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[New York Knicks]

Playoff Game Thread: Knicks vs Pistons, Game Three, April 24, 2025

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

New York needs a win on the road to avoid falling behind.

The New York Knicks head to Detroit for Game Three with the series tied 1-1, needing a bounce-back after a disappointing loss in Game Two. Though they stole Game One with a furious fourth-quarter run, the Pistons struck back behind Cade Cunningham’s 33-point effort, exposing New York’s shaky defense and lack of support behind Jalen Brunson’s heroics. Expect a desperate, determined effort from the Knicks tonight as they try to reclaim the upper hand.

Tip off is 7:00 p.m. EST on TNT and MSG. This is your game thread. This is Detroit Bad Boys. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. No hair pulling or name calling. And go Knicks!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ad-knicks-vs-pistons-game-three-april-24-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks 94, Pistons 93: Scenes from Brunson, Towns, and Bridges delivering Hot-N-Ready in the clutch.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

A hobbled—again—Brunson scores 32, KAT delivers 27, and Hart adds a double-double to rally and win in Detroit.

Coming into the fourth game of round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Detroit Pistons (1-3) hoped a win over the New York Knicks (3-1) would snap their postseason streak of eight straight home losses. Mark it nine, dude. Knicks surrender a 16-point lead but rally in the clutch to win a thriller, 94-93!

New York took an early lead behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ scoring and team defense, strong rebounding, and aggressive play from its starters. Detroit’s Jalen Duren crashed the glass, but New York capitalized on turnovers and timely triples. A late Towns three capped a dominant quarter, giving the Knicks a 29–19 lead.

In the second, New York kept up their excellent play to go up by 16. But deep in the half, Detroit rattled off nine unanswered points—including a Tim Hardaway, Jr. trey and a Tobias Harris putback—to inspire the crowd and flip the momentum. A Cade Cunningham alley-oop to Thompson made the score 50-43 at intermission.

In a chippy first half, the Knicks shot 34% from the field and 28% from three. They made up for it by collecting 12 offensive rebounds, 12 assists, six steals, and forcing 12 Pistons turnovers. Brunson had scored or assisted on 29 points in the half. Detroit shot barely better overall (37%) and won the points in the paint but was atrocious from three (13%). For the Pistons, Harris collected 14 points in the half and Duren had grabbed 11 boards.

The Pistons finish the half on an 11-2 run

Detroit is BUZZIN' ️

: ABC pic.twitter.com/22Fc13Kxlg

— ESPN (@espn) April 27, 2025​

Mikal Bridges had struggled on offense (1-of-8 FG at halftime) but delivered on defense. This was pretty, methinks:

gotta pay the bridges' toll pic.twitter.com/9Tj68lTap9

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 27, 2025​

The second half had an inauspicious start. Detroit outscored New York and Towns collected his fourth foul. The latter was an anomaly; perhaps headquarters made a halftime call because players were clobbered in the paint on both ends of the floor and the refs swallowed their whistles. Cunningham was on fire, leading Detroit on a 23-4 run that stretched back to the second quarter to take a 55-52 lead.

While bringing the ball up-court, Dennis Schröder ambushed Jalen Brunson, who lost the ball and injured his right ankle in the exchange. Cap tried to rise, failed, and when finally upright again, he hobbled back to the locker room. An ankle sprain caused the captain to miss 15 games at the end of the season.

With Cam Payne running the offense, Jalen in the locker room, and Towns on the bench, Detroit went ahead by seven. KAT came back to match triples with Malik Beasley. After three frames, New York trailed 71-64.

Jalen returned to the bench but not the floor to start the fourth. With Detroit up 10, he bravely subbed in at the 10:15 mark. If the ankle hurt, he didn’t show it, slicing into the paint for an acrobatic layup. Bridges, so cold in the first half, delivered two three-pointers at an opportune time, bringing our heroes back within three. At the four-minute mark, Jalen swished a trey to tie the game.

Hardaway, who bricked a bunch early, turned it on late in the second half, putting Detroit up by four again at the two-minute mark. Towns replied with a fadeaway jumper and a deep three-ball—two absolutely cold-blooded shots—to give New York a 1-point lead with 46 seconds left.

Ten seconds later, Hart stripped Cunningham, sending the ball out of bounds and regaining possession. Brunson missed on a runner. Detroit had the ball coming out of a timeout with 11 seconds remaining. Cunningham missed a contested midrange jumper, and the loose ball ended up in Timmy’s hands behind the arc. Hart made contact but wasn’t whistled, and the shot bricked at the buzzer. And your New York Knicks take a 3-1 lead back to the NYC!!!

Pistons fans talking about Knicks foul baiting all series & they tried to foul bait with their season on the line LMAOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/sd3d6uVQL0

— Knicks Memes (@KnicksMemes) April 27, 2025​

Up Next​

Professor Miranda is sewing up a proper recap. Matthew might mention that Cunningham finished with 25 points, 10 assists, and seven turnovers; or that New York’s bench scored five points; or that Bridges and Anunoby combined to shoot 6-of-26. All are worth discussing. Meanwhile, the series returns to Madison Square Garden for Game Five on Tuesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-bridges-delivering-hot-n-ready-in-the-clutch

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘Did I make contact with him? Yeah. Was it legal? I don’t know’

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

New York won, Detroit did not.

I’m not saying the Knicks will not play in Detroit until next October at the earliest, but I’m also not not saying it.

New York will host Game 5 on Tuesday in which could be the series-ending meeting between the Knicks and the Pistons following the NYK’s 94-93 win on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and many other folks said before the weekend victory.

"We needed everybody and just find a way to win. And that's the bottom line"

Tom Thibodeau on the Knicks' performance in their Game 4 win pic.twitter.com/kl6zTmP0WM

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On staying focus through the playoff amid all noise:

“The noise, that’s your job [in the media] to create. So we’ve got to stay away from that, and for us, it’s to concentrate on what we have to concentrate on. It’s not easy. I think the playoffs, there’s an emotional part of that. And there’s the media, social media, a lot going on there. So eliminate that stuff. Whether it’s praise or criticism, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what we think. Get yourself ready to play. You have to understand what wins in this league.”

On defending Cade Cunningham:

“Cade Cunningham is a great player. You need your whole team tied together on that. You’ve got to try to make him work and challenge his shots. You’re going to have to fight through a million screens, and that’s part of it.”

On Jalen Brunson’s resilience:

“Yeah, I think he changed his shoes. He’s got a great belief, and it comes from his preparation. If you were in the gym, all the things you see in a game, those are the exact things that he works on. His body is already trained for it. That’s what makes him special.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ offensive skill set:

“He has tremendous confidence. He has an amazing touch. He shoots the ball like a guard. He has unlimited range and he can score off the dribble. He can score back to the basket. He can score a lot of different ways. When he’s moving around, that’s when he’s the hardest to guard. We have to continue to search him out and he has to continue to move.”

On Josh Hart’s shooting:

“I think it’s huge. He’s worked a lot on his shooting. If he’s open, shoot it. If you’re guarded, go to the next action and make a play. He can play well in a lot of different ways. Nobody shoots the ball great for 82 games. So if you are not shooting great, do something else to help the team win. There’s a lot of things you can do to help a team win.”

On Josh Hart’s hustle:

“That’s what Josh does and they are always timely plays. Whether it’s an offensive rebound, a defensive rebound in traffic, a hustle play where he just comes up with a loose ball. He’s everywhere and you need that mindset. When things weren’t going our way, they said ‘Keep fighting, keep fighting.’ You win with your toughness and discipline down the stretch.”

On Mikal Bridges’ defense:

“I think for the entire season, it’s been a steady climb for him. He’s always had that ability. He’s always been a very good defensive player. He’s got great length and anticipation and he knows how to challenge a shot. He can be very disruptive. He can get to the second and third effort. And, when you have long limbs like that, it makes the defense a lot better. I think that is what’s causing a lot of turnovers.”

Jalen Brunson on the impact of Tom Thibodeau on the Knicks' success in late-game situations in Games 3 & 4 of the series vs. the Pistons:

"There's a lot of people that don't give him that credit. I'm happy to say that he puts us in position where we're prepared, we're ready" pic.twitter.com/EpUlGtx4Hs

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On what winning Game 4 felt like:

“It’s different. I wouldn’t say it’s sweeter, but it’s definitely different. I’m just happy we came away with the win. My teammates got my back, coaching staff has my back, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

On his heroic return from the ankle injury scare:

“Moments like that, you’ve got to take a breath. You’ve got to relax, you’ve got to think what’s going on. And I realized that I just needed to readjust and I made sure I was mentally ready to go back into the game, ’cause I was going back into the game. There really wasn’t a doubt, regardless of if I was stumbling or not.”

On Thibs putting the Knicks in the right place:

“(There’s) a lot of people who don’t give him that credit, but I’m happy to say he puts us in position where we’re prepared, we’re ready, and he lets us play. … He lets us talk things out. He talks things out, too. But for the most part, he’s gonna let us play, he’s gonna let us figure it out, and we’re gonna have to figure it out together. He puts us in position to be successful, and that’s how he’s been since I’ve known him.”

On the last-minute stops to halt Detroit’s comeback:

“We were just connected in the last minute, able to get stops and a little bit of prayers here and there.”

On Cade Cunningham’s performances through Game 4:

“I got the utmost respect for [Cade]. What he’s been able to do and what he’s gonna do for the rest of his career. This is just the beginning for him.”

On Cade Cunningham’s leadership:

“I mean, he’s been playing great. The effect he has on his teammates, the way they have his back. They follow their leader, and that kid, he’s been doing an incredible job all year. So I respect him for that.”

On shot-selection talks with Thibodeau:

“Thibs came up to me (before the shot) and said, ‘What do you want to run?’ I told him, ‘It doesn’t matter. Do you want a 2 or a 3?’ We kept going back and forth. Finally, I said, ‘A 2 or a 3?’ He said, ‘A 3.’ So I went for 3, made it and pointed at him.”

Josh Hart on hearing Jalen Brunson had 15 points after returning in the 4th quarter:

"You know, maybe he won't go out to start" pic.twitter.com/6f5nomBc3S

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On the Knicks toughness through the first-round series:

“It’s just the toughness, man. Everyone talks about this team, we don’t have the physicality, we don’t do this, we don’t do that. We tune that out. At one point, I think we were down 10 in that fourth quarter and we just got stops.”

On Detroit’s crowd reaction to Brunson’s injury and his determination to return:

“Don’t let them see you down. But I know if he can walk, he’s going to play, he’s going to compete.”

On the no-call after delightfully touching Tim Hardaway:

“Did I make contact with him? Yeah. I made contact with him. Was it legal? I don’t know. We’ll let the two-minute report say that.

“He shot-faked. I felt like I kind of got there. I felt like I was kind of strayed up. He kind of jumped into me trying to get the foul. At the end of the game, it’s tough. Especially that kind of play, bodies flying.”

On Thibodeau getting the Knicks ready:

“We’re always, I feel like, one of the best prepared teams in the league. That’s a credit to him and his philosophy. Now we’ve gotta roll that into Game 5.”

Jalen Brunson on Cade Cunningham: "He's been doing an incredible job all year, I respect him for that"

On the final minute: "We were just connected. We were able to get stops and a little bit of prayers here and there"

Karl-Anthony Towns: "It is Sunday" pic.twitter.com/r0mmgcLGvO

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On the series' physicality:

“I mean it’s competition. It’s the NBA playoffs. You expect nothing but the greatest competition right now in NBA basketball this season. You go out there, you wanna match their physicality.

“You understand you’re in Detroit. You’re playing Detroit, who hasn’t been in the playoffs and they have a lot of pride right now.”

On the Pistons fighting for their city:

“They haven’t seen the playoffs in a while, so they want to fight for their city. And as much as they want to fight for their city, we’re trying to fight for our city. I think this is a great series for the NBA. I think it gives a little bit of old-school vibes. I think this is great for kids watching who haven’t been able to see old-school basketball to see this kind of reminiscent game of old-school physicality.”

