The Knicks are Back
My thoughts on the Knicks being in the playoffs again
My mum used to say to me “You can’t have fun all the time!” And I used to say “Why not?” Why the fuck can’t I have fun all the time?”
This gem is from Kate Moss back in 1999 to Dazed and Confused magazine. Strange events — like the Knicks being back in the playoffs — make you remember quotes from an acquaintance’s Facebook page in high school.
For however long this Knicks playoff run lasts, I’m going to try and be more like Kate, sans the cocaine, than her downer of a mom.
I get that Kate Moss’s mum is right. She may have just wanted her daughter to stop doing drugs, but I’m talking about the Knicks. Sometimes I’m forced to take a step back and realize Elfrid Payton starts on my favorite basketball team. It’s impossible to ignore that sad fact.
I’ve been a negative fan for a long time, in my opinion, for a good reason, and I finally have something to cheer about. When I watch the Knicks crush the Hawks, I’m going to cross my fingers and hope he gets benched really fucking fast.
There isn’t a Knicks fan alive who’s not already happy with the result of this season. We weren’t expected to win 30 games, much less win 40 and get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
There were doubters at every turn. I’ll admit that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop at some point. Can Julius Randle really be this good? Can our defense be elite? Yes and yes.
The Knicks finished with more wins than the Heat, Celtics, Pacers, and Raptors. While those teams scrambled during a COVID season, Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks thrived under pressure.
You have to give it to Thibs. He’s held the Knicks together for nearly the entire season while most teams have been inconsistent. That’s why he’s one of three finalists for Head Coach of the Year.
I was utterly wrong about Thibs. I drank the player development Kool-Aid that Kenny Atkinson was handing out in Brooklyn. I also thought Thibs was done after what happened in Minnesota. I’ve never been happier to be wrong.
This brings me back to Julius Randle. Thibs has done an incredible job, but none of this works if Randle doesn’t buy in. If Randle reacts to Thibs the way KAT did, I’m not writing this today.
Other team’s star players have gotten hurt, but Julius Randle has led the league in minutes all year long but still only missed one game. He’s a lock for the Most Improved Player Award.
Randle worked his ass off to become an All-NBA level performer. He famously told Leon Rose and World Wide Wes that he wanted a head coach who would hold him accountable. A lot of athletes have said things like that, but Randle clearly meant it.
Randle’s turnaround is one of the most incredible that I can ever remember seeing by a professional athlete in my 32 years on this planet. Again, I was wrong about him. I believe I used the words “fire him into the sun” about Julius. In my defense, I think everyone was wrong about Randle.
Thibs, Randle, Rose, and Wes have brought a winning brand of basketball back to New York. They’ve made the Knicks fun again.
It’s been rough watching the Knicks play basketball since Carmelo Anthony left. Cheering for the minimal improvements to Frank Ntilikina’s offensive game was an actual low point as a sports fan. I used to get excited about Frank taking a shot, not making one, just taking one. Jesus Christ.
Thank God those days are over. Thibs has the Knicks embracing the next man up mentality. Reggie Bullock calling this squad the “Big 15” was perfect. They are a united team, and it’s made them all the more fun to watch.
These Knicks have a lot of guys who are easy to root for. Between JVG assistant Thibodeau and the smothering defense, this team has the feel of a beloved ‘90s Knicks team.
You add in the underdog superstar that is Julius Randle and the comeback story of Derrick Rose, and you have yourself a likable basketball team. That’s not to mention young potential stars like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson.
Generally, at this time, I’m wondering who the Knicks should sign in free agency or use their lottery pick on. Instead, I’m wondering how they’re going to stop the Trae Young-Clint Capela pick and roll.
I’m wondering if Julius Randle will average 30, 10, and 5 in a playoff series. I’m wondering that about someone on the Knicks. What world is this? I don’t think there’s any answer for him on the Hawks.
My dumb fan brain says the Knicks are gonna smoke the Hawks in five, but I was higher on the Hawks before the season than most people were. This series will be competitive.
So much of this series depends on what kind of whistle Trae Young gets. Based on the entire history of the NBA, I think the refs will let more go, benefiting the Knicks. I’ll say Knicks in six.
While I was writing this, I started thinking; it kinda sucks that all of this is happening without Melo. I know there’s a group of Knicks fans who would groan at the idea of Melo on this team. Ah well, fuck you.
