any closer to an NBA championship; indeed, he could move them further away from it. Let me explain.

For starters, Towns has gotten a lot of criticism for the way he performed in this year's playoffs, almost all of it undeserved. True, there were a few games in which he was a non-factor. But overall, he was a net positive for this team. In the Pacers series, he practically owned his counterpart, Myles Turner, the only Knick that can say that, by the way.

During the regular season, KAT averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. The only center in the NBA with a better slash line was Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. You don't trade players like that; you surround them with complimentary talent, which is what Rose should be doing.

If the Knicks were to trade KAT, they would have a gaping hole at the five spot that would have to be filled by Mitchell Robinson, who has a history of getting injured, and Ariel Hukporti, who is, as yet, still an unproven player. And in return, they would get an aging forward who has, at most, maybe another two seasons left in the tank before he calls it a career.

What could Rose be thinking even entertaining such a deal? This has James Dolan written all over it. I was willing to give the Knicks owner the benefit of the doubt over the Thibodeau firing, but if the Knicks are actually stupid enough to pull the trigger on this trade, then this will be yet another example of him screwing up this franchise, just like he did with the Rangers four years ago when he fired John Davidson and Jeff Gordon because he was unhappy with the pace of the rebuild. The man thinks he knows something about sports. The fact is had it not been for his father Charles, old Jimbo wouldn't be a flee on a donkey's ass.

Let's hope sanity prevails and Rose directs his attention to where it belongs: hiring a coach that can take this team to the next level, and fortifying a depleted bench so that his best players don't look like rag dolls by the fourth quarter. Regarding the latter, the Utah Jazz have let it be known that they are fielding offers for Walker Kessler. Deuce McBride, Hukporti and the 2026 and 2032 first round picks might be enough to get it done. I'd much rather have Kessler backing up KAT than either Hukporti or Mitch, wouldn't you? And with the savings from Robinson's contract, whom I assume they wouldn't need anymore, the Knicks could find a way to bring back DiVincenzo, thus reuniting the Nova Four.

That makes a helluva lot more sense than trading for a fading star, doesn't it?

Knicks Playoff Preview (Round One)

The 2025 NBA postseason is upon us, and for the second year in a row, the New York Knicks have won at least 50 games. But that's where the similarity ends.

There's no debating that the 2024-25 Knicks are more talented than the 2023-24 Knicks. The offseason trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns have vastly improved their offense. Last season, they were 19th in the league in scoring, averaging 112.8 points per game; this season, they're 9th, averaging 115.8 ppg.

However, their success on the scoresheet has come at the expense of their defense. Last season, they allowed the second fewest points per game with 108.2; this season, they've allowed the 9th fewest points with 111.7.

But it's not just the defensive slippage that is a concern. For most of this season, the Knicks have struggled to find their identity. Last season, their tenaciousness on both ends of the court made them one of the most exciting teams in the NBA to watch. They made their opponents sweat for every bucket they made. Too often this season, opponents have been left wide open to make their shots. New York's perimeter defense is among the worst in the league.

And then there's the bench, or lack thereof. To acquire Towns, Leon Rose was forced to give up Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Randle was a starter, so that was a wash, but DiVo was a valuable cog in Tom Thibodeau's rotation last season. Losing him hurt. When you factor in that Mitchell Robinson didn't return until March, that meant that the starters were forced to play more minutes than they should have. 

How significant was this? The Knicks had three players in the top five in minutes played this season: Josh Hart (37.6), Bridges (37.0) and OG Anunoby (36.6). To put that in perspective, the Denver Nuggets had two in the top 10 and the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves each had one a piece. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the NBA, didn't have a single player in the top 25 in minutes played, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34.2) is the presumptive MVP of the league.

What that means is that Thibs' starters enter the playoffs with a lot of mileage on their sneakers. And they're going up against a first-round opponent in the Detroit Pistons that is younger, bigger and considerably deeper, with a chip on its shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon. On paper, the Knicks are the better team; but playoff series aren't won on paper, they're won on the court.