On escaping a controversial no-call ending:

“What do you want me to say? Going back to Madison Square Garden.”

Cam Payne was asked for the "PG" version of what he was telling Mikal Bridges:

"Make some damn shots" pic.twitter.com/8f8N3LIrrF

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Cam Payne​

On what he tells Mikal Bridges to keep him motivated:

“Make some damn shots.”

Mikal Bridges said Cam Payne was one of his teammates encouraging through the game

"Sometimes got him calling me some not good names helps as well" pic.twitter.com/QdQrhi1YGF

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On early struggles and relying on teammates’ support to overcome those:

“I was playing pretty s—ty in the first half and the first three quarters. I think it goes to my teammates, just keeping me locked in. I know I’m fine and I know it’s gonna come, but they just kept telling me ‘keep shooting it.’ They keep giving me confidence to go out there. Just try to be aggressive, try to make the right play, make the shot.”

On Cam Payne’s encouragement:

“I think the biggest is Cam Payne. He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.

“But it’s everybody, man. Like, [Tyler Kolek], I swear it’s everybody. Even Josh [Hart], [Jalen Brunson]. When we’re on the court, they just tell me to stick with it. I know I’m ready. It’s not fun missing and you wait for that next opportunity to shoot again. I appreciate those guys, always.”

On failing to recover that loose ball and fearing the worst:

“I had it, then I lost it, then it just rolls. I’m following the ball and it rolls right to [Tim Hardaway Jr.]. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ But thank God he missed it, and whatever else happened during that play.”

J.B. Bickerstaff talks about the final possession of Game 4:

"There's contact on Tim Hardaway's jump shot. I don't know any other way around it. There's contact on his jump shot" pic.twitter.com/Ja37zF8vcH

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025​

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)​

On Cade’s final shot:

“Cade got his shot. He got to his spot, and he got to his shot. Had the shot that he liked and that we all like. I trust Cade to take that shot 100 times in a row.”

On the Pistons growth through the series:

“We are learning our way through every challenge that’s in front of us. I think our guys have done a great job of learning from one moment to the next. Obviously, there are some things that I can help our guys with more down the stretch, and I can be better. And I will be. … It’s my responsibility to help these guys because they want to learn, and they want to get better. And that’s what I’m here for.”

On the final play foul not getting called:

“You go back and look at the film, the guy leaves his feet. There’s contact on Tim Hardaway, his jump shot. I don’t know any other way around it. There’s contact on his jump shot. The guy leaves his feet. He’s at Timmy’s mercy, and I repeat, there’s contact on his jump shot.”

He folded. https://t.co/2Lr1MjRoXj

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 27, 2025​

Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On learning from the series:

“I feel like I’ve learned as much within this series as I have all season. There’s a lot to take away from it. Not everything I can share with y’all, but I think it’s great.”

On his attitude after the Game 4 loss:

“I’m not disheartened. I’m cool, I’m ready to get to the next game. … When you want to win, there’s disappointment every time we lose.”

On moving on to a must-win Game 5:

“I’m just looking forward. I’m hungry to get to the next game.”

Moments before the pool report was released, Tim Hardaway Jr. was asked what happened on the final play. Here’s his response:

“You guys saw it. Blatant.” pic.twitter.com/QHVceN0M1Q

— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) April 27, 2025​

Tim Hardaway Jr. (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On missing his game-winning three-point shot:

“You guys saw it. Blatant.”

Spike Lee is in the house for Game 4 in Detroit

NYK/DET | ABC, 1:00pm/et pic.twitter.com/Tutxw8F41n

— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2025​

Spike Lee (NYC Legend)​

On the Pistons’ mentality:

“I knew they were good. They’re young boys, they’re hungry and they’re trying to bring back the ‘Bad Boys’ from back in the day. And they have a great coach.”

On the increased playoff physicality:

“In the playoffs, everything goes up a notch and the refs don’t make (some) calls. They let a lot of stuff go in postseason that doesn’t happen in the regular season. And these are two physical teams that are going at it.”

On Cade Cunningham’s talent:

“He’s nice with it. He’s got the skills, he’s got the height. He’s legit — crazy legit.

“LeBron, Steph — you love these guys, but they only got a couple more years left. It’s always another generation to come, and he’s one of its top players, that’s undeniable.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ontact-with-him-yeah-was-it-legal-i-dont-know

 

[New York Knicks]

The Knicks’ fourth-quarter dominance has led to their 3-1 series lead.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

A young Pistons team continues to wilt when crunch time hits.

The fourth quarter was a nightmare for the Knicks all season.

Despite their good record in clutch games, the Knicks had one of the worst net ratings in the NBA in the fourth quarter, dropping their normal plus-four net rating to a dreadful minus-4.2 when they hit the final twelve minutes.

In the other quarters, they sat at plus-3.8, plus-8.9, and plus-seven, respectively. A very good team was just wiltering every fourth quarter, severely hurting their overall numbers.

Of course, it required context. Especially early in the season, the Knicks had emptied their bench in blowouts and saw their reserves get dominated in garbage time. However, in a second half of the season that saw few blowout victories, the Knicks’ fourth quarters got even worse.

The regression of their once-dominant offense was the main culprit, as without Brunson’s heroism, the team couldn’t score late in games. A 107.2 offensive rating is dreadful.

Many Knicks fans feared that these dreadful fourth quarters would spill over into the playoffs. However, when the Knicks matched up with the inexperienced Detroit Pistons in the first round, they got a big opportunity to flip that narrative.

It didn’t take long at all for that to happen in Game 1.

The Knicks entered the fourth quarter of Game 1 with a 91-83 deficit. Although it didn’t immediately lead to much, a sleepy MSG crowd was woken up by a five-second violation to start the quarter.

A quick five points by the Knicks threatened to get back in the game, but the Pistons punched back. When Dennis Schroder maneuvered past KAT for a layup with 9:16 to go, the Pistons led 98-90.

They wouldn’t score again until the 4:35 mark. The Knicks would score 21 unanswered points in that time.

Cameron Payne, who has done a pretty insignificant amount in the following three games, single-handedly dragged the Knicks back with help from some timely buckets from Karl-Anthony Towns. The 21-0 run flipped an 8-point deficit to a 13-point lead.

21-0 RUN FOR THE NEW YORK KNICKS @NYKnicks | #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/SWnlI1MRHj

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) April 20, 2025​

While great offense was the key behind the explosion, the Pistons made multiple back-breaking mistakes. While it started with a barrage of bricks, a pair of turnovers by Cunningham is what allowed the Knicks to cap it off.

And every time the Pistons were trying to inch their way back, they committed more turnovers.

After playing well through three quarters, the Pistons let a routine run completely crush them and costed them a potential series-altering win in Game 1.

In the fourth, the Knicks shot 70.8% from the field and went 3-for-6 from deep. The Pistons shot just 31.8% and 2-for-8 from three, although partially boosted by a late desperation run. Their six turnovers in the quarter led to eleven Knicks points off turnovers.

Game 2 didn’t go the Knicks way, but it was because of how poorly they played early, rather than their late game execution.

In a frustrating game, the Knicks entered down 75-67. Every time they crept closer, the Pistons had an answer. A putback layup by Paul Reed with 7:10 left made it 88-75 Pistons.

And then, it happened again.

Brunson started it with a 3, but the comeback came at the foul line. Through almost 42 minutes, the Pistons led the free throw battle by a ridiculous 28-8 margin. A frustrated Knicks team began forcing the officials to blow the whistle, including a couple of admittedly shameful baits by Brunson that has the NBA universe convinced he isn’t actually good at this game we call basketball.

Free throws made up most of this comeback, but when crunch time came, the clutchest man on the planet took charge:

It’s outstanding watching this guy play the game. He can always get to his spot and drain a shot over an always tough defender.

Yet another Detroit turnover allowed for the Knicks to tie the game on a dunk by Josh Hart, which should’ve been an and-1:

After completing their 19-6 run, Hart and Brunson’s defensive miscommunication led to a go-ahead 3 by the Pistons. For the first and only time in this series (so far), the Pistons were able to close out a game, mostly thanks to the Knicks repeatedly missing open shots in the final minute.

Game 3 was the lone fourth quarter that the Knicks have lost so far, only winning the game by two following a 95-85 lead.

It’s the late game execution after Cunningham makes a layup to make it a three point game with 2:07 left. After a rare missed shot from Brunson in the clutch, Cade shook OG Anunoby before a good contest by Towns caused him to lose the ball. A transition bucket by Brunson pushed the lead to five.

A four-point swing that proved to be the difference, and by the way, it wasn’t a foul on KAT regardless of what Pistons fans tell you.

While the final score read 118-116, it was only that close because of two late threes and some shenanigans late. This bucket by JB effectively iced it with under a minute to play.

While Game 1 was egregious, what happened yesterday for the Knicks to survive comes close.

When the struggling Malik Beasley nailed a three with 8:35 to go, the Knicks trailed 79-68 in a game where nothing was going right on offense.

And then, things went right,

An ice cold Mikal Bridges started it with a triple when the Knicks were on the brink:

Brunson made several shots as part of a masterful fourth, but a second three by a guy whose struggles in the first half partially contributed to this mess pulled them back to within three.

Unlike the previous chokes, the Pistons kept making shots. The issue was that their poor overall defense in the first half that went unpunished reared its ugly head late. The captain and the Big Bodega tore them to shreds.

For your viewing pleasure (unless you're a Pistons fan): every fourth-quarter bucket from the Knicks, each one tougher than the last: pic.twitter.com/1MF4ImnUih

— DJ Zullo (@DJAceNBA) April 27, 2025​

It didn’t matter the distance, the difficulty, or the players in their face. Two all-stars decided they were not losing this game.

The lone all-star on the other side, Cade Cunningham, did the opposite. His team gave him the ball repeatedly late, looking to their star to win them this game.

Matched up against Anunoby, he missed a fadeaway, turned it over, and with the game in his hands with under ten seconds to play, he missed as good of a look as you’re going to get.

Cunningham went 2-for-7 with three turnovers in the fourth. The opposite of Brunson’s heroic 15 on 7-for-11 shooting.

The Knicks have used their massive experience advantage in all four games in this series. While their opponents have wilted, the Knicks have posted an elite plus-19.3 net rating in the fourth quarter through four games.

NYK’s net rating in the first three? Plus-8.1, plus-4.8, and a horrific minus-30.9 (excuse me?).

Aside from third quarters, the Knicks have been the better team, but the level of dominance in the fourth is noticable.

The Knicks are shooting with 54.2% from the field and 39.3% from 3 with a 64.0 TS% in the fourth.

The Pistons? 44.3% from the field, 37.5 from 3, and a 56.9 TS%. Not terrible, but they’re also averaging a ghastly 4.8 turnovers compared to just 2.3 by the Knicks.

Finally, I’ll highlight the star point guards.

Jalen Brunson in the four fourth quarters has scored 53 points with 8 assists on an incredible 63% from the field with just one turnover.

Cade Cunningham? 26 points and 10 assists, shooting just 35% from the field and committing eight turnovers.

4th quarter this series:

Jalen Brunson:
53 points on 65% shooting
8 assists vs. 1 turnover
+25 plus/minus

Cade Cunningham:
26 points on 35% shooting
10 assists vs. 8 turnovers
-15 plus/minus

"Cunningham is the best player in the series." https://t.co/w99orraJhq pic.twitter.com/zZdF5YmwZw

— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) April 27, 2025​

In the entire series, the two point guards have similar assist totals (Cade 36, Brunson 35).

Turnovers? 24 for Cade, 10 for Brunson.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-brunson-towns-knicks-pistons-cade-cunningham

 

[New York Knicks]

Playoff Game Thread: Knicks vs Pistons, Game Five, April 29, 2025

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

One win away: Knicks aim to finish Detroit in Game Five

The New York Knicks return to Madison Square Garden tonight with a 3-1 lead over the Detroit Pistons and a chance to close out the first-round series. After a gutsy comeback win in Game Four—powered by Jalen Brunson’s 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns’ clutch shooting, and key plays from Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges—New York has all the momentum. They’ll have a full house behind them as they look to finish the job.

