“It’s time to lock in.”
I’ve been crucial of how locked this group has been this season, however in his post-game interview on ESPN, Jayson Tatum clearly is aware of what time it’s submit All-Star break. However do the New York Knicks? Now 0-7 in opposition to the top-3 groups in NBA, do they perceive that they’ll ultimately must dial in and beat groups just like the Boston Celtics?
And even when they do, are they even good?
Or are they simply enjoying their greatest gamers one bajillion minutes? They haven’t any stability, no curveball. It’s Jalen Brunson foul-hunting or Karl-Anthony Cities creation, and Sunday afternoon noticed them get roughly no assist from roughly nobody. They acquired steamrolled within the first half, made a cute comeback to chop it to 4 however then resumed getting their knickers completely bocked.
The Celtics performed fairly nicely, however the Knicks performed a horrendous model of basketball, motivated not by a coherent technique to beat the full-strength Celtics however by a complete lack of choices. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby had been in a contest to see who may accomplish the least, with the Knicks’ two “elite wing defenders” doing not-that for the 28 and 37 minutes they every logged.
“There’s actually ranges to this,” mentioned ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins postgame, which was precisely what I used to be pondering. “Nobody is thrashing this group in a 7-game sequence.”
That half wasn’t precisely what I used to be pondering, however I’ll take some hyperbole after a superb matinée win. There are groups — the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, the Denver Nuggets and to some extent, the Cleveland Cavaliers — which have proven they will maybe beat the Celtics in a sequence, however they nonetheless in all probability gained’t. However the Knicks? These Knicks? No method.
Listed here are a number of questions: is the 6’1” Brunson going to hold this group offensively for 3 months within the playoffs with out harm? Is Cities, who went down with a late harm however returned to the sport regardless of it being over for some motive, going to have the ability to higher than the worst rim protector within the league with out Mitchell Robinson? Does Treasured Achiuwa do actually something, in opposition to Boston or in any other case?
And people are simply normal query. The Celtics will ask more durable ones, like… how are you going to cease Kristaps Porzingis along with your horrid inside protection? What’s your plan to decelerate Tatum and Jaylen Brown when the mountain of proof exhibits Anunoby will get molly-whopped by each of them regardless of his nominally-elite defensive profile? And might you keep wholesome, enjoying all these guys that a lot, Thibs?
I really thought this group had what it took to beat Boston this offseason. However they, uh… don’t. And the Celtics exposing that reality has me very bullish on the remainder of this season, way more so than earlier this yr. There are certainly ranges to this, and Boston is on the highest one. The Knicks, although, are someplace within the center till they show in any other case.