I won't mince words here. There's a lot riding on this series. The Knicks entered the season with high expectations and they have struggled mightily against teams with winning records. During the regular season, they went 1-3 against Detroit and a combined 0-10 against OKC, Cleveland and Boston. After failing to get past the second round the last two postseasons, a first-round exit will not be well received by James Dolan, who is already in a foul mood over the way the Rangers imploded this season. I'm not saying Thibodeau's job is in jeopardy, but let's just say that while losing to the Celtics in five would be disappointing - but not totally unexpected - losing to the Pistons under any conditions would be an unmitigated disaster.

So how do the Knicks prevent that from happening? I believe the best way to counter the Pistons size advantage is for Thibs to start both KAT and Robinson together in the front court. Doing so allows OG to switch back to small forward, where he is far more effective. It also means Hart comes off the bench along with Landry Shamet, who, let's face it, is a more reliable shooter than Deuce McBride. Thibs also has to play Precious Achiuwa more than just a few minutes. Achiuwa isn't much of a scorer, however his size and rebounding will be essential in this series.

But for the Knicks to advance, Mikal Bridges has to produce, and by produce I mean score more than 6-10 points per game. Rose gave up five first round draft picks to the Nets to acquire what he and everyone else thought would be the third option on this team. There have been times this season when he has been virtually invisible. That cannot happen in this series. The Pistons will almost certainly attempt to double team Jalen Brunson and Towns. The only way to make them pay is for Bridges to put the ball in the hoop. Taking six shots like he did against the Lakers earlier in the season is unacceptable.

The pressure is all on the Knicks and deservedly so. The Pistons are playing with house money. After being one of the worst teams in the NBA the last five seasons, nobody expects them to win. Even ESPN - the network that loves bashing the orange and blue as much as possible - has New York prevailing. But I expect a long and grueling series. Knicks in seven.

Here's how I expect the rest of the first round matchups to go.

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland over Miami or Atlanta in four: The Cavs should romp regardless of who they play. 

Boston over Orlando in five: The Magic boast the best defense in the league. It won't be enough against the Celtics.

Indiana over Milwaukee in six: The Pacers have superior depth and that should be enough.

Western Conference:

Oklahoma City over Dallas or Memphis in five: AD would make things interesting, but the Thunder will prove to be too much.

Houston over Golden State in seven: The Warriors will have the two best players in this series; the Rockets will have the size and bench strength to prevail. 

LA Lakers over Minnesota in six: LeBron and Luka against Ant-Man. Should make for an excellent series. 

LA Clippers over Denver in six: For the first time in four years Kawhi Leonard is fully healthy going into the playoffs. 

If the Knicks advance, I'll preview the second round. If not, my prediction is OKC to win it all.

The Randle Injury - One Year Later

It was Saturday, January 27, 2024, and the New York Knicks were in the process of routing the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden for their 6th win in a row. Julius Randle was driving to the basket when he was fouled by Jamie Jaquez with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter. The power forward tumbled to the floor, grabbing his right shoulder; the first sign that something was very wrong. You could've heard a pin drop in the building as his teammates helped him up and he raced to the locker room, hunched over in obvious pain. 

The preliminary reports said that Randle had suffered a dislocated right shoulder and that he would be out approximately 2-3 weeks. As it turned out, 2-3 weeks was extremely optimistic. Randle wound up missing the rest of the season, including the playoffs. He would eventually undergo surgery. 

The Knicks, even without Randle, finished with a record of 50-32, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. But depleted by injuries to other players, including O.G. Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, they simply ran out of gas against the Indiana Pacers in the second round, and lost the series in seven games, leaving their fans to wonder what might've been.