Tip off is 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT and MSG. This is your game thread. This is Detroit Bad Boys. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Watch your head. And go Knicks!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ead-knicks-vs-pistons-game-five-april-29-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘Coach’s decision’

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images

Imagine choosing to play a series-clinching game without your best player and Duracell bunny. That’s Thibs.

Blame it on the coach, or blame it on whoever you prefer, but one and only one thing is factual about Tuesday’s Game 5, and that’s New York failed to clinch a place in the second round of the playoffs.

The Knicks fumbled the rock home, dropped Game 5 by three points, losing 106-103 to the visiting Pistons, and will need to close out the series in Detroit on Thursday or—God forbid—under the bright lights and heightened pressure that will inhabit Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a buncha folks said before and after yesterday’s forgettable game.

"Just where we were with our timeouts. Coach's decision."

Tom Thibodeau was asked about the Knicks not using a timeout near the end of the game with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson waiting to check in at the scorer's table: pic.twitter.com/3xG6IOOlvk

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On his late-game no-timeout decision:

“It’s just where we were with the timeouts—it was a coach’s decision. Time. Score. Penalty. All of the above. There’s a lot that goes into it.”

On Game 5 officiating:

“It is what it is.”

On Mitchell Robinson’s Game 5 performance:

“I thought Mitch gave us a good lift, good energy. The rebounding was good enough. Defense was good enough. Our turnovers hurt us, so we gotta clean that up.”

On the Game 6 mindset:

“The way we have to look at it is, what is it going to take to win the game. Anytime you’re facing an opponent that’s looking at a close-out situation, you know you’re going to get great intensity in the game. And we have to play great for 48 minutes.

“What goes into that? Intensity, intelligence and togetherness.”

Jalen Brunson was asked about being stuck at the scorer's table with Josh Hart down the stretch of the game:

"It's tough, but I have the utmost faith, regardless of the result. in my teammates." pic.twitter.com/XDYZ8cM6KU

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On his Game 5 offensive struggles:

“Offensively, I didn’t make good decisions. Ball wasn’t going in the hoop for me.”

On confidence in his teammates despite the loss:

“It’s tough, but I have the utmost faith regardless of the result in my teammates. Whoever is out there, trust, faith, belief, all that, I’ll always have that with my teammates.”

On being sidelined in crunch time of Game 5:

“It was tough.”

On Ausar Thompson’s defense:

“He’s a great defender, with the way he’s been able to pick up and do all the things [he does]. Me, personally, and us as a team, we need to figure out how to combat that.”

On the Game 6 mindset:

“We are in the point of the season where it’s win or go home. We have no choice but to trust each other. I feel like once we are in a position where are backs are against the wall, we have to lean on each other for help and everything. We have that trust. We have that chemistry. I’m just happy we were able to go into a hostile environment and able to get two wins.”

On closing out the series at MSG or wherever:

“It’s a big deal to win a series, regardless of where you’re at in my eyes. I think it’s very special to win at The Garden. But to close out, you have to close out wherever you are. We have an opportunity to close out tonight.”

On his health status after Tuesday’s injury scare:

“I’m all good.”

On how he attacks bigger defenders:

“It’s part of the game. I think when you have guys who are 6–7, 6–8, long arms, all that, they’re gonna use it to their advantage.

“My advantage—I feel like it’s my strength—is the way I’m able to use my footwork and find different angles to attack. I don’t know how else to say it, but I like the way I’m able to use my body to get off defenders and find ways to attack.”

On the competition against Detroit:

“It’s just two teams going at it and trying to find a way to win. It doesn’t matter what the situation is or what the matchups are. We’re just two teams competing.”

On whether or not he’s learning new things from teammates thought the Pistons series:

“I have, and I’ll keep that to myself.”

Josh Hart was asked which wrist is bothering him:

"My whole body's bothering me." pic.twitter.com/BRBppeFWPp

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On missing the final stretch of Game 5:

“Obviously, that’s tough. You want to be out there. But we had good looks. I trust my guys. We had a couple of good shots to cut that lead. They just didn’t go in. It’s basketball. It happens.”

On his physical condition after leaving Game 6 injured:

“Just needed to regroup, walk it off, and try to go back in. My whole body’s bothering me.”

On the team’s Game 6 focus:

“We’ve got to go out there and win the game. We’ve got to go out there and compete. We’ve got to go out there and be physical. Not worry about foul calls, or refs, or anything like that. We’ve got to make sure we can control what we can control.”

Mikal Bridges suggested layup lines to "get everybody moving" coming out of halftime and recalled a similar situation when he was with Phoenix pic.twitter.com/q7PQeenWNW

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On Brunson’s absence late in Game 5 impacting the Knicks’ play:

“It’s different. You know he’s going to have that ball—it doesn’t mean we can’t step up.

“I should’ve made shots and held it down for him as much as he holds it down for us.”

Karl-Anthony Towns was asked what he would like to do differently going into Game 6:

"Win the game. That would be on the top of my list, for sure." pic.twitter.com/aDEupblwm4

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On failing to close the series at MSG:

“Honestly we just want to close out a series. We’re not getting caught up in no stats like that. As long as the series gets closed out and the Knicks move onto the next round, that’s all we care about.”

On the Game 5 loss:

“You expected that. It’s a closeout game, 3–1, and you expect them to come out desperate and also come with that energy. Season’s on the line. They hit shots when they had to and got the stops they need when they needed to.”

On Game 6 adjustments:

“We have been very gritty this whole series, but we didn’t find a way tonight. What do I want to do differently in Game 6? Win the game.”

On the narrow margins in the series:

“We haven’t put ourselves in position to get a commanding win. We’ve been very gritty this whole series and physical and it’s allowed us to find a way a lot of times to win.

“I think what was the point differential in Detroit, like three points? You only can do it so many times before it comes back to bite you.”

"Our guys feed off the energy of the opponent's crowd. Talking s--t. Making noise. They embrace the chaos and they're comfortable there. Some people need the support of their home crowd, our guys embrace the chaos"

- J.B. Bickerstaff pic.twitter.com/QPGTNO89Nl

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)​

On the officiating talk after Game 4:

“It’s one of those things that are just completely out of your control. And I hate to make this series about refereeing and officials because it’s not right. This series is about two highly-competitive teams battling their tails off, trying to do whatever it takes to win. The physicality, I believe, is a good thing for the game. It’s a good thing for us.”

On Ausar Thompson’s defense on Brunson in Game 5:

“It all started with Ausar and his defense. He was phenomenal defensively tonight. A lot of credit should be given to him.”

On thriving under the MSG atmosphere:

“Our guys feed off the energy of the opponent’s crowd. Talking (expletive). Making noise. They embrace the chaos, and they’re comfortable there. Some people need the support of their home crowd, our guys embrace the chaos.”

On Towns’ Game 4 performance before Game 5:

“At that size where his release point is, it’s tough to challenge [him]. So you tip your hat to him ‘cause he is an elite offensive player… but again, how did he get there? The stepback off the bounce you live with. But there were a couple catch-and-shoots that I felt we could have done a better job of getting to him sooner.”

Ausar Thompson was asked how confident he is about the Pistons getting back to New York for a Game 7:

"Super-confident." pic.twitter.com/E0GUC8QnRx

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On the Pistons’ mindset after the Game 5 win:

“Our mindset was to keep playing our brand of basketball. Down 3–1, doesn’t matter. Just keep pushing the pace, keep playing defense, keep getting stops, and that’s when we’re at our best.”

"My father used to drive me into [New York City] to play against city competition..."

- Tobias Harris speaks on having family & friends in the crowd and the joy this @DetroitPistons team plays with https://t.co/y3ik9Vivkk pic.twitter.com/tsrhl9kSOC

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025​

Tobias Harris (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On the NBA’s acknowledging the refs misscalled Josh Hart’s late foul on Tim Hardaway:

“Yeah, for sure, I think that makes it hurt, sting more, for sure. But that’s in the past now.”

On his supposed fouling of Hart before the no-call on Hardaway’s shot:

“I didn’t [foul him]. I don’t understand it. I’ve seen a little bit of that [take] and to be honest, I thought that [Hart] pulled my arm in.

“It can go both ways selectively, whatever somebody wants to believe. Then I see pictures saying that I’m out of bounds, it just made me really realize that the internet propaganda is just unbelievable. You can really get sold, I promise you. One of them—I was like, dang, maybe I am out of bounds. Then I look at another angle and I’m like, hell no, I’m not out of bounds. Who is splitting all these photos and lies?”

On the series’ physicality:

“We talk all game long, guys go in for boards, pushing and shoving. Josh Hart is shoving. I’m shoving. We’re trying to get the basketball, right? So at the end of the day, to me, at that point, when I went for the rebound, I was like, ‘dang, that was a battle to get the board.’ I thought maybe they could have called a foul there. They didn’t. But on Tim Hardaway’s shot, that was what it was.”

On playing Game 6 in Detroit:

“We’re just focused on the next [game], that’s the best one for us. That’s in our arena and we need to go get a victory there. Our fans deserve that. That energy that they bring night in and night out. We want it, and that’s the only thing we’re looking forward to right now.”

"It's everything you dream of. It's playing with a full arena, a bunch of people booing you. That's everything you dream of."

Cade Cunningham says he enjoys playing at Madison Square Garden: pic.twitter.com/UKrqiwkImH

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On the controversial ending of Game 4:

“We knew they got it wrong in the moment, so it’s really no difference.”

On enjoying the MSG atmosphere:

“It’s everything you dream of. It’s playing with a full arena, a bunch of people booing you. That’s everything you dream of.”

On the possibility of forcing a Game 7 back at the Garden after their Game 5 win:

“We’ll be back.”

On summing up his first postseason series:

“I wouldn’t sum it up yet.”

Minutes ? https://t.co/O9olrHhnSP

— Malik Beasley (@mbeasy5) April 30, 2025​

Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On the NBA acknowledging the missed call:

“What’s the point of doing that if we can’t go back and shoot free throws?

“To us, it’s just Detroit against the world, and we’re gonna keep doing that. We’ve been rebounding all year, so I think this is the easiest one.

“Obviously, it’s the most hurt one, too, but we know the value of the next game and how important this game is, so I think all of us have a next-game mentality and that’s how we feel right now.”

"They have really outplayed the Knicks, let's be honest"

Chuck has the Detroit-New York series going 7 games pic.twitter.com/bFei9WRDZT

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 30, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/4/30/24420801/knicks-bulletin-coachs-decision

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘If I had my way, we would’ve swept them’

Will today be the day we can finally start buying Knicks vs. Celtics merch?

The day has arrived, and the Knicks will have their second chance at finishing the Pistons’ season, this time in Detroit.

New York flies to Motor City to play yet another potential series-clinching game on the road, aiming at avoiding a very daunting Game 7 back at MSG, with the Celtics already waiting for them for a second-round matchup.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and plenty of other folks have said in the leadup to tonight’s game.

Tom Thibodeau was asked about the officiating tonight:

"It is what it is." pic.twitter.com/pXVWZ3ZPOo

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On the need to reset after losing Game 5:

“The challenge is to reset. Every game is different. Take a look at the film, see what we do better, be ready to go to the next game.”

On Deuce McBride’s struggles:

“Just gotta keep playing. Next play, just keep getting ready, each game is different. How you reset is important. One game really has nothing to do with the next so just put the proper amount of time into preparation to get yourselves ready to play.”

Josh Hart was asked about the officiating fluctuating between games in this series:

"Unfortunate reality, but we knew what it was gonna be. Feel like we could've been better in terms of how we responded to it." pic.twitter.com/89zTuFEw6e

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On how to fix stagnation:

“Something we can do to stop that is be better defensively and get stops. Get out and run. When you’re taking the ball out of the rim, it slows it up. It allows them to pick (us) up full (court). So, we’ve got to make sure we continue to get stops and finish those possessions with rebounds and get out and run.”

