Ya Gotta Have Hart

Don't let the Debbie Downers spoil the moment for you. Last night's game between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics at the Garden was huge, and not because of playoff seeding. Barring a miracle, the Cleveland Cavaliers have pretty much resigned themselves to a fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference, all but guaranteeing the Knicks and Celtics will meet in the second round; assuming, that is, both teams beat their respective first-round opponents. 

It was huge because this team, which has been the sports equivalent of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde most of the season, badly needed a statement win before going into the playoffs. And they got one. By beating the Celtics 112-106, the Knicks won the season series 3-1 and improved their record against teams with winning records to 28-22; last season, they went 0-4 and 12-22 respectively.

The difference isn't just in the won / loss record. Since January 21, the Knicks have the third best defensive rating in the league at 109.3. Last season, it was 11th best at 114.3. This season, they have a fourth quarter point differential of plus 236; last season, it was minus 82. Some of their wins have been epic: 114-89 over the Spurs and 142-103 over the Nuggets, while others have been pedestrian: 93-92 over the Nets and 110-107 over a depleted Warriors team. I've heard of keeping your powder dry, but this is ridiculous.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if the team that throttled the Spurs and Nuggets shows up in the playoffs, they'll make it to the conference finals, maybe even the league finals. But if the team that squeaked by the Nets and Warriors shows up in the playoffs, they'll go out in the first round. Now you know what I mean by Jekyll and Hyde. They're either ascending to the top of Mount Everest or they're sinking to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. There's no in-between. And the scary part is that on paper, only the Oklahoma City Thunder are deeper and more talented.

That's why these wins against teams like the Celtics are so crucial. The Knicks have a habit of playing up to or down to the level of their opponents, and beating a playoff-bound team that many are picking to win the East will do wonders for their psyche.

Last night it was Josh Hart who was the hero. He scored 23 of his game-high 26 points in the second half - including two three pointers in the closing minute - to propel his team to victory. To quote Stefan Bondy, "the Celtics dared Josh Hart to beat them. He obliged." But as clutch as Hart was, he had help. Jalen Brunson had one of his better games of the season with 25 points and 10 assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. It is essential that these two players work well together for the Knicks to have any hope of a deep playoff run.

Overall, New York outscored Boston 46-32 in the paint, and outshot them 54-45 percent from the field and 43-37 from three-point range. They also had a season-low seven turnovers to the Celtics 11. The only stat line they struggled with was on the boards, where the Celtics out rebounded them 42-30. As for Jalen Brown not being dressed, you play against the team that's on the court. If we're going to start qualifying Knicks wins, what about all those games Brunson, Towns, or Hart missed that the Knicks lost? Can we award them a couple more wins for being shorthanded? The bottom line is if a team can't win without its best player in the lineup, it doesn't deserve to be called a contender. 

Anyway, it was a win; an important win. And that's all that matters. 

John Harbaugh's First Test

John Harbaugh was having a pretty uneventful first few months on the job. He had assembled his coaching staff, signed some notable free agents like Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, Jason Sanders, Jordan Stout, Calvin Austin, Darnell Mooney and Cam Jones, and was preparing for what many Giants fans are hoping will be the first of many NFL Drafts as head coach and de facto president of football operations.

Then two days ago, Dexter Lawrence decided to spoil Harbaugh's honeymoon. The 340 pound defensive tackle, who was the 17th pick in the 2019 Draft, demanded a trade. Suffice to say the timing could not have been worse. While no one knows for sure what Harbaugh will do with the 5th pick, hold onto it or trade back to get additional picks, the general consensus was that he was leaning towards keeping Lawrence rather than moving him for additional draft capital. Now those plans appear to be up in the air. If Harbaugh can't satisfy Lawrence's contract demand - and the assumption is he's looking for a new one - he might have no option but to accommodate his wishes.

So, what would Lawrence fetch in a trade? If last year's Quinnen Williams deal is any indication, then the Giants should expect a first and second round pick, plus a defensive player. Of course there's one small problem with that analogy: the trade between the Jets and the Cowboys was made at the deadline, which is typically a seller's market. No such market exists here. Just the opposite, in fact. Every team in the league knows the spot the Giants are in. The last thing they're going to do is make it easy for them. If the best Harbaugh can get is a first round pick for Lawrence, he should take it and run. 