Imagine for a moment that Tom Thibodeau had pulled Randle out of the game with 5:29 left and the score 112-96? The Heat, for all intents and purposes, looked cooked that night - pardon the pun. Of all the criticisms Thibs has faced over the years, the one that has stuck is that he tends to ride his starters like a bronco bull.

Imagine a season in which Randle is healthy. Instead of winning 50 games, the Knicks win 55, maybe more. They go into the playoffs with a starting rotation of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Anunoby, Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein, with Donte DiVincenzo, Precious Achiuwa, Deuce McBride, Bojan Bogdanović and Robinson coming off the bench. They most certainly would've beaten the Pacers, and they likely would've extended the Boston Celtics to a seventh game before losing.

Of course the real question is whether, given that "what if" scenario, Leon Rose would've pulled the trigger on the KAT deal? There's no doubt that since his arrival from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns has been a tremendous addition to this lineup. And with Hartenstein signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer, he has given the Knicks something they haven't had since the days of Patrick Ewing. A center that can score AND rebound.

Maybe it wouldn't have made any difference at all. Maybe once Hartenstein bolted, the die was already cast. It's no secret that the Knicks had been pursuing Towns for well over a year. And with Robinson's return date still up in the air, I seriously doubt Rose would have entrusted the center position to a rotation of Randle, Achiuwa and Jericho Sims.

But given the lack of production from the bench, it's fair to say that a roster that included DiVincenzo would've been deeper, even if it was weaker overall, if that makes any sense. And let's be honest, some of the losses the Knicks have suffered this season were a direct result of a non-productive bench and an overworked starting rotation. This is unsustainable. Either Thibs starts trusting his bench more, or Rose has to make a trade to strengthen it. 

With the Knicks up against the second apron, it's going to have to be the former. Fortunately, Thibs appears to have gotten the memo - finally. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, he went to his bench early and often. The result was a season-high 52 points from the bench. Of course, the Knicks blew out the Grizzlies, but the point is the starters didn't have to play 38 - 40 minutes, like they've been doing most games. Brunson actually sat out the entire fourth quarter.

The goal for the Knicks in the second half of the season should be to have the starters average no more than 34 minutes per game. To do that, the bench has to produce when they're on the court. The more they contribute, the more Thibs will trust them. But the reverse is also true: the more Thibs trusts his bench, the more productive they will likely be. It cuts both ways.

For now, though, the Knicks are 31-16, pending the outcome of tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets. That's good for 5th best in the NBA, even with a low-scoring bench. When / if Robinson comes back, they will be even better and deeper. 

2024-25 Knicks Preview

Teacher: "What did you do over the summer, Leon?"

Leon Rose: "I transformed the New York Knicks from playoff contender to championship contender."

Teacher: "Class dismissed."

In what will go down as one of the most active offseasons in Knicks history, Rose didn't just tweak the roster, he remade it. 

To be clear, the consensus last season was that had Julius Randle been healthy, and had OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson not gotten injured in the second round, New York would've beaten the Indiana Pacers and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Boston Celtics. So, basically, Rose took a long, hard look at that roster and concluded that, even healthy, the Knicks weren't good enough to contend with the Celtics.

Whether you agree with that assessment or not, it's clear Rose wasn't about to take any chances. So he got out his chisel and went to work. The acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Townes over the summer have given Tom Thibodeau the most talented starting five he's ever had as Knicks head coach. And Rose managed to do all this while staying under the second apron.

Just compare this season's starting lineup with the one that could've started had it been healthy:

Brunson
Hart
Bridges
Anunoby
Townes

vs.

Brunson
DiVincenzo
Anunoby
Randle
Robinson

Of course those acquisitions came at a steep price. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were integral to the Knicks success last season, especially DiVo, whose last minute three pointer saved the Knicks from what surely would've been a game-two loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Who knows what would've happened in that series without him in the lineup. But once Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rose had no choice but to pull the trigger on Townes, especially with Mitchell Robinson not expected to return until January.