On the team’s struggles coming off halftime:

“Yeah, we’ve got to figure out how to come out of halftime better. I think this is the third game in a row — I’m blanking on Games 1 and 2 — but we go into halftime with a lead, and then we go into the fourth quarter down. So we’ve got to figure that out. We’ve got to come out of halftime more aggressive and punch first.”

On the Knicks mindset entering Game 6:

“You want to win every game. If I had my way, we would’ve swept them. If they had their way, they would’ve swept us. We’re not looking at it that way. Just got to make sure we focus on fixing the mistakes we had today and going to Detroit ready to go. We’ve got to go out there and win a game. Got to go out there and compete, be physical. Not worry about foul calls or refs or anything like that. We’ve got to make sure we control what we can control and that’s effort, that’s our reaction to the things we can control. And punch first.”

"You only can do it so many times before it comes back to bite you"

Karl-Anthony Towns talks about the Knicks being behind going into the fourth quarter of games in this series: pic.twitter.com/GNQXvGwgLj

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On Game 5 execution and the series-long struggles:

“We put ourselves in a deficit early. All series, we’ve been fighting back. I’m not sure right now. I’ve got to watch the tape. I think for us, we’ve got to do a better job of executing at a higher level, stay disciplined with the ball, [moving] the basketball a little better. We haven’t put ourselves in position to get a commanding win. We’ve been very gritty this whole series and physical and it’s allowed us to find a way a lot of times to win. I think what was the point differential in Detroit, like three points? You only can do it so many times before it comes back to bite you. I think that tonight, we put ourselves in that position and we just didn’t find a way to get that match going.”

On the need to stop the overreliance on comebacks:

“You can only do it so many times before it comes back to bite you. [In Game 5], we put ourselves in that position. We just didn’t find a way to get that magical ending.”

Mikal Bridges suggested layup lines to "get everybody moving" coming out of halftime and recalled a similar situation when he was with Phoenix pic.twitter.com/q7PQeenWNW

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On how to fix second-half issues:

“We gotta maybe do some layup lines or something coming out of halftime — get everybody out there moving.

“I had the same situation when I was in Phoenix. We started the third quarter off [slow], and we had to change something—get everybody out there to start moving. Mentally, get everybody right. As much as we say ‘play hard,’ and say we’re gonna do what we say every time, we still don’t get it done. Maybe warming up or something can get us going a little bit.”

"It's a really important first couple of minutes. I think tonight, they took advantage of that."

Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks' struggles coming out of halftime: pic.twitter.com/bl6mTtS207

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On the never-ending second-half struggles against the Pistons and Bridges’ layup line idea:

“As a team, we recognized that we’re starting games strong, and we responded. But now we’ve got to do the same thing coming out of halftime. It’s a really important stretch, those first couple minutes. [Game 5] they took advantage of that.

“[Layup lines] could be [an answer]. But more than that, we’ve got to come together and make sure we’re mentally locked in.”

On his approach to Game 6:

“We have to go there with the mindset to win. Simple as that.”

"Close it out there. That's the only thing we're thinking about"

- Deuce McBride pic.twitter.com/L5pIfwXWuV

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025​

Miles McBride​

On the need to improve after Game 5:

“We’re gonna go look at film. Make corrections and get the job done.”

J.B. Bickerstaff on why the Pistons have been able to play so well on the road this year:

“As crazy as it sounds, they feed off of it. They feed off the energy of the opponent’s crowd talking shit, making noise. They embrace the chaos and they’re comfortable there.” pic.twitter.com/nzorcGwEs7

— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) April 30, 2025​

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)​

On Tobias Harris:

“I’ve run out of adjectives about how I feel about Tobias, so I’ll just repeat myself. He is our safety blanket. He’s reliable, he’s dependable, he understands what needs to happen in the moment. He’s an unbelievable human being, an unbelievable teammate. He’s a fierce competitor.

“You want me to keep going?”

On the team’s focus and mentality through the series:

“The focus is just the game that’s in front of us. And I do believe, like why we’ve been able to grow the way that we’ve grown, because that’s the mentality we’ve had.

“We’re not a team that looks out five games. We’re not a team that looks at, you have to win three. We are a team that just looks and plays in the moment and you don’t worry about the other weight of all the other stuff that comes about if that’s the way you play.

“I think our guys have just been accustomed to doing that, and that’s why, again, you know, it’s not going to be easy, but we got an opportunity to go home playing the Game 6 in front of our crowd, which I know will be awesome.”

Tobias Harris shared a cool story when asked if he felt pressure in Game 5:

“My mom and dad (were) sitting up there watching me. Grew up in Long Island, New York. My father used to always, on the weekends, drive me into the city to play against city competition. pic.twitter.com/1MYUNCYis1

— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) April 30, 2025​

Tobias Harris (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On playing at MSG in front of his family:

“No pressure. My mom and dad were sitting up there watching me.

“I grew up on Long Island, New York. My father used to always, on the weekends, drive me into the city to play against city competition. Every single weekend as a kid. So being able to go out there and play the sport that I love, and have the joy, be able to compete with this group and see my parents up there, family and friends, there’s no pressure.”

“You flopping motherfucker” - Jalen Duren pic.twitter.com/0K5eR8swUR

— Coach Tyrelle (@tyrelleburger) April 29, 2025​

Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On playing at MSG:

“This is amazing. Being here, in this atmosphere, playing against this team, there’s nothing like it. This is what you dream of as a basketball player.”

On fighting through pressure situations:

“When your back is against the wall, you might be stuck in the corner, the only way to get out is to keep swinging. That’s what we did, just kept swinging. Got out that corner.”

To Jalen Brunson:

“You flopping motherf—ker.”

Dennis Schroeder (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On his role in Detroit:

“I love Brooklyn. Played there, played great. They wanted to go a different route. Went to Golden State, met incredible people and then came to Detroit. I think Detroit is one of the best situations I’ve been in. I don’t have to change my style of play, I can be myself. I got a coach who is going at the refs, who is not taking no crap. I’m like that.

“That’s the reason I’m in the league for 12 years. I’m 6-foot-1, I’ve got to find my way somehow. I love that I don’t have to change myself, and I can just be who I am. My teammates embrace me. I just try to help every game.”

On mentoring Cade Cunningham:

“Just talking as much as we can, bring them together. Every dead ball, come together, making sure I talk to Cade. Cade, he’s one of the best players in the world. Keep talking to him, see the stuff that I see. Just try to teach him and encourage him. He did it tonight, he controlled the whole game. Every time he was stepping on the court, he was controlling the game.”

"They could have won every game. They really have outplayed the Knicks, let's be honest."

Charles Barkley on the Pistons-Knicks series ️

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/jN4jH4ZYqk

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 30, 2025​

Charles Barkley (Former NBA Player)​

On losing playoff games at home:

“To lose in the playoffs at home, I think that is the worst [expletive] feeling in the world.”

pic.twitter.com/1ae04FsnDb

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 1, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ulletin-if-i-had-my-way-we-wouldve-swept-them

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks 116, Pistons 113: Scenes from Captain Clutch leveling an entire city in Michigan.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks lose two double-digit leads and fall behind by seven in crunch time before Jalen carries them to victory again.

For the third straight year, the New York Knicks will reach the second round of the playoffs, thanks to tonight’s 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons at the Little Caesar’s Arena. The game wasn’t pretty, but neither were the previous five in this bruising series.

The Knicks started saucy! Jalen Brunson (15 first-quarter points, 40 overall), Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby came out blazing, and Karl-Anthony Towns crashed the glass. An 11-0 run in the middle of the first gave New York a 20-8 lead. Their advantage would reach 15.

Detroit, led by Cade Cunningham (nine Q1 points, 23 overall) and Jalen Duren (21 points and six rebounds tonight), showed heart, but turnovers and missed threes proved costly. By the buzzer, New York led, 37-23. They had shot efficiently (60% from the field, 40% from three) and committed just one turnover, while Detroit shot 38% from the field, 2-10 from deep.

JUMPED OUT OF MY SEAT FOR THIS ONE pic.twitter.com/aOvdjXI6Ye

— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) May 1, 2025​

Had we not seen countless leads blown in the series, we might have been lulled into over-confidence. Through the first quarter, New York swung the ball like—well, maybe not Globetrotters, but there was precision, there was intention. In the second quarter, the record skerrr-atched. Brunson called his own number too many times, OG Anunoby couldn’t hit the rim, and Detroit’s Malik Beasley (18 points in his first 15 minutes) swished multiple wide-open triples to erase New York’s lead.

By the four-ish minute mark, the score was tied; by the one-minute mark, Detroit took their first lead with a Cunningham drive. When Beasley drilled another meagerly contested shot, this time at the buzzer, Detroit led 61-59.

New York had lost every third quarter of the series. With a slight air of desperation, the ‘Bockers did layup lines at halftime, and whattayaknow? They outscored the Pistons 22-10 to start the third. Detroit employed their Hack-a-Mitch strategy (Robinson made 1-of-4), but New York was applying defensive pressure on the other end. On one incredible sequence late in the quarter, OG blocked Tobias Harris and a fast-breaking Bridges dunked on Cunningham with the most aggression we’ve seen from him all season. Who knew he had it in him?

MIKAL BRIDGES IGNITES FOR THE SLAM ON CADE CUNNINGHAM pic.twitter.com/KtLrqiHiy4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2025​

For once, New York outscored the Pistons in the third frame—37-24, for a 96=85 lead.

To open the fourth, both teams sputtered with missed shots and turnovers, but a 16-2 run by Detroit tied the game with under six minutes left. Tim Hardaway, Jr. (who hit his first triple after missing all five attempts), Ausar Thompson, and Cunningham fueled the surge. That was a particularly ugly stretch of New York basketball—Miles McBride dribbled into a turnover, the Knicks forgot how to pass and shoot, Bridges fumbled the rock in traffic, and Towns passed the ball to a ghost in the front row. While the Knicks were losing their confidence, Detroit’s fans were losing their minds.

With two-and-a-half remaining, the Pistons had a seven-point lead. Captain Clutch pulled off a three-point play—and then an acrobatic layup in traffic to cut it to two. Three of New York’s starters (Bridges, Anunoby, and Brunson) had logged 40 minutes already; their bench had delivered five points.

In a minor miracle, Towns intercepted a Cunningham pass and was fouled to prevent a guaranteed dunk. He made one free throw, missed the second, and in the resulting scrum, New York regained possession with a minute left. Down by one. Brunson dribbled and dribbled, but couldn’t get away from Thompson and committed a shot-clock violation. KAT fouled out, sending Duren to the line with 50 seconds to go.

Down by two, Bridges (25 points overall) tied the game on a put-back layup. With 35 seconds, Cunningham choked again; Hart secured the rebound and called a timeout. Cap got the ball and drilled a trey with five seconds left. Detroit inbounded the ball at halfcourt and swung it to Cunningham, who chickened out again and threw ball past an open Beasley.

Ecstasy.

JALEN BRUNSON FROM 3 TO WIN IT FOR THE KNICKS

KNICKS ARE ADVANCING TO EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS!!!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/sGmjcWhNdj

— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2025​

Up Next​

Professor Matthew Miranda has your recap on the way. As for the Knicks: round two and the Boston Celtics starts on May 5. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...in-clutch-leveling-an-entire-city-in-michigan

 

[New York Knicks]

The eerie similarities between the last two Game 6s

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Knicks closed out Detroit in an eerily similar way to how they closed out Philadelphia last season.

Last night, thankfully, mercifully, the Knicks pulled out the series win against the Pistons, surviving a back-and-forth Game 6 in a series that neither team ever held a 20-point lead. For reference, the other seven playoff series had a game end with a 20-point margin (except Rockets-Warriors, but Game 5 was as lopsided as you can get for a 15-point win).