Of course he could wait until Draft Day. There's always a team out there looking to bolster their interior defense. And if Harbaugh can get an additional pick on top of a first for Lawrence, it might be worth the gamble. However, the reverse is also true; teams might try and lowball him, hoping to get a steal. In that event, Harbaugh would be up a creak without a paddle.

Lastly, Harbaugh could always call Lawrence's bluff. After all, he is signed through 2027 to a very team-friendly contract. $26.9 million may be below market value for a player with his talent, but it's considerably better than nothing, which is what Lawrence would get if he sat out the season. 

But does Harbaugh really want a player on his roster who's disgruntled, especially one as important as Lawrence? While he may have had an off year in 2025, he is still considered one of the better defensive tackles in the game. And for a team that struggled mightily against the run last season, I'm not sure Harbaugh wants that kind of headache in his first year on the sidelines.

So the choices appear to be a) pay him what he wants, then write the contract in a way so that the cap hit is less than what it is now; b) get what you can for him in a trade, even if it's less than what he's worth; or c) call his bluff and hope he doesn't sit out or tank.

If I had to guess, I'd say Harbaugh opts for Plan A. At 28, Lawrence still has several good years left before his skills begin to diminish. A three-year deal at $105 million, with the first two years guaranteed, should do it. Both sides get what they want. The Giants solidify their defensive line with a manageable cap hit, and Lawrence gets the security he's been looking for.

If Harbaugh still needs to shed more salary, he can always trade Kayvon Thibodeaux. Indeed, prior to Lawrence's demand, the smart money was on the Giants moving Thibodeux on Draft Day for a second round pick. Now that's almost a certainty.

You know what they say: the best laid plans of mice and men.

Mike Brown's KAT Problem

"I'm still trying to figure out where I could impact our team and winning the most."

- Karl-Anthony Towns

75 games into the season and the Knicks number two scorer still doesn't know what his role on the team is. I don't want to sound like an alarmist here, but we're way past the point where this should be an issue. Typically, this late in the season, teams are fine tuning their systems, not redesigning them. If someone as valuable as KAT is saying something like this publicly, I can assure you Leon Rose cannot be happy. And if Rose isn't happy, you can bet the ranch James Dolan isn't either. 

I have given Mike Brown the benefit of the doubt on more than one occasion. In my opinion, he has been an improvement over his predecessor Tom Thibodeau. He has cut down on the minutes the starters were playing, has increased the number of players in his rotation and, most notably, gotten a team that was fourteenth in defensive rating last season to seventh this season. Indeed, since January 21, the Knicks are first in the NBA in defensive rating.

He has also managed to do something Thibs couldn't do: get Towns and Jalen Brunson to defend. Since January 21, KAT's defensive rating is 104.5 and Brunson's is 111.9; last season, it was 110.3 and 118.2 respectively. It was no secret that in last year's Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers took advantage of both players whenever they were on the court. So bad was it that Thibs was forced to move KAT to the 4 and start Mitchell Robinson at the 5 once the series shifted to Indiana.

But while Brown deserves accolades for the defensive turnaround, there's no excuse for one of his players not knowing what his role is. We're not talking about a bench player here. We're talking about a 7-0 center who, last season, averaged 24.4 points per game and shot 42 percent from three-point range. Only Nikola Jokic averaged more points per game at that position.

There's also no excuse for Brown pulling that player out of a game in which his team was trailing by two late in the 4th quarter. Sunday night in OKC, the Thunder were leading 95-93 with 5:41 left in regulation. The Knicks were on a 12-3 run with Towns accounting for nine of their points. Thanks to a turnover by SGA, New York had the ball. That's when Brown inexplicably pulled his star center and inserted Mitchell Robinson in his place. Though the substitution was short-lived, the momentum had ostensibly been killed. KAT never scored another point. OKC would go on a 16-7 run to close out the game. 

It is incumbent upon a head coach to communicate to his players what his expectations are and what their roles will be. For most of the season, Towns has looked lost out on the court. He passes up shots that are there while forcing shots that aren't. Against the Thunder, he took only nine shots. To put that in perspective, Jose Alvarado took ten off the bench.