So, now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Is this Knicks team better than last year's Knicks team? In a word, yes. Not only are they better, but once this group of players gets fully acclimated to each other, Knicks fans are going to love what they see on the court. The reason I say this is because when you introduce two new players like Bridges and KAT, it'll take some time for them to mesh with Thib's system. I would not be surprised at all if they got off to a 5-5 start. But once they get rolling, this team will be near the top in the Eastern Conference standings.

Indeed, the real issue I see will be the bench where Deuce McBride will handle most of the load as the 6th man. With Precious Achiuwa out for the first 2-4 weeks with a hamstring injury, it'll be up to Thibs to find a suitable replacement. Once Robinson returns, the Knicks will be set at center.

Last year, I picked the Knicks to finish 5th in the East. They wound up finishing 2nd. This year, I'm going to be a bit more bullish. Assuming no major injuries to KAT or OG - always a risk given both players history - 55 wins is not an unreasonable expectation. 

Below are my predictions for each conference, as well as my predictions for which teams will make it to the conference finals and who will win it all.

Eastern Conference:

Celtics

Knicks

Bucks
Sixers
Pacers
Cavaliers
Magic
Heat

Western Conference:

Thunder
Timberwolves
Nuggets
Mavericks
Grizzlies
Suns
Kings
Lakers

Eastern Conference finals:
Knicks over the Celtics 4-3

Western Conference finals:
Thunder over the Timberwolves 4-3

NBA Finals:
Knicks over the Thunder 4-3

The Knicks Bold and Risky Move

Let's be honest: the moment Isaiah Hartenstein departed for Oklahoma City, Leon Rose knew he had to fill that vacancy. Even healthy, Mitchell Robinson is, at best, an adequate center. His excellent defense notwithstanding, nothing about his game would put the fear of God into an opponent. And in a conference that boasts the likes of Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porziņģis and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks needed to improve their front court if they were going to go from playoff team to title contender.

With Danny Ainge unwilling to trade Lauri Markkanen without getting a king's ransom in return, Rose turned his gaze elsewhere. It's no secret that Karl-Anthony Towns had been on the Knicks radar for some time. Last summer, there were rumors of a straight up swap involving Julius Randle. But then the rumors died down and Rose elected to address other needs on the roster. The additions of OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa definitely improved the team, but the result was still the same: another disappointing second round exit. The acquisition of Mikal Bridges over the summer addressed the backcourt, but there was still a hole at center. Rose's next move had to be bold, and he didn't disappoint.

The final details are still being worked out, but the principal players involved are Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Towns. Minnesota also receives a first round pick via Detroit. Losing DiVencenzo hurts, especially after the way he played against the Philadelphia 76ers in last year's playoffs. But let's face it: once the Knicks got Bridges, DiVo became a bench player. And while Randle has been the heart and soul of this team since his arrival, Towns is the more complete player. With Robinson not expected to return until late December, who would you rather see at the 5: Randle or Towns?

The significance of this move cannot be overstated. Too many times last season, the Knicks were reliant on Brunson to carry the load. He was double and sometimes triple-teamed. Having Bridges at the 2 will distribute some of that load. But having a bonafide scoring center will make this team very hard to defend. Think about it: the Knicks now have three players capable of putting up 25 plus points per game. Over the last two years, Rose has transformed this franchise into a legitimate contender.

Look, are there risks involved in making this trade? Of course there are. As in any team sport, chemistry is essential. Both Randle and DiVincenzo were well respected in the locker room; they will be missed. Towns will have to earn the respect of his teammates, as well as the trust of his coach. The fact that he once played for Tom Thibodeau should help with his transition into the lineup.

Then there's Towns' history of injuries. He missed 20 games last season and only played in 29 the season before. The Knicks are hoping he can return to the form he showed in 2021-22, where he appeared in 74 games, averaged 53 percent from the field, scored 24.6 points per game and was named All NBA 3rd Team.