While the outlook for the second round is rather bleak, you shouldn’t take stuff like this for granted. It’s just the third playoff series victory for the Knicks since 2013 and the fourth in almost a quarter-century. Worrying about Boston right now is for the team; enjoy the next few days as a fan.

The way this series ended, though, was notable. If you think back to how the gritty, nasty, heart-palpating series against the Sixers last season ended, the final game was almost identical.

While we look back at last night, let’s also reminisce about a great game played 365 days ago in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Background​

Yep, even the background is strikingly similar.

Both series were gritty, nasty affairs by two teams who did not like each other. Every game in both series (aside from maybe Game 3 vs PHI) was down-to-the-wire.

Both series saw a pair of controversial endings. In Game 2 against Philly, Tyrese Maxey was mauled in a sequence that led to a shocking Knicks comeback. In Game 5, Maxey had an uncalled travel that led to a miraculous Sixers comeback.

In this series, you had the infamous missed call on a Hardaway 3 at the end of Game 4. Pistons fans will also cry about Game 3 and the “backcourt violation” but completely ignore the atrocious game clock fiasco.

And lastly, both series saw a closeout opportunity for the Knicks slip away in Game 5 on home turf. In 2024, they blew a six-point lead in under 30 seconds before losing in OT. This year, the Knicks trailed for much of the fourth but were even until a comical final three minutes.

Both led to a Game 6 in hostile territory with the threat of blowing a 3-1 lead and getting to Game 7 with no momentum as a strong possibility.

Strong First Quarter​

The Knicks got off to a hot start last night. Energized by wanting to put the feisty Pistons to bed, the Knicks were active defensively and got early buckets in a great change-of-pace from their typical offensive gameplan. The ball was moving, Brunson was cooking (15 points, 4 assists, 7-9 FG), and the Knicks went up big.

They shot 60% from the field and went 4-for-10 from 3, while Detroit shot just 40% and 2-for-9 from deep with three turnovers. While it never got truly out of hand, the Knicks got out to a 14-point lead after one after Deuce McBride finally nailed a three to close the quarter:

Up 14, they were just two away from the largest lead of the series. They even took a 15-point lead a minute into the second.

In last year’s Game 6, the Knicks similarly exploded out of the gate, ambushing a Sixers team that couldn’t even have a real home crowd. They led 7-0, 17-4, 26-9, and finally, 33-11 after just 9:38 of game had elapsed:

Philly crept back with a trio of triples by Cam Payne and Nic Batum and trailed 36-22 after one. In both games, the Knicks led by 14 after the first quarter.

Role Player Explosion Gives Opponent The Lead At Half​

When everything was looking great for the Knicks in Game 6 last night, it all fell apart.

Their offense became stagnant and Detroit finally began to look the part of a team facing elimination. It started with a three by Dennis Schroder to cut it to 12, but the main culprit was the flamboyant Malik Beasley, who may have a sponsorship lined up with a certain candy bar after how this one ended.

Beasley, who entered the game a ghastly 23.5% from deep in his last four games, hit one after another after another.

The crowd got into it, the Knicks stumbled offensively, and Beasley’s fourth triple winded up tying the game at 49, a 19-5 run.

It was a mortifying watch. Everything he shot, regardless of coverage, was going in.

It was almost identical to what happened to the Knicks last year in Philly.

In that game, the Knicks led 38-24 before the Sixers started feeding Buddy Hield, another role player who can catch absolute fire from distance. Hield powered a relentless Sixers comeback, hitting his fifth three on an eerily similar shot to the one that I just showed by Malik Beasley.

Both players went 5-for-8 from 3 in the quarter to lead their teams to a halftime lead. Hield spearheaded a 27-10 run to go up 54-51, while Beasley hit his fifth triple to give Detroit a halftime lead on a shot that everyone knew was going in based off how ridiculous that quarter has gone:

A Second Half Knicks Revival​

While the Knicks started the third extremely flat in 2024, leading to them trailing by ten with under seven minutes left in the quarter, the Knicks came out with fire in this year’s edition.

Perhaps aided by some layup lines, the Knicks sprinted out to a six-point cushion before eventually stretching it to 11. After ghastly shooting (37/13/100 splits) in the second with turnover woes, the Knicks shot 61% from the field and went 4-for-7 from 3 in an inspired effort that led to them entering the fourth with a double digit lead.

It took a bit longer for the revival to happen in 2024, but the Knicks ended the third quarter on a 22-12 run to tie it up, as OG Anunoby nailed this three to even the score at 83 entering the fourth:

The Knicks would pull away in this one too, taking a 105-98 lead with 4:07 left in the game.

Opponent Punches Back​

Of course, nothing easy.

After the Knicks took a 103-92 lead last night with 8:52 left, the Pistons went on a mortifying 20-2 run over the next six minutes, taking a seven-point lead and leaving every Knicks fan in utter disbelief. Even the steadfast believers thought we were screwed.

This also happened last year, but not this extreme. After taking an eight-point lead against the Sixers with 3:27 left, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. led a fierce comeback that resulted in a game-tying and-1 with under 40 seconds left.

The Series-Defining Dagger​

In Philadelphia, the Knicks had the ball in a 111-111 game with 34.9 left.

After the Knicks got up off the mat in Detroit last night, they had the ball in a 113-113 game with 21 seconds left.

In Philly, the desperation to make someone else beat them led to the Sixers blitzing Brunson, leaving Josh Hart wide open for three. After a ball fake, Hart sank the go-ahead triple with 24.4 left.

In Detroit, Jalen Brunson took his time, shook Ausar Thompson all the way to Windsor, and stepped into a wide open three at the same spot, at the top of the key, and sank it with under five seconds to go:

Jalen Brunson game-winner deserved a double "BANG" from Mike Breen ️ pic.twitter.com/USqkVl56Cz

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2025​

While the ending in Detroit was straight forward, the last 25 seconds in Philly was a free throw laden mess, ending with Buddy Hield throwing up some BS at the end.

Hield and Beasley each hit five threes in the second quarter to get their teams the lead.

Both had the ball in their hands to end it after going ice cold. One bricked, the other had butterfingers.

BONUS: Captain Clutch​

Oh yeah, Brunson also dropped 40 in both of these games.

Couldn’t leave that part out.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...wo-game-6s-knicks-pistons-brunson-cade-sixers

 

[New York Knicks]

The Last Shot

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Frozen in Time

There’s a reason Jalen Brunson walked away with the 2024–25 Clutch Player of the Year. The man has ice in his veins, and somehow, that ice gets even a degree or two colder in crunch time. When the Knicks need a bucket, need a bailout, need a hero? Brunson doesn’t blink. He delivers. Always.

Game Six had all the smoke, just like every chapter in this first-round thriller between Detroit and New York. But there was one caveat to this game. The Knicks came in looking to slam the door shut while the Pistons were swinging for survival, desperate to keep their season on life support for just one more night.

The Knicks started strong, but the Pistons closed out the first half stronger, entering the half with a two-point lead.

After halftime, the Knicks returned to the floor determined not to let the Pistons see a Game Seven. They managed to string together a 27-12 run, and by the end of the third quarter, the Knicks outscored the Pistons 37-24.

Knicks fans thought it was over and were already starting to see Celtic green. But just like every game in this series, the Pistons got scrappy and clawed their way back, tying the game at 103 with approximately six minutes remaining.

Fast forward five wild minutes with multiple lead changes and tensions rising, and suddenly, the Knicks were down 112–111 with under a minute left. Karl-Anthony Towns had just fouled out, leaving New York without its big man and its margin for error. It was gut-check time. And once again, it all came down to Captain Clutch. If the Knicks were gonna dodge a Game Seven and steal a miracle in D-Town, it was going to fall on Captain Clutch.

From the opening tip, Brunson had that look in his eyes like he wasn’t just playing the game—he was owning it. But in those final moments, something wild happened. It was as if the Knicks’ star had leveled up mid-game, possessed by a force bigger than the moment. Think Super Shredder towards the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle II after he drank the secret ooze.

Brunson didn’t just take over; he went full beast mode, bending the game to his will and dragging the Knicks across the finish line.

We can’t overlook the putback by Bridges off of a Brunson miss to tie the score at 113 with 35 seconds remaining, to allow for Knicks history to unfold in a mere thirty seconds.

The Pistons had their chance, but after Cade Cunningham missed the go-ahead lay-up, Josh Hart snatched the board and called timeout with 20.6 on the clock. Just like that, the stage was set for a slice of Knicks history.

Similar to the ’90s Bulls when the play call was to “Give the ball to Michael, and get the hell out of the way”, watching last night’s game-winning shot seemed very reminiscent in more ways than one of Jordan’s many game-winners. The moment didn’t just echo Jordan, it practically mirrored him. From the iso setup to the cold-blooded finish, it was impossible not to think back to MJ’s dagger over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the ‘98 Finals.

With 20 seconds remaining, Bridges lined up on the sideline to inbound the ball. Brunson immediately caught the inbounds pass along the left sideline and dribbled directly to mid-court to wind the clock down. As MJ once said, in a similar situation with the game tied in under similar circumstances, the Knicks couldn’t lose as long as they took the last shot. If it missed, the worst-case scenario was overtime, but if it goes in, it’s game over.

As the Knicks and Pistons cleared the court for the one-on-one showdown between Brunson and Thomson, Brunson stood at mid-court, back to the basket, as the clock wound down towards triple zeroes.

Photo by Scott Winterton/NBAE via Getty Images

After eight dribbles, Bridges came over to fake the high pick to try and distract Thompson. Brunson, on the other hand, took off to his strong side, took two dribbles, pulled back with a between the legs crossover dribble that left Thompson “Shook” like Mobb Deep in 1995, and left Thompson stuck to watch from the cold Detroit weather outside of Little Caesars Arena. Just like MJ did to Russell, the crossover gave Brunson a wide enough look from 24 feet, he could have shot the ball two times.

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images

Brunson rose up. The ball left his fingertips in pure rhythm, and he held his left hand held high in that iconic follow-through, channeling MJ’s pose from ‘98. As the shot arced through the air, 20,000-plus held their breath. Time seemed to have simply frozen as the ball sailed toward the basket. Brunson held his follow-through just like Jordan did, holding his left hand up until the ball hit nothing but net with 4.3 seconds remaining, and just like Captain Clutch had done all season long, he held three fingers up to kiss the Detroit faithful goodbye.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/5/2/24422574/the-last-shot

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘The ball did go in. That’s all I care about’

Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The ball did go in, and indeed, it did.

Do you feel it? It’s anxiety.

The Knicks will play the Celtics, aiming at winning their first second-round series since they last did in 2000 (yes, you read that right), starting Monday. For now, we wait.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a buncha people have said over the past few hours.

UPDATE: Knicks-Celtics schedule with some TV info and Game 7 start time of 8pm:

️ G1 Mon May 5 Bos 7pm TNT
️ G2 Wed May 7 Bos 7pm TNT
️ G3 Sat May 10 MSG
️ G4 Mon May 12 MSG
G5 Wed May 14 Bos
G6 Fri May 16 MSG
G7 Mon May 19 Bos 8pm TNT

(= if needed) https://t.co/jurM7GvMec

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 3, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On not having home-court advantage over Boston:

“We’ve been a pretty good road team all year. So I think to have that focus when you’re on the road, it’s just your group. Obviously, we have a great fan base, and a lot of our fans travel. But you’re just relying on each other. You have to have belief and trust in each other.”

On getting ready for the Celtics:

“Obviously, we’ll be doing a lot of work in the next couple days, and our assistants and our advance guys have been working on it for a long time....They’re the defending champion so we know we’re going to have to be at our best.”

On Brunson’s creativity:

“He gets a lot of attention and he’s getting trapped and he knows how to move without the ball. Obviously, very clever with the ball. Shifty can get to the spots he wants.”

On Brunson’s Game 6 shot and leadership:

“His focus is terrific. He never gets sidetracked with anything but the game, so he’s never thinking about what people say, or fans or the opponent or stuff like that. He’s locked into getting the job done and bringing his teammates with him. The same could be said for all our starters. They’re willing to sacrifice for each other, and we know we have to play hard.”