This was not some blow out; this was a close game that was winnable. The first rule in sports is you always go with your best lineup when the game is on the line. KAT was on a roll; no way he should've been substituted. While Robinson has many talents, offense isn't one of them. He had no business being on the court in that situation. His turnover two possessions later opened up the flood gates for OKC.

This isn't the first time Brown's tinkering with the rotation has been questioned. You could say it's been a season-long preoccupation of his. There's just one problem: this isn't November or December, it's March, about to become April. The tinkering should be over. The way this team is playing, they'd have a hard time making it out of the first round, let alone getting to the finals. And if they end up facing the Pistons in the conference finals, they might very well get swept.

Mike Brown was hired to get the Knicks over the hump. They entered the season as the prohibitive favorites to win the East. As of now, they're more likely to finish fourth than first. Not all of what's wrong is his fault; but the part that is he must fix, and fix soon. Otherwise, this season of high expectations will go up in smoke.

Just like all the others. 

ELIMINATED!

It was fitting that on a night when the Rangers actually played one of their better games of the season, it was their goaltending that let them down. Well, at least they had more than 10 shots on goal.

How the mighty have fallen. To think that only two years ago the Blueshirts won the Presidents' Trophy and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. In spite of what the analytics community was saying, they were legitimate Cup contenders, even if their window was one of the shortest in franchise history. 

And now, for the second straight season, there will be no playoff games at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were officially eliminated from postseason contention last night in Toronto. They are currently second from the bottom in the NHL standings. So much for "No Quit in New York." I hope J.T. Miller kept the receipts for those T-shirts. Maybe he can get a Happy Meal for them.

As you probably noticed, I haven't been writing much about the Rangers this season for two reasons: One, the Knicks have been a far better story; and two, there's only so much bile I can spit up. Watching this team brings new meaning to the term self abuse.

There are many culprits in this tragedy, but none more egregious than J.T. Miller. Captain Clunker is now sadly part of two of the worst trades in Rangers history: the first was when he was dealt to the Lightning in 2018 for a package that included Brett Howden; the second was when he was reacquired last year from the Canucks for Filip Chytil and a first round pick. Jesus, talk about double dipping. 

With a few rare exceptions, Miller has been brutal this season. How brutal? Without him in the lineup, the Rangers are 7-5-2; with him in the lineup, they're 21-30-7. Since his return from I.R., he has no goals and only 4 assists in seven games. During that span, New York is 1-5-1. Prior to that, they had won their last three games.

This wasn't what the Rangers envisioned when they brought him back to Broadway. Clearly, something is wrong. If he's injured, he shouldn't be playing; and if he isn't injured, there's no excuse for his performance. Either way, there's no justification for keeping a player making $8 million AAV through 2030 beyond this season. Chris Drury may not like retaining dead cap space on the books, but in this instance, he really has no other choice. He must buy out Miller's contract over the summer and rid the organization of an albatross that will cripple his efforts at rebuilding the roster.

Here's what a potential buy out for Miller would look like:

2026-27: $2.92m

2027-28: $5.42m

2028-29: $5.42m

2029-30: $2.92m

2030-31: $1.92m

2031-32: $1.92m

2032-33: $1.92m

2033-34: $1.92m

At first glance, this may seem like a lot of money to eat, but with the salary cap scheduled to go from $95.5 million to $104 million next season and $113.5 million the following year, it's not as bad as it looks. By year five the cap hit would be less than what a bottom six forward would cost. The alternative is keeping a subpar player on an aging contract who will only take valuable minutes away from a younger, more promising prospect. Better for Drury to cut his losses than to continue throwing good money after bad. This would be the no brainer of the decade.

Speaking of no brainers, it is imperative that the Rangers find out what they have in their pipeline. Continuing to dress players like Taylor Raddysh and Conor Sheary when you have players in Hartford that could be called up and looked at is absurd. With ten games to go in the season, Drury and Mike Sullivan need to give as much ice time as possible to these players.

To some extent, they've already begun to do that. Tye Kartye (who was claimed off waivers from the Kraken) has been a pleasant surprise, scoring 3 goals and 6 assists in 14 games with New York, and averaging 14 minutes per game playing on the third line. Jaroslav Chmelar is another young player who has 2 goals in 18 games. And last night, Adam Sykora made his NHL debut.