And, finally, there's the money. With this trade, the Knicks payroll goes up to $188.5 million, just $400k shy of the second apron, which is the absolute max a team can be at under the CBA without incurring penalties. So if anybody gets hurt, Rose will have to get creative to find a replacement.

But all that aside, this a great day for Knicks fans. This is a roster that can go toe to toe with the elite teams in the NBA. They not only can give the reigning champ Boston Celtics a run for their money, as of now, you'd have to consider them the favorites in a best of seven series.

Until Robinson returns, the Knicks starting lineup will probably look like this: Brunson, Bridges, OG, Hart and KAT. If you're wondering why Hart would play the 4, it's because he did so on numerous occasions last season when Randle was out. As is typical with Thibs, it'll be a short bench.

Opening night is October 22 at Boston. Circle it on your calendar.

Introducing the Nova Knicks

Well, Leon Rose finally made his big move. On the eve of the NBA Draft, he sent five first round picks - four of them unprotected - a second round pick and Bojan Bogdanovic to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. The trade many people - myself included - speculated might happen, has finally become a reality. Turns out dogs and cats do sleep together.

Bridges joins fellow Villanova Wildcat alums Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo in what promises to be a very dynamic and diversified offense. Head coach Tom Thibodeau loves players that can play multiple positions and that can rotate in and out of the starting lineup. With Bridges and Hart, he has two players that can play the 2 or the 3. That means both players can be on the court along with Brunson. It also gives the Knicks four exceptionally strong wing men that can score and defend.

Forget the draft picks. The Knicks had eleven first rounders before the trade; now they have six. What was Rose supposed to do with them, hang them on his office wall and stare at them? The idea that there was some mythical trade out there that he was supposed to wait for is nice, but ultimately unsubstantiated. For all we know, this was the best deal he was going to get, and even that wouldn't have gotten done had Bridges not made it clear to the Nets that he wanted out of Brooklyn and his preference was the Knicks. The Monday-morning quarterback contingent needs to cool their jets.

The real problem for Rose isn't draft capital, it's cap space. Because of the way this trade went down, the Knicks had only $50 million left in hard cap space with which to compete their roster. With the addition of Bridges, they had just 10 players under contract for the 2024-25 season. The NBA minimum is 14. OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa were among those who still were unsigned, and all three had played pivotal roles in this team's success last season.

Well, strike one free agent off the list. Earlier today, the Knicks re-signed Anunoby to a 5-year, $212.5 million deal. While the average annual value is $42.5 million, the way the contract is structured, the cap hit for year one is only $36.7 million.

The significance of this signing cannot be overstated. Anunoby, who opted out of the last year of his contract, could easily have signed a max deal with another team. There was talk that the Philadelphia 76ers were very much interested in acquiring his services. Daryl Morey would've liked nothing better than to snatch him away from New York. You could just see the headlines in the Philly press.

Losing OG to the Sixers would've been devastating for this organization. It would've meant that the Knicks basically gave up RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for what amounted to a rental. Now that won't happen. A crucial piece of this team has been locked up for the next five years. And if Rose can get creative over the next few days, he might be able to pull another rabbit or two out of his hat. 

Because New York owns the early-bird rights to Hartenstein, the most they can offer him is a four-year contract at $72.5 million. That comes out to an average of $18 million per year. A team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who desperately need a physical center, could easily offer him five years at $25 million per. But like Anunoby, maybe I-Hart takes less to remain with the Knicks. Who knows? Perhaps the luster of chasing a championship is worth more to him than a few extra million bucks. Moving Mitchell Robinson would give the Knicks the cap space they need to get this done.

Yes, Leon Rose had himself a good day yesterday, and an even better one today. He not only landed his number one offseason target, he held on to one of his best players. But his work isn't done. In fact, you could say it's just beginning.