On the excellent Game 6 dagger:

“Jalen’s shot, what can you say? He’s at his best when his best is needed. He’s done it all year. That’s what makes him special.”

The award said Clutch POY. Last night? @jalenbrunson1 underlined it. pic.twitter.com/qTxJsTJXdz

— Nike NYC (@NikeNYC) May 2, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On eliminating the Pistons on the road:

“It’s a great feeling. Obviously, we’re disappointed we couldn’t do it at home in front of our fans, but that’s one of the best feelings in sports, going into a hostile environment of an opposing team and silencing them.”

On the team effort in Game 6:

“It’s huge, and it’s all of us. I think everyone out there contributed at the end of the game. Huge, huge shoutout to [Bridges]. Shot wasn’t falling in this series, but he did everything else. He was guarding, his defense was amazing in this series. Thirty seconds left, he had one of the biggest plays, an effort tip-in. [Brunson’s] shot was huge. Big credit to him for keeping mentally strong and playing his game.”

On Brunson’s game-winner:

“Great move, and great thing he made because he would’ve given them a chance to win it. That’s our guy. Clutch Player of the Year for a reason. It feels good to move on.”

On Brunson’s being ready for the moment:

“[He works on that move] all the time. There wasn’t any doubt because he puts the work in. When you put the work in you can live with any outcome. We’re very comfortable with the ball in his hands. Heck of a bucket.”

On the second-round matchup with the Celtics:

“We’re good. Need a couple of days to recover physically. But we know that’s going to be a test.

“They’re the champs last year. They’re playing at a very high level. It’s going to test us. But we’re confident in ourselves. We’re comfortable with who we are. I think we’ve grown. We’re continuing to grow. So it’s going to be a heck of a battle. That’s a great team with a great coaching staff. So it’s going to be a good series.”

"Hey Thibs"

What does Jalen Brunson say in the huddle before the shot –– and what does he say when he grabs Thibs after? pic.twitter.com/2aYW5s2czp

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 3, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On trusting his instincts during the move:

“I don’t really go and think, ‘Alright, I’m gonna make this move right here.’ It’s just instinct. He beat me to the spot. He cut me off. Just went back the other way, and I found a lot of space, and I was able to take a shot.”

On the Game 6 final shot:

“If [that shot] doesn’t go in, hopefully we go into overtime. We had a lot of time left. But the ball did go in. That’s all I care about.”

On Ausar Thompson’s defense:

“Just found a way to create some separation. Shot it a little earlier than I wanted to but, Ausar is such a great defender man. And just the fact that I got that much space, I had to shoot it. … That dude was tough to play against. He is big-time. And I told him straight to his face after the series, he made me work, so I have a lot of respect for him.”

On playing the Celtics next:

“I think every series is different, but we can learn from our experiences as we go on. I don’t want to say it’s going to be different, but obviously, we’re playing against the defending champs next time. So it’s going to be a lot different.

“Playing this team that we just played—I’m not discrediting them at all, but they have experience. The Celtics have experience. And playing these guys, they were just physical. They brought the fight to us. And we had to respond, and we did.

“But every series is going to be different. And you got to respect each opponent you play and then you got to go from there and make adjustments. But everything is different. From the first quarter, the first thing, everything is going to be different.”

“Ball game. This game’s over with” pic.twitter.com/8diYanpPPu

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 2, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On defending Boston’s wings:

“Yeah, they’re a hell of players and got moves for days and physical. Yeah, definitely a challenge, but it’s never one-on-one. You got four guys behind you, your teammates, so it’s just team defense and just helping each other out.”

On Brunson’s poise:

“I just know him so well and I think high pressure situations happen that doesn’t phase him. I’ve been around him so long and he’s even keeled throughout the whole night. Doesn’t matter if he’s struggling, no matter if he’s hooping, you can never tell.”

Blatant series W pic.twitter.com/bRYFcHtxSz

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) May 2, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On Thompson vs. Brunson:

“It’s tough, and you feel for [Thompson] because you’re playing one of the premier players in the NBA, and you’re a premier defender and sometimes good defense is beat by great offense. And JB is a special player, so I think he’ll learn from that, he’ll grow from this experience, and for me, I want to see him evolve from this moment and use this as motivation.”

On the third-quarter turnaround in Game 6:

“I would hope it was more about the desperation of being in a Game 6 in Detroit and less about the layup lines. We’ll figure out if that was the reason, but I hope it’s not about the layup lines.”

On prioritizing winning above losing pretty:

“It doesn’t matter about stats, it doesn’t matter about personal accolades, it’s about finding a way to win and we did that. I know the city only cares about one thing, and that’s W’s, and we found a way to get that done.”

"That's his new name now? Layup line Kal?"

Cam Payne said Mikal Bridges directed the Knicks to do the layup line coming out of halftime

"I respect that. It got us going, we came out in the 3rd [quarter] and played well. Everybody listened to him" pic.twitter.com/wFyYsZVMNx

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 2, 2025​

Cam Payne​

On Bridges’ pre-third-quarter leadership:

“That’s his new name, ‘Layup Line ’Kal.’ We get off to slow starts in the third [quarter]. … He’s trying to go ahead and close the series out. Before we walked out [of the locker room], he was like, ‘I need everyone out here to do these layups.’ But I respect that, I respect it. It got us going, we came out in the third and played well. That was big time. Everybody listened to him.”

On Brunson’s shot:

“Man I seen him work on [that move] all the time. I work out with him every day, so I ain’t gone say I’m surprised. That’s Clutch Player of the Year. He’s that for a reason. So he made a hell of a play.”

In 1992 the last time the Knicks faced the Pistons in the playoffs, they wanted to do something as a show of solidarity

Mark Jackson said let's all wear black shoes

A tradition was born

Tonight the starters are doing it again pic.twitter.com/zjFStKUbcR

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 2, 2025​

OG Anunoby​

On Brunson’s final shot:

“I thought it was going in. I think most shots he shoots are going in. I wasn’t surprised it went in at all. He’s a great player.”

Mike Breen on the Knicks MSG broadcast: "J. B. Bickerstaff just will not stop... I've been doing this over 30 years; I don't know if I've ever seen a coach argue this much, nonstop from the opening tip 'til now." ️ #NBAPlayoffs #NBA pic.twitter.com/GnGUwvvQvn

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 2, 2025​

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)​

On Thompson’s effort vs. Brunson:

“I give Ausar a ton of credit for what he was doing out there defensively, the effort that he put in. He’s guarding one of the most difficult matchups in the NBA. And again, you’ve got to tip your hat to Brunson for creating the space and finding his shot there at the end. But he’s hard to guard, and the space that they play with and how he can generate space at his size is remarkable. And again, I thought Ausar did a great job on him. [Jalen] just did what he does and made one more.”

Jalen Brunson sent Ausar Thompson off the screen pic.twitter.com/J1m9hY6lww

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 2, 2025​

Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On defending Brunson:

“I’ve gotta do a better job of absorbing the contact and staying with him. I’ve gotta hit the weight room.”

On the final play:

“Probably not gonna watch [that play] for a little.”

Malik Beasley opening his messages after the game pic.twitter.com/YEKARFRyO6

— Gallo (@Gallosavedme) May 2, 2025​

Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons Player)​

On Ausar Thompson’s defense:

“[Ausar Thompson] was pissed. He is the best defender in the world. He felt like he should’ve got a stop on that last possession.”

On his skill set:

“I’m the best shooter in the world. I feel like I should’ve [gotten a shot off] on that last possession.”

Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics Head Coach)​

On defending Brunson:

“You can’t do it with one guy, right? It takes a team — takes different matchups, takes different coverages, but there’s got to be a level of physicality, a level of discipline, a level of attention to detail on tendencies at the same time..If you add up all the points, there are a number of points to which you can work to be disciplined and work to control. At the same time, he’s a great player, and he’s going to make plays.”

Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026. https://t.co/YgaIn1cYc8 pic.twitter.com/cyeK7GM6Ob

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) May 2, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...tin-the-ball-did-go-in-thats-all-i-care-about

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘If anything, it’s us who have more to lose’

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Just one more sleep...

Is this wait feeling like it has no end? Yes.

Will it eventually end? For sure, and it’ll do in just under 36 hours from today’s issue of your favorite Knicks Bulletin!

Here’s what we’ve heard from Coach Thibs and a few other folks in the past few hours.

"Your preparation is everything."

Tom Thibodeau talks about the Knicks' preparation for the Celtics: pic.twitter.com/ibifvugXW9

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On Bridges’ adjustment to the team:

“I think for anybody who gets traded or in free agency or whatever it might be there’s an adjustment period that you have to go through and it takes some time. I think he’s very confident in his abilities.”

On Bridges’ increasing contributions:

“He’s a key part of our team. It’s all around, all the things that he brings. Secondary ball handler also, but his defense, his ability to run the floor, move without the ball, make timely shots, terrific three-point shooter from the corners. Just keep doing what you’re doing. So it’s been a steady climb for him. This will be a great challenge for not only him, but our entire team.”

On Towns’ Game 6:

“I thought KAT played a terrific game [in] Game 6. If you look at the rebounding and the defensive plays he made at the end of that game. That was huge for us. Huge.”

On the importance of making an impact beyond scoring:

“There’s games in which you don’t shoot the ball great, there’s other things you can do to help the team win. Whether you’re screening, same thing with Jalen. If there’s three guys on him, I don’t want him to take the tough shots. I want him to hit the open man. That’s what winning basketball is all about.”

On the Celtics’ infinite weapons:

“I think if you overlook guys like [Jrue] Holiday and [Derrick] White you’re making a big mistake. Those guys are all dangerous. [Kristaps] Porzingis is a terrific player. You’re dealing with five-out spacing. You look at what [Payton] Pritchard and [Sam] Houser have given them off the bench. [Luke] Kornet has been a big factor for them as well.”

Jalen Brunson talks about what the Knicks can take away from their regular-season games against the Celtics: pic.twitter.com/Tk66eUyEWH

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On facing the Celtics:

“Obviously, [we have to] play better than we did [against them] throughout the regular season. Be better, ready to do it from the jump, knowing it’s going to be a game of runs, knowing that they’re capable of doing a lot of great things. I feel like we played better in that [fourth] game. We adjusted from the first three times we played them, obviously still not getting it done, but definitely played better and competed better than the first three games. So that’s something we can look at and build off of.”

On getting ready for the second round:

“We used [Friday] to decompress, rest and get your mind ready for the next challenge.”

On holding the underdog status vs. the Celtics:

“It is what it is.”

On the Knicks’ growth through the season’s ups and downs:

“I feel like when you are going through a season and have different ups and downs and you go through a lot of things, it tends to bring a team together. Regardless of how we won [the Detroit] series, we are moving on and we’re getting better and we have another chance to continue to get better.”

On the importance of staying strong amid shooting slumps:

“Yeah, we can’t let offense or shots falling dictate the way or how hard we play or the things that we can control. So I feel like a lot of people on this team have that mindset, and we’re going to have to. Because the longer we go to playoffs, the more difficult games are going to be. So we just can’t let little things like that kind of have an effect on how we’re playing.”

On OG Anunoby’s defense:

“I always have confidence [in OG] no matter who he is guarding. He brings that mindset every game. And so I have confidence regardless of whatever he is doing.”

On the importance of defending the three-point line against Boston:

“Obviously [we have to] keep bodies on bodies, not letting them loose for open threes. You have to contest everything and be ready for the long rebounds, the second shots.”

On Porzingis’ growth and playing with him in Dallas:

“The biggest thing I’ve seen from him is his selflessness. He’s been so unselfish, going into a team with a lot of pieces, and then doing more than just fitting in. He’s added to the culture. He’s brought a level of toughness, and obviously he stretches the floor offensively and then defensively. He’s a rim protector, so he does a lot for their team for them to be successful. But the way he just got there and fit in seamlessly right away, I think that was pretty special to see. I mean, I’m happy for his success and everything, and just being able to be teammates with him and see him now. It’s great to see. He’s a handful and you got to be ready for him.”