But the biggest, most pleasant surprise has come courtesy of the top six. Gabe Perrault has 4 goals and 9 assists this month; Mika Zibanejad, with 32 goals and 37 assists this season, is playing his best hockey since 2022-23; and Alexis Lafreniere has 11 goals and 10 assists since Artemi Panarin was traded to the Kings in January. Five of those goals have come on the power play. Over the last 13 games, the trio has 20 goals and 26 assists. In an otherwise lost season, they've been one of the few bright spots on this team.

Vincent Trocheck - who was almost traded - has 3 goals and 6 assists since the deadline. If Drury doesn't get a good enough offer for him over the summer, he should keep him. A 2C making $5.6 million is very manageable in this league, especially one who averages 60 points per season and wins 57 percent of his face offs.

Look, there's no way to sugar coat this. The Rangers are a bad team, and they will likely be a bad team for the foreseeable future. The best thing Drury can do is not make the same mistakes his predecessor made by taking short cuts. He needs to build through the draft, develop his young prospects, and when appropriate, make smart trades. That's the way most successful teams have done it. 

It's the way the Rangers did it under Emile Francis and Craig Patrick. 

2026 Mets Preview

Boy, David Stearns had himself a very busy offseason, didn't he? The Mets President and GM ostensibly turned over almost half of the roster from last year. Gone are Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, Ryan Stank, Ryan Helsey, Tyler Rogers, Cedric Mullins and Frankie Montas. Replacing them are Devin Williams, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr, Luke Weaver, Freddy Peralta, Richard Lovelady, Tobias Myers and Carson Benge. 

If you were vacationing the last four and a half months in a place that didn't have internet access - the moon, for instance - you're in for one helluva shock when you get your yearbook.

That 2025 was a huge disappointment would be putting it mildly. After signing Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15 year, $765 million contract, the Amazins were expected to not only make the postseason, but go all the way to the World Series. Instead, they endured a historic four-month implosion that began in mid-June. Clearly, some changes had to be made. The only question is will those changes be enough to wash the taste of last year out of the organization's mouth.

Frankly, I have my doubts. Don't get me wrong, the additions of Bichette, Polanco, Semien and Robert Jr will bring balance to a batting order that was top heavy last season. And for the first time in four years, the Mets finally have an ace in their starting rotation in Peralta. I'm also very high on Nolan McLean and think he has the potential to be an elite pitcher in the majors. 

But when I look objectively at this roster, there are some red flags. For one, defense. Robert Jr will be fine in center, as will Semien at second. But Bichette is a natural shortstop who's never played third, and if you thought Alonso was an adventure at first, Polanco has played exactly one inning - actually one pitch - at the position his entire professional career. For a GM who stressed run prevention at the conclusion of last season, you'd have to admit, that's a pretty odd way of addressing it.

Then there's the bullpen, which was the primary culprit in last season's implosion. Losing Diaz - the best closer the franchise has had since Billy Wagner - to the Dodgers for what amounted to $3 million over three years is THE definition of malpractice. Hoping Williams regains the form he had with the Brewers is the biggest gamble since Custer said, "One more for the road, boys."

The starting rotation is also problematic. After Peralta and Clay Holmes, the drop-off is immense. As I said above, I think McLean is legit, but what if he isn't? What if he needs another year at Syracuse? And then there's Kodai Senga. Can he rebound from a disastrous 2025, or is this it for him? As for David Peterson and Sean Manaea, who knows what to expect from them. You'd have to be an incurable optimist to think this rotation can carry a team all the way to a World Series. 

And then there's the manager. While Carlos Mendoza wasn't the architect of last season's train wreck, he has to shoulder some of the blame, most notably how he handled the pitching staff. Should this team get off to a poor start, like it did in 2024, it's hard to see him surviving to the All-Star Break. Fair or not, the expectations for this franchise are still high. A second consecutive season missing the playoffs will not be tolerated by Steve Cohen. 

Now for my predictions. Last year, the Mets finished 83-79; the year before that, they went 89-73. Mike Puma of The New York Post has them going 95-67 this season and winning the National League East. I'm a bit less bullish. I have them going 88-74. While that won't be enough to win the NL East, it should be enough to clinch a Wild Card spot. And if Senga and Williams regain their previous form, they could challenge the Phillies for the division. However, that's a big if.