Knicks Running on Fumes in Indiana

The final outcome in game four of Eastern Conference semifinals was never in doubt. The Indiana Pacers routed the New York Knicks 121-89. They led by 20 after one, 28 at the half, 38 after three, and 42 early in the 4th quarter. The Knicks led once in this game: 2-0 in the opening minute. Here's all you needed to know about how bad things went for the Knicks: Alec Burks was their leading scorer at halftime with 11 points. The Nova triplets? They finished a combined 1-13 from downtown.

The series is now tied at two, with game five at the Garden Tuesday night. Just based on what we saw on Sunday, it could well be the last home game for the Knicks. Seriously, you'd have to be the world's most incurable optimist to believe this team will be able to summon the energy needed to extend this series to seven games, much less advance to the conference finals. Let's face it: they looked gassed out there against a healthier and much deeper Indiana team.

You could see this series starting to slip away in the 4th quarter of game three. The Knicks led 90-85 after the 3rd quarter, and 98-89 with 9:46 to go in the 4th. They would make only two more jumps shots the rest of the way, getting outscored 26-16 in the quarter and losing 111-106. For only the second time in these playoffs, the Knicks failed to close out a game in which they led in the 4th quarter. Think about that. A team that, sans game five of the Sixers series, has owned the 4th quarter, got owned.

And now this incredibly resilient team, which has lost half its roster and more closely resembles a walking MASH unit, has to pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat in order to keep their postseason dreams alive. And just to be clear, if the Knicks lose game five, there will be no game seven. The Pacers will close it out in six.

This wasn't the way it was drawn up. After the trade with Toronto, the Knicks had a front court of Isaiah Hartenstein, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, a back court of Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVencenzo, and a bench that included Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa and Deuce McBride. Then Randle went down, followed by Anunoby. Leon Rose added two more pieces to the puzzle in Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic with the hope that Randle, Anunoby and maybe even Mitchell Robinson would return in time for the playoffs. On paper, this had the makings of a genuine championship contender; at the very least a conference finalist.

But Randle never did come back; and while Anunoby did, his injury in game two of the Pacers series, coupled with the injuries to Robinson and Bogdanovic in the Sixers series, has all but crippled this team. Coach Tom Thibodeau, facing a depleted bench, has been forced to play his starters 45 plus minutes per game. The wear and tear is finally taking its toll. All the perspiration in the world can't overcome exhaustion; and right now the Knicks look exhausted. To quote a passage out of the Bible, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The good news? Regardless of what happens in this series, the future of this franchise looks very promising. Randle will be back, as will Anunoby and Robinson. Rose still has all his first round draft picks that he can use to land a proven scorer who can be the third option - perhaps even the second option - to Brunson and Randle. That this team managed to win 50 games this season mostly on spit and polish is a testament to its work ethic. Fully healthy, they could easily win 55 to 60 games next season.

But for now they still have to contend with the Pacers for at least two more games. The Garden faithful will be in their corner Tuesday night, as they have pretty much all season. 

Will it be enough? We shall see.

Knicks Avoid the Unthinkable

This time around, the New York Knicks didn't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This time around, they took care of business. They made their last four free throws; they fouled when they were supposed to; and they didn't when they weren't. In a game that saw them jump out to a 33-11 first quarter lead and trail 71-61 midway through the 3rd, the Knicks played about as perfect a fourth quarter as they've played all season long and, as a result, they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 Thursday night to take the series four games to two.

Make no mistake about it, this was a must win for New York. Yes, they still had a game seven at the Garden to fall back on. But let's be honest: after suffering a crushing last minute loss in game five, a loss in game six would've shifted all the momentum of this series to the Sixers. And there's no way in hell the Knicks were going to take that chance.

On a night when their bench was outscored by the Sixers bench 42-5, the starters led the way. Jalen Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists; Donte DiVencenzo, who'd been missing in action since game two, had his best game of the series with 23 points and seven assists; Josh Hart led all players with 14 rebounds and drilled a critical three pointer with 25 seconds left to put the Knicks ahead for good; and OG Anunoby contributed with 19 points to go along with nine boards.