A phone went off during one of Karl-Anthony Towns' answers at his press conference:

"That's Thibs, talking about he want to watch film" pic.twitter.com/bjD9JCs7x1

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On the Celtics’ entering the second-round matchup as the clear-cut favorites:

“They are the defending [NBA] champs for a reason.”

On what Boston does well:

“They found a formula that works for them, it’s worked against the whole entire league, got them a chip. We just gotta go out there, execute and stay disciplined. If we execute the way I know we can, play basketball the way I know we can, we’ll give ourselves a chance every night.”

On limiting Boston’s three-point shooting:

“Of course, you want to limit their 3-point attempts. It’s easier said than done. You gotta go out there and make it happen. You can’t just talk about it.”

On the Knicks playoff success, no matter how they get there:

“I’m about wins, so as long as we win then everything is fine. All I know is as long as we win we’re good. I’m going with that.”

On Bridges’ pressure handling:

“… When you’re playing for the New York Knicks, it comes with a different pressure than any other organization, any place in the world. I think he’s done a great job of trusting us, believing in us and I think the team has done a great job of rallying around each other, not just him. Mikal’s done exactly what he’s supposed to do. We have nothing but belief in his skill set, his talent, and his mentality.”

On fellow 2015 draftee Porzingis:

“I love Porzingis, man. We came into the league together. We had a bunch of great battles that you all got to watch personally. Just that competition. We got a lot of respect for each other.”

"Picks, whatever, you're still playing for the New York Knicks. It comes with a different pressure than any other organization and place in the world."

Karl-Anthony Towns talks about Mikal Bridges' transition to the Knicks and how he's handled pressure: pic.twitter.com/NGMZe9aXlJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 3, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On his defensive “resurgence”:

“I don’t know if people thought I stopped playing [defense]. I know I struggled a little bit this year, but [I’m] just getting comfortable.”

On his improved rebounding:

“My coaches (have) been on me all year, all playoffs to rebound. So just trying to do my best.”

Joe Mazzulla to @John_Karalis on the Celtics avoiding being overconfident after sweeping the Knicks 4-0 in the regular season:

“It comes down to executing simple details over and over again with a high level of physicality and attention to detail, and you just have to be able to… pic.twitter.com/35RxFexHwR

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) May 3, 2025​

Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics Head Coach)​

On how to try and limit Brunson:

“You can’t do it with one guy, right? It takes a team — takes different matchups, takes different coverages, but there’s got to be a level of physicality, a level of discipline, a level of attention to detail on tendencies at the same time. If you add up all the points, there are a number of points to which you can work to be disciplined and work to control. At the same time, he’s a great player, and he’s going to make plays.”

On staying ready for anything throughout the playoffs:

“Every game takes on a life of its own. Every series takes on a life of its own. Right now, the series is 0-0. It’s two good teams getting ready to play.”

On the need for execution and great defense against New York:

“You have to be able to defend without fouling, rebound, take care of the ball, execute, be able to get to different stuff defensively, because of their ability to put pressure on the rim and get great shots.”

On the Knicks and their high-octane offense:

“Great coach, great depth, great team. You see what they’ve been able to do over the course of the season, and in the playoffs thus far, with their two guys — but also the way that the others are able to impact the game.

“Their offensive numbers are better. Their ability to change defenses is good. They have two guys that can score at all three levels. They got role guys that could really impact the game.”

On preparing his players:

“There’s always ways to get better, whether it’s on the practice court, whether it’s in the film room, whether it’s on walkthroughs, whether it’s getting up and down. You just have to take it, take advantage of all the ways you could learn and institute a game plan. It’s the playoffs. No one’s 100%.”

On the need for applying and excelling at fundamentals in the postseason:

“You still have to rebound, you have to take care of the basketball. You have to be able to defend without fouling. You have to execute. You have to set good screens. You have to sprint in transition. You have to get to the corners. You have to sprint back. You have to keep it 5-on-5. You have to protect the paint. Have to box out. All those details are super important.”

Derrick White on Jalen Brunson:

"Big time player. Seems to make all the big plays for them."@ABC6 #Differenthere #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hKZkuBOGCD

— Ian Steele (@RealianSteele6) May 2, 2025​

Derrick White (Boston Celtics Player)​

On Brunson:

“Big-time player. Seems to make the big plays for them. He’s had an unbelievable year, and obviously these playoffs, he’s taken it to another level. Try to make it as difficult as we can for 48 minutes.”

On the challenge of going against the Knicks:

“It’s the playoffs. They’re here for a reason. They’re really good team, and it’s gonna be a big challenge.”

On the regular-season sweep:

“Everything we did in the regular season doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

Kristaps Porzingis on the Celtics’ upcoming series vs. the Knicks:

“We saw them a few times this year. Talented. Brunson, high level. Towns, high level…It’s gonna be a challenge with those two guys, and they have good guys around them.” pic.twitter.com/9mt2e9mqJz

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) May 3, 2025​

Kristaps Porzingis (Boston Celtics Player)​

On feeling the pressure of being the favorites against New York:

“(Our biggest advantage) goes back to experience. The experience and versatility of our team. So many guys that can step up… It’s a big advantage that we have. Not many teams have this type of talent

“I believe we’re going to be the favorites and betting odds, right? So if anything, it’s us who have more to lose because of that.”

On the matchup against Towns matchup:

“He’s a tough matchup with the shooting, with his talent offensively. He’s a tough matchup for anybody. It’s going to take a team effort to stop him.”

NBA Top 75 All-Time Player, Class of 2025 Naismith Hall of Famer, 3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, and now NBC Sports Analyst.

Welcome to the team, Carmelo Anthony! pic.twitter.com/jmi8WYL0TO

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 3, 2025​

Carmelo Anthony (Knicks Legend)​

On joining NBC Sports:

“Watching the NBA on NBC growing up shaped my love for the game. Now, I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family. I’ve always used my platform to help grow the game, and I’m excited to bring fans a fresh perspective as we usher in a new era of NBA coverage and programming.”

Jay Williams on Jalen Brunson: "I don't think they are going to have a chance against the Boston Celtics but I think we are watching the greatest Knick ever to play in that Knick uniform."

(via @GetUpESPN) pic.twitter.com/ANIaMpyjPw

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 2, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...s-bulletin-if-anything-us-more-lose-porzingis

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘It’s idiotic to play if you don’t go in with confidence’

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Boston and New York clash in the playoffs for the first time since the Knicks won the 2013 matchup.

The Knicks and the Celtics will play postseason basketball against each other for the first time in more than 10 years, starting tonight in Boston.

New York and Beantown alternated series wins for 25 years, with the Celtics winning two and the Knicks earning a couple of victories, making it 2-2 between 1988 and 2013.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few other folks have said as the Knickerbockers get ready to try and win a series between both teams in back-to-back meetings since the Celtics did it in 1984-1988.

"You can't have any mental breakdowns where you have a bad two or three-minute stretch because of their ability to go on runs"

Tom Thibodeau discusses the challenges of facing the Celtics: pic.twitter.com/I8spH2FdPy

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 4, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On dealing with Boston’s infinite weapons:

“That’s the challenge. They did a good job in (the first-round) series, but [Boston has] a lot of weapons.

“You take it play by play. Like any game. You’re on the road, so it’s a different environment. But don’t lose sight of what’s important. Focus on the task at hand. It’s us against everybody. So let’s go.”

On the Celtics’ consistency:

“They’re a terrific team, defending champions. Each game you learn something. You’ve got to play for 48 minutes. We thought the last game there were some things that we could have done better, but it was an overtime game — so you just find a way to win.”

On Mitchell Robinson’s impact in the series after he missed three regular-season games against Boston:

“Mitch gives us rim protection. It gives us versatility, the rebounding, the offensive rebounding, with switchability on pick and rolls.”

On the necessity of grabbing as many rebounds as possible at all levels of the floor:

“If you run in, [the rebounds will] probably go over your head. So our guards have to do a great job covering the long ones. Their bigs are real active, and then they come from behind, so we have to have an awareness with that as well. They’re defending champions for a reason.”

On Payton Pritchard and the Celtics bench:

“He had a terrific season for them. [Sam] Hauser’s played really well for them as well. [Luke] Kornet’s given them good minutes. The challenge is the shooting aspect of it. They usually have five 3-point shooters on the floor.”

On Deuce McBride’s struggles and need for more overall production from the reserves:

“It’s not one particular guy, it’s how the group functions when they’re out there. Our bench has been productive throughout the year. So just bounce back, be good in the next one.”

On the Knicks need to put together a full 48-minute effort:

“The third game was a four-point game in the fourth quarter, too, but you have to play. They can go on runs the way that they shoot threes. A bad minute or two — that could be the difference in a 10-point swing.

“It’s maximum concentration, maximum effort.”

On Precious Achiuwa’s availability:

“Right now he’s not in the rotation but be ready, it can change at any moment.”

Jalen Brunson billboard outside of MSG:

“For Mayor.” pic.twitter.com/JuYHESEODS

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 3, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On defending the Celtics’ three-point shooting:

“Obviously, keep bodies on bodies. Don’t let them loose on every open 3. Contest everything and be ready for the long rebounds and second shots. So I think that’ll be a big key because obviously they’re great chasing down their misses and getting wide-open second looks.”

On facing the Celtics in the second round:

“Now you have to lock in. It’s like, no one believes in us, let’s go do it. And for me, I feel like that’s easier than being, ‘oh, we’re so good, everyone thinks that we’re good.’ I like when people doubt us. It makes the process of preparing easier…”

On past matchups vs. Boston and their meaning:

“I feel like we played better in (the fourth) game. We adjusted from the first three times we played them—obviously still not getting it done, but definitely played better and competed better than the first three games. So that’s something we can look at and build off of.

“We’ve gotta keep our composure, stick together and just make sure that we continue to play throughout the entire game.”

On the team growth through a tough first-round series:

“I feel like when you are going through a season and have different ups and downs and you go through a lot of things, it tends to bring a team together. Regardless of how we won that series, we are moving on and we’re getting better and we have another chance to continue to get better.”

"If we're counted out already, then we should play with a great level of freedom. That's about it. We don't really care too much what the outside world said. We're focused on how we feel internally and going about it that way."

- Josh Hart pic.twitter.com/1PtdaSkHhB

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 4, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On entering the matchup against Boston as the clear-cut underdogs:

“I don’t care. If we’re counted out already, then we should play with a great level of freedom. We don’t really care too much what the outside world said. We’re focused on how we feel internally and going about it that way.”

On the outside perceptions of the Knicks as a subpar team:

“It depends on how you look at it. We don’t really involve ourselves with what other people think. The same people praise us one day and kill us the other so we’re focused on us.”

On the Celtics series challenge:

“I think it will be a different series. We just came out of a series where we got beat with bats for six games, so we can handle the physicality. But they’re such a skillful team that we’ve gotta make sure we’re not worried about physicality but making sure we’re locked in mentally [not only] to their tendencies…but also their personnel.”

On defending Boston’s shooting:

“Yeah, obviously that’s a huge part, especially in playoff basketball, where each possession costs so much, so trying to limit that is going to be a big, big thing for us. Honestly, they got shooters all over the court, so we’ve got to make sure we’re locked in, knowing who we’re guarding and executing the game plan.”

On the meaning of the 0-4 regular season record against Boston:

“There’s bits and pieces you can take from it, but at the end of the day, the series is 0–0. We lost three games of the regular season against Detroit. The playoffs is a different a different game. So we can’t think …too much about the regular season.”

On the team confidence entering the series:

“We all have confidence. It’s idiotic to play a game if you don’t go in with confidence. If you don’t go in to win, you shouldn’t go out there. So we’re confident with the team that we have. We’re confident with the coaching staff that we have. And I’m sure vice versa for them. So it goes down to execution, goes down to physicality, mental toughness, all those kinds of things. We’re always confident in ourselves. And if you’re not confident, like I said, you shouldn’t be out there.”