Here's how I see each division breaking down:

NL East:

Phillies

Braves

Mets

Marlins

Nationals

NL Central:

Brewers

Cubs

Cardinals

Reds

Pirates

NL West:

Dodgers

Padres

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

AL East:

Blue Jays

Yankees

Red Sox

Orioles

Rays

AL Central:

Tigers

Guardians

Twins

Royals

White Sox

AL West:

Mariners

Rangers

Astros

Angels

A's

NL Wild Cards: Braves, Mets, Cubs

AL Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians

World Series: Blue Jays over Phillies 4-2

As with all my predictions, take them with a grain of salt. 

A very large grain of salt. 

Will the Real New York Knicks Please Stand Up?

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Just when you think you've figured out this Knicks team, they throw a curve Sandy Koufax would be proud of.

23-9, 2-9, 8-0, 4-4, 4-1, and now 1-2. 

I give up.

How can the same team that was responsible for the only loss the San Antonio Spurs have suffered since the beginning of February need a second-half comeback against a Utah Jazz team that was fined $500,000 by Adam Silver for tanking? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Exasperating doesn't begin to describe it. This team plays with all the consistency of a ship without a rudder. One minute, it's a championship contender; the next, it's a borderline play-in team. And the most frustrating thing about them is you never know which team is going to show up on any given night.

Even last night, the Jazz pretty much had their way with the Knicks in the first half, shooting 54 percent from the floor and 67 percent from three. Jalen Brunson went 1-8 and was a minus 16, while Mikal Bridges - the MIA player of the year - went 1-5 and was a minus 17.  If it hadn't been for Karl-Anthony Towns (5-9 / 15 points) this game would've been over by halftime.

Fortunately for the Knicks, they were playing the Jazz. That sense of urgency which had been missing in the first half, as well as against the Lakers and Clippers, suddenly appeared in the third quarter. Brunson woke up and scored 18 points, and Jordan Clarkson had himself a nice homecoming, scoring 19. In all, New York outscored Utah 78-52 in the second half and won going away.

But why did it have to come to that? Why does this team, which everyone agrees is loaded with talent, insist on playing down to the level of its opponents? That is the sixty-four thousand dollar question that must be answered satisfactorily by the playoffs or this dream season will come to a nightmarish ending.

It starts with having heart. No, not Josh Hart, who was out because of left-knee soreness, but good old-fashioned heart; the kind that championship-caliber teams display on a regular basis. If you can beat teams like the Spurs, Boston Celtics or Denver Nuggets handily, you should have no problem beating lottery teams like the Jazz or Indiana Pacers, who upset the Knicks at the Garden last month. 

The fact is games like this should never be in doubt. Yes, I realize that even the best teams occasionally have an off night or two, but with the Knicks, it's become something of an occupational hazard. You can almost predict when the next slump will occur. It typically happens right after a good stretch of games. If ever there was a team that couldn't stand prosperity, it's the Knicks. 

I have defended Mike Brown numerous times in this blog. In my opinion, he is a vast improvement over Tom Thibodeau. The proof is the Knicks record against the best teams in the NBA. Last season, they were 0-10 against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Thunder. This season, they're 4-3. Even with these last three games, the Knicks still have the best defensive rating in the league over their last 24 games.

But if there is one criticism that you can levy on Brown - and it is one that has plagued him throughout his coaching career - it's that he wants to be liked by his players. You can tell by his demeanor on the bench. He rarely, if ever, calls them out, even when they deserve it, like they did after that horrendous first quarter. Being calm, cool and collected is all fine and dandy, but every once in a while, you gotta be the bad cop. I'm not saying he has to be the second coming of Hubie Brown or Bobby Knight, but Jesus, even Thibs occasionally lost it now and then. There are worse things than hurting your players feelings; being eliminated in the first round, for instance.

One player whose feelings desperately need to be hurt is Mikal Bridges. The small forward has been a virtual no show the last three games, scoring a combined total of 12 points and posting a minus 34. So bad was he against the Jazz that Brown benched him in the fourth quarter. It is simply unacceptable for someone as valuable as Bridges to play that poorly. And let's be clear, this isn't the first time the player Leon Rose traded five first round picks for has gone AWOL. In fact, you could say he's been a repeat offender. 