But Brunson was the star of the show; indeed the entire series. The Knicks MVP became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1973 to record 35 or more points and 10 or more assists three times in a best of seven series. When you think about how many great players the NBA has had over the years - Julius Irving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry - that Brunson is the only one to tie Robertson's record is quite a feat. He continues to confound his skeptics while dazzling his fans.

To truly appreciate what Brunson has meant to this Knicks team just consider that before Julius Randle went down at the end of January, Brunson was averaging 26.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. Since then, he's averaged 31.6 points and 7.1 assists per game. If you prorate that over an entire year, that would make Brunson second in the NBA scoring, ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and 10th in assists, ahead of Damian Lillard, you know, the guy Stephen A. Smith wanted the Knicks to get instead of Brunson. And to think there were those who ripped Leon Rose for overpaying for this guy. That $104 million contract now looks like the steal of the decade.

So now this incredibly resilient team, with its MVP and depleted bench, gets a few days off to prepare for the Indiana Pacers on Monday. The last time these two teams met was 2013 in the second round. The Pacers won that series 4-2. The Knicks would like nothing more than to avenge that loss. 

It won't be easy. The Pacers had the number one offense in the NBA during the regular season, averaging 123.3 points per game. And unlike the Sixers, they have a bench that can score, led by former Knick Obi Toppin. The good news for New York is that while Indiana can score, they also had the fourth worst defense in the league, surrendering an average of 120.2 points per game. Compare to the Pacers, the Sixers are practically the 1963-64 Boston Celtics!

My second round preview will be forthcoming. Suffice to say this will be tough test for the Knicks; even tougher than the Sixers. Tom Thibodeau has his work cut out for him.

28.9 Seconds

There's no way to sugar coat what happened at Madison Square Garden last night. The New York Knicks were 28.9 seconds away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Deuce McBride had just nailed a 14 foot jump shot to put them ahead 96-90. The crowd was going wild. Yours truly was pumping his fists in the air for joy.

And then...

Then the roof caved in. The most disciplined team in the NBA unravelled like cheap sackcloth. They made error after error and wound up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.

Let's go through each of them.

One: After the Sixers called their final time out, Tyrese Maxey took the inbounds pass and was fouled by Mitchell Robinson while making a three point shot. Maxey made the free throw to cut the Knicks lead to two. Every basketball player from high school on knows that when you're up by six with under a minute to go you don't foul under any circumstances. Robinson had no business being anywhere near Maxey. He should've been under the basket to secure the rebound in case Maxey missed. Terrible lack of judgement.

Two: After the Knicks inbounded the ball, Josh Hart was fouled with 15.1 seconds left. All he had to do was make both free throws and the Knicks would've been up by four. Instead he missed one, thus giving the Sixers life.

Three: With the Knicks up by three and the Sixers out of timeouts, Maxey dribbled the ball across half court and drilled a 34-foot three pointer to tie the score at 96. Mike Breen, who called the game on MSG Network, said the Knicks could not let Maxey take that shot. But that's exactly what they did. Instead of fouling him when he was in the backcourt and letting him make two free throws, they gave Maxey a chance to tie the game, which he did. Unconscionable.

Four: With 8.1 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Knicks elected not to call their last time out to set up a play. Instead, Jalen Brunson took the inbounds and dribbled the ball up court where he took a wild shot that was blocked out of bounds with no time left on the clock. 

We all know what happened in the overtime; that's not the point. The point is the game should never have gone to overtime in the first place. 

And, no, this collapse was not, as Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said on ESPN's First Take, the same as what happened to the Sixers in game two. In that game, after Brunson made his three pointer to pull the Knicks to within two, there was a sequence of events that happened in quick succession, beginning with a bad inbounds pass by Kyle Lowry and a loose-ball scramble that led to two three-pointer attempts by Donte DiVincenzo; the latter finally going in. The whole sequence took 14 seconds. Before the Sixers knew what hit them, they went from leading by five to trailing by one.