On the Celtics’ skill vs. the Knicks’ physicality:

“I think it’ll be a different series. I’ve never played against [the Celtics] in the playoffs. The physicality always heightens in the playoffs. We can handle the physicality, but they’re such a skillful team, we’ve got to make sure we’re not just worried about physicality.

“We’re making sure we’re locked-in mentally to their tendencies. Not just their plays, but their personnel.”

On his role within the Knicks system:

“For me, I’ve said it all year, it’s how can I get my guys going? How can I help them get an easy shot or an open look or get their energy into the game? A lot of that I do by example. I’ll talk to guys obviously, but it’s making a big play here or there, a hustle play that will get one of those guys an open shot that they knock down, now they’re feeling good, the energy is up. That’s something I always try to do, that I hang my hat on.”

On the improved team cohesion and the need for stout defense:

“I think we are all playing well. I think we’re all clicking. I think obviously there are peaks and valleys during the course of the game, but I think the confidence that we have in each other is at a very high level. And I think that’s huge offensively but more important defensively. This is going to be a huge defensive series for us. We’ve got to make sure we guard our yard. We’ve got to make sure we’re on point with our rotations. Communication is going to be huge. They’re the defending champs and it’s not going to be a cakewalk. [We have to] go in there and be locked [in].”

"We don't pay attention to none of that. Just trying to go out there and play hard, honestly."

Mikal Bridges talks about the Knicks being underdogs in this series: pic.twitter.com/iqtzwrCDIm

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 4, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On Nike’s Brunson billboard:

“Sure, he got my vote [for Mayor].”

On Josh Hart’s impact:

“Him just being unselfish—moving the ball to the second side, being aggressive, that’s just him being aggressive driving, going to a dribble handoff, whatever it is. That’s just him being aggressive and playing fast. We got guys that can all play off of that and we read and react to that.”

June 25/2015 - 2015 NBA Draft takes places. Drafted: Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingis, Miles Tuner & Devin Booker. pic.twitter.com/nbIFgEvbPc

— Today In History (@TodayThatWas) July 1, 2020​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On Mitchell Robinson:

“When he’s on the floor, he’s a positive for our team with his natural, God-given intangibles and obviously his ability to defend at a high level. It gives us a different offensive attack scheme and it gives us more different opportunities that we have in our lineups to do.”

On his defensive role and how he plans to adapt to the Celtics' scheme:

“Just gotta be more a perimeter defender and also tap into that Minnesota experience I had with Rudy Gobert. Especially in the playoffs, I feel like I’ve shown the world I can do it at a high level, especially in last year’s playoffs. So I just want to carry that experience, grow on that, and get even better.”

Joe Mazzulla to @GwashburnGlobe on the challenges of guarding Jalen Brunson:

"It's not just one guy it's a team ... I think when you're playing against guys like that even the things that you can control are even more important, your transition defense, rebounding, spacing,… pic.twitter.com/hKW1Gy0gIX

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 3, 2025​

Joe Mazzulla​

On Jrue Holiday’s status:

“He was able to work on everything he wanted to work on. He’s getting better every day.”

On the playoff mindset after going 4-0 against New York:

“To me, the series is at 0–0 and it comes down to executing details over and over again. Have no expectations. It’s two teams fighting for something. There’s no one way that a series is supposed to go, as you’ve seen over the course of history and you’ve seen in the playoffs right now.”

Jaylen Brown to @RochieWBZ on the Boston vs New York Rivalry:

"It's a great stage for basketball, just all the history between Boston and New York.

"Boston versus New York you don't get too much better than that." pic.twitter.com/wPmuBgNGpq

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 3, 2025​

Jaylen Brown​

On injury management and his availability:

“I’m just trying to trend back in the direction of being 100 percent. Physically holding my ground and still making plays for our team. Even with guys being out—Jrue, (Jayson Tatum) missed a game—being able to step in and fill a role. I feel I’m decent.

“Now, moving forward, it’s a whole different ballgame, different team, different challenges. My focus is fixed on that. Structurally, everything is fine. There’s some other stuff going on, but I’m trending in the right direction.”

On the Boston vs New York Rivalry:

“It’s a great stage for basketball, just all the history between Boston and New York.

“Boston versus New York, you don’t get too much better than that.”

It’s officially New York vs Everybody. pic.twitter.com/TDAjdQrbwW

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 4, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...tic-to-play-if-you-dont-go-in-with-confidence

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks 108, Celtics 105 (OT): “From disaster to delirium”

David Butler II-Imagn Images

The 2025 Knicks have their signature win & the 2025 Celtics have a problem

“Ich bin ein Bruce Bowen” is not a sentence I ever imagined before last night. It came to me after the New York Knicks’ 108-105 overtime win in Game 1 of their semifinal series in Boston, a victory I could never have imagined. Midway through the third quarter, the Celtics were up 20 and Knicks fans were triggered after the one-sidedness of the regular season series. Midway through the fourth, the game was tied. Midway through overtime, the Knicks were up six. That kind of comeback, against the Celtics, with the stakes where they were . . . wouldn’t be surprised if 9-10 months from now there’s a baby boom in the tri-state area.

The Knicks won their fourth postseason game in a row on the road, something they hadn’t done since 1999, defeating a reigning champion in a playoff setting for the first time since 1994. They did it the only way they could: with contributions across the board from a group that never let up over all 48 53 minutes. All they heard and read from the outside world for 72 hours after the Detroit series was how overmatched they are, they can’t possibly win, their season’s done — and disappointing. Thibs gotta go. KAT’s gotta go. They need Giannis. They need less Brunson; they need more to pair with Brunson. The seeds of this team’s greatest day so far were planted in a first half that felt more like a famine settling in than a feast.

By the break Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had combined for 27 points, the home team was up 16 and Jalen Brunson hadn’t gotten going. Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t look for 3s all night, but some efficient post play and patient passing were a tourniquet, saving the patient from bleeding out. Emergency measures would be needed if the Knicks were going to do anything more than die slowly. Thankfully, the doctor was in.

og anunoby-on-offense appreciation post

— dan favale (@danfavale.bsky.social) 2025-05-06T03:06:43.805Z

tough to overstate how pivotal og anunoby has been to this run/this entire season

— dan favale (@danfavale.bsky.social) 2025-05-06T01:16:22.109Z

29 points and six 3s for OG Anunoby, including 12 in the third when the Knicks began their big run. OG spent the better part of 46 minutes creating deflections and cashing in dunks as the Knicks constricted like a boa wrapped around the league’s second-rated offense: Boston’s points by quarter went from 36 in the second to 25 in the third, 16 in the fourth and only five in overtime. It took the champs 30 minutes to build a 20-point lead; it took the Knicks just 12 to erase it.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and while there’s easy pleasure to take from Brunson bookending the Knicks’ last two wins with epic crossovers of Ausar Thompson and Al Horford, the connoisseur could especially enjoy the full repertoire on display. 20 points in the second half, most of them after he’d spent 8-10 seconds bringing the ball up the floor guarded by Jrue Holiday and then another 8-10 seconds working to shake Justin and Aaron’s brother and isolate against Horford. If you didn’t watch the game that may sound like the Knicks were doing their usual snail’s pace tempo on offense, which actually isn’t the case — there was, for much of the night, an obvious and concerted effort to get into their sets quicker, and I think that helped.

As the end of regulation neared and both the score and various buttholes tightened, Brunson remained too cool for school, schooling a Celtic defense that for all its sound and fury dignified nothing with its seemingly spiteful insistence in letting 6-foot-2 Michael Jordan repeatedly go one-on-one against a big only a year younger than P.J. Tucker. Then again, I hear Joe Mazzulla’s some kind of basketball Escher, a rare and beautiful mind who’ll play just three players against your five and talk like you’re the one at risk. By the time the Celtics began having weakside defenders as floating free safeties to slow Brunson down, it was too late. The genius was out of the bottle.

(This is where I point out that, though it didn’t work, Tom Thibodeau drew up an absolutely gorgeous last-second play in regulation that saw Brunson fake like he was approaching KAT at the arc for a handoff, then cut to the basket and nearly dropped the game-winning floater over Horford but couldn’t finish off glass. Xs and Os are not my native tongue, but the Knicks looked and played wildly different after halftime, so I figure that’s gotta have something to do with adjustments we’ll learn more about tomorrow.)

Eight points. Seven assists. Six rebounds. Five stocks. Fans who gripe about Mikal Bridges strike me as the sort who’d have watched Bill Bradley or Charles Oakley play and just never “gotten” it. After Brunson and maybe first-half-of-the-season Towns, no one Knick was directly responsible for more wins this season than Bridges, who salvaged several with last-second defensive plays. He only took seven free throws in six games against the physical (at times foolishly so) Pistons. Only shot 32% from deep. That? For five draft picks?

Hells yeah! Make it six, at this point. The Knicks aren’t in the second round if not for Bridges holding Cade Cunningham to 6-of-19 shooting on halfcourt possessions. They aren’t in the winners’ circle today if Bridges gave them any less than the 51 minutes he did. Though the Celtics did what they could to attack Brunson and Towns as much as humanly possible, this shot chart showing Tatum and Brown’s misses and makes doesn’t look like this because Brunson and Towns locked them up.

Like any respectable outfit, the Celtics’ small fish, being in Rome, did as the Romans.

The Celtics set an NBA record in the loss. They took 60 3s, the most ever in a playoff game. The Rockets had the previous record with 58 in 2020 against the Thunder (who took 56). The non-bubble record is 55 by Boston vs. the Bucks in 2022.

— Mike Vorkunov (@mikevorkunov.bsky.social) 2025-05-06T01:53:20.764Z

The Celtics lost a couple of players during the game. Kristaps Porziņģis — brace yourself — left the game in the first half with an undisclosed illness, warmed up before the second but never returned. Boston also finished sans Sam Hauser, who injured his ankle landing awkwardly while fouling OG on a 3 and limped away postgame in a protective boot. Their depth was tested, and it was found wanting.

By contrast, Mitchell Robinson endured a brutal stretch of Hack-A-Mitch (as did we all, though it was strange the Celtics never went back to it later; he missed seven of his 10 attempts) to finish a game-high +13, while Deuce McBride nearly made as many 3s in this game (three) as he did the whole Pistons series (five).

Perhaps most impressive — or concerning — is that the Knicks were able to win despite making only 17-of-31 free throws (and for most of the night, they were even worse). It wasn’t just Mitch. Hart missed half his six attempts and Cam Payne both of his. It’s not often you see a team finish was a shooting slash of 43/46/55. The Knicks as a team shot the ball like Bruce Bowen. Bowen was a winner. Maybe these Knicks are too?

Fun fact: the Celtics are winless this postseason against the Knicks, Cavs and Thunder.

Quoth Russell Richardson’s postgame: “From disaster to delirium.” Is it delusion to want the win Wednesday, too? No! This time of year there’s winning and there’s misery, agony and ecstasy and nothing in-between. For me personally, this was one of the 10 best Knick wins of my life, joining (in chronological order):

• Game 1 in CHI, 1992
• Game 6 vs. CHI, 1992
• Game 2 vs. CHI, 1993
• Game 7 vs. CHI, 1994
• Game 6 vs. IND, 1994
• Game 7 vs. IND, 1994
• Game 5 vs. MIA, 1998
• Game 5 vs. MIA, 1999
• Game 7 vs. MIA, 2000

The Knicks, quite possibly to everyone’s surprise — maybe even, deep down, their own — wandered into the lion’s den and improbably ended up holding the beast by its ears. The last thing they wanna do now is let go. How often have you seen an underdog win Game 1, fail to follow up by taking Game 2, then come home and lose Game 3 at home and suddenly the cute little engine that could is one loss away from being down 3-1? PUT THE FEAR OF GOD IN THOSE SOULLESS TERRORS AND GO WIN THE NEXT GAME!!! (Seriously, the juxtaposition of Derrick White’s stunning eyelashes with those