I'm with Kenny Atkinson. If things had gone the way they SHOULD have on paper and analytics, I would have balled Halle Berry on a bearskin rug at age 22. The fact that never happened and I'm 0-1 in Berry sex and the Cavs are down 0-3 is...interesting, even academic, if you want to think about it that way. I know some of you aren't interested in hearing...etc No, but seriously: This is the kind of thing that should get Atkinson fired by this Saturday. (I never watch SportsCenter, but last night I was jellin' out 'n all logy from alcohol and actually caught the Atkinson thing there: in what world do you actually say this stuff out loud, in front of reporters?)
For CLE fans: we got Good News and Bad News. CLE fan: give us the Bad News! Okay: Cavs get swept in the ECF, at home, by 40 points, in a miserable final game from them. CLE fan: Jeeez. What's the Good News? They're up 3-1 on paper. Ya know: analytics. "Expected wins." Now they go back to MSG for a crucial 5th game on paper. Should be a dogfight. On paper.
Really impressed with the Knicks wiping the floor of Sixers and Cavs. Those teams have issues but also a lot of talent so they certainly deserve the credit Also nice they'll be well and rested while the West finalists battle it out, should provide a competitive Finals. A couple weeks ago I thought it would be a sweep or closed in 5 but OKC and Spurs are beaten up, some guys out and will reach the Finals gassed, first couple games will be key for the Knicks to get a win on the road and make it a series Finally, as pointed here before, good to see the Knicks showing a blueprint of success not built through draft and with their 2 stars being weaker on defense. We should be taking notes (although we'll never the amount of picks NY had to throw for Mikal or OG)
Btw the Knicks are having success and have this powerful top 6 because Brunson decide to sign for less 113 million, yes, no typo. Take a hint Bron!!!
When the Knicks destroyed ATL in that elimination game in ATL, 140-89 (I hear they're still working, some in Hazmat suits, using advanced forensic DNA techniques to identify some of the bodies so they can notify next of kin) I thought they were still a fluke: good team, but not that good. Then, they just kept playing way over their heads. Now, I guess those are their real heads, and that's how they play. I still don't think they can hang with SA or OKC, but if NYK continues to play defense like they did against CLE, who knows. They are definitely one of those teams that stepped up for the playoffs. If you've been a fan for a long time, you've seen it: some wild card team rolls to a ring. IND was 4th seed last year; no, they didn't win it all, but you know what I mean? Heat were 8th seed in 2023 and made it to the Finals. Same with Knicks 1999. 1995-96 Rockets were 6th seed and won it all. Sometimes teams suddenly bump up to another level. You watch them and it's like the entire team has telepathy or some weird juju jit goin' on. We'll see. The Knicks have surprised me this year, no doubt. So far.
my comment was a little tongue-in-cheek, as i'm pretty sure atkinson was just trying to say anything that would help a comeback from down 3-0 make sense to anyone. i think he's actually a good coach. that franchise just put its faith in harden and lost like all the others that do this. i will say that he is most certainly to blame for that game 1 loss, though. you had the choice to make--yank harden when you're up 20 and they start coming back by just going after him at all times. you played the long game, thinking you'd keep the locker room even if you lost the game. and it looks like he kept the locker room, but the game ended up being the series. guessing he learned a tough lesson there. whether he gets to put that learning into practice in the future is unknown, though. and again, not to support e-win mentality, but maaaannn...you win that game 1 in convincing fashion...do the butts in ny tighten such that role players aren't shooting literally 90% from three? instead, floodgates. just wow. must be super fun to be a knicks fan right now, which is the first time one could say this in the current millenium.