The Knicks had numerous opportunities to recalibrate, gather themselves and prevent this collapse. Their poor judgment and lack of execution was what did them in. And now they have to go to Philly to play a game six instead of resting up and preparing for the winner of the Milwaukee / Indiana series. And don't assume they win that game. You think the Sixers are going to lose two out of three in their building? If I were a betting man, I'd say we're heading back to the Garden for a game seven.

And here's the thing: even if the Knicks manage to advance, what this series has revealed is that, apart from Brunson - who scored 40 in a losing effort - this is an offensively challenged team. Face it: once Julius Randle went down with that shoulder injury, the Knicks no longer had a genuine second option to go to. DiVencenzo has been inconsistent pretty much all season; with the exception of game two where he put up 19 points, he's been virtually invisible this entire series. And while Hart has contributed on the boards, his offense sometimes has a nasty habit of disappearing as well. Think about it: were it not for the 42 points the bench scored in game one, New York would be trailing 3-2 in this series instead of leading 3-2.

In retrospect, it was a mistake for Leon Rose not to go after someone like Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline. Yes, it probably would've cost him multiple first round picks, but it would've been worth it. Unlike DiVencenzo, who, let's be honest, is more of a sixth man than a starter, Murray is a  bonafide star who averages 22.5 points per game. "Can you imagine a backcourt of Brunson and Murray?" I wrote back in January.

Regardless of how this series ends up, Rose must do everything in his power to land a scorer during the offseason. For the Knicks to be legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, they must have multiple options on the court. Right now they have only one.

Nova Prime

On the same night the New York Knicks found out that Julius Randle's season was officially over, they could've rolled over and phoned it in. And for a while there against the Sacramento Kings, it looked as if they were about to do just that. They trailed the Kings 39-20 early in the second quarter at the Garden. Losers of three straight, they were well on their way to their fourth.

But then this incredibly resilient, but undermanned, group of athletes found an inner resolve and refused to lose. They outscored the Kings 100-70 the rest of the way to improve their record to 45-31. The victory allowed them to keep pace with the Orlando Magic, who had beaten the New Orleans Pelicans the night before.

Leading the way for the Blue and Orange was the awesome threesome from Villanova: Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. The three combined for 87 of New York's 120 points. But though Brunson led all scorers with 35 points, it was Hart's 31 that proved the most consequential. Hart has been coach Tom Thibodeau's Swiss army knife all season long. His versatility has allowed Thibs to play him at either the 2, 3 or 4. Not noted for his scoring prowess, last night's production was sorely needed and much appreciated by his teammates.

Indeed, while Brunson continues to prove his detractors wrong, amid the chants of "MVP," it's the production of DiVincenzo and Hart that have allowed this Knicks team to flirt with second place in the Eastern Conference, even after Randle and OG Anunoby went down at the end of January. And any hope they have of winning a round or two in the postseason will hinge on how well these three incredibly talented players perform. 

Thibodeau's decision to ostensibly go with four guards in his starting lineup the last few games is a tacit admission by him that he realizes the Knicks don't have an ice cube's chance in hell with a more conventional starting lineup. Let's face it: Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks have both been busts since their arrival from Detroit. The only bright spot is that at least Leon Rose didn't part with any of his first round picks to land them. But their failure to produce offense has forced Thibs to run his guards ragged. The other night in Miami, they looked gassed. How much longer he can afford to do this remains to be seen.

The good news for the Knicks is that of their remaining six games, three are against the Chicago Bulls and one is against the Brooklyn Nets. A record of 49-33 is certainly doable and just might be enough to secure the 4th seed in the East, which would give them the home court against the Magic. Who knows, if Anunoby makes it back in time for the playoffs, a deep run could still be in the offing.

It's nice to dream, isn't it?