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. 

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.