The irony is that Bridges, for all his disappearing acts, has had some memorable moments. It was one year ago tonight that he had one of his best games as a Knick, scoring 33 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, including the deciding three pointer to propel New York to a 114-113 OT win. Earlier that season, he scored 41 points against the Spurs on Christmas Day at the Garden. The man has the talent; it's the will that's been lacking.

Brown must find a way to unleash that will. He has to risk hurting Bridges feelings so that the talent that's in him comes out more consistently. Mike Keenan was one of the toughest NHL coaches ever to work behind the bench. The man was, for all intents and purposes, a hard on. But in the Spring of 1994, that toughness was exactly what the Rangers needed to win their first Stanley Cup since 1940. Nice guys don't always finish last, but they seldom finish first.

Mike Brown doesn't have to be as tough as Mike Keenan in order to win a championship; but being Fred Rogers isn't going to cut it.

16-5

When last we checked, the New York Knicks had just gone 2-2 and appeared headed towards another skid, similar to the one they went through in January when they went 2-9. They had gotten their ass kicked by the Detroit Pistons - the third such beatdown this season - and had phoned it in against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In between, they needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Houston Rockets at home, and barely won against a Bulls team in Chicago that had lost eight in a row. As I wrote in my last piece, they could easily have gone 0-4.

Well, as the Monkees once sang, that was then, this is now. The Knicks have won four of their last five games, with three of those wins not remotely close. They routed a Milwaukee Bucks team that was 8-2 in their last ten, shocked a San Antonio Spurs team that had gone 11-0 in the month of February, and handed a Denver Nuggets team yours truly picked to go to the finals their worst home loss in more than two decades. The collective margin in all three of these wins was 383-290. The lone loss was a 103-100 thriller against the OKC Thunder at the Garden that would've been a win had the Knicks made just one extra three pointer and one extra free throw.

This is not a small sample size. We're talking about a quarter of a season here. Over the last 21 games, the Knicks have gone 16-5, and they've held their opponents to under 100 points ten times. Their defensive rating of 104.4 is the best in the league, per StatMuse. To put that in perspective, the Boston Celtics are second at 107.8, followed by the Spurs at 107.9; the Knicks have beaten both teams.

Last season, New York struggled against the top teams in the NBA. They were a collective 0-10 against the Celtics, Cavs and Thunder. So far this season, they're 4-3 against those teams. With last night's win in Denver, they're 17-10 against the top six teams in each conference; they've won four games by 35 or more points (a franchise record); seven games by 30 or more points, and eleven by 25 or more. The Thunder, last season's champions, have three, eight and 13 wins respectively.

While this has been a team effort, the biggest turnaround has come from none other than Karl-Anthony Towns. The much maligned center has been reborn under Mike Brown. It has taken a while, but KAT is playing his best basketball since he was acquired by Leon Rose in the summer of 2024. His offensive production may be down five points per game from last season, but he's been a force to be reckoned with in the paint. His defensive rating during this stretch is 100.3. Last season, it was 110.3.

Another player who's enjoyed something of a metamorphosis is Jalen Brunson. The Captain and NBA clutch player of the year last season, has become a distributor of the ball recently. Over the last three games, he has 40 assists, including 15 a piece against the Nuggets and Thunder. Getting Brunson to play more off the ball has been a goal of Brown since day one. Not only does it make it harder for opponents to double team him, it gets his teammates more involved in the offense. How effective has this strategy been? New York led Denver 65-52 at the half and Brunson had only two points. In all, the Knicks had 44 assists in the game, one shy of the franchise record.

Speaking of getting other players involved, Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet have been invaluable coming off the bench. The former is Rose's best deadline acquisition since Josh Hart and the latter was all but forgotten under Tom Thibodeau. With the depth on this roster and the emphasis on defense first, the Knicks are a legitimate threat to go deep in the playoffs. They've already proven they can hang with almost any team in the league.

Look, there's still plenty of time left in the regular season. As good as the Knicks have played during this stretch, they're still in third place in the Eastern Conference. one and a half games behind the Celtics, who now have a healthy Jayson Tatum back from an ACL injury he sustained in last year's second-round series against New York. And the Pistons - the Knicks kryptonite as I called them - are still solidly in first place. If these two teams meet in the conference finals, the winner could well be the next NBA champion.

Buckle up; shit's about to get real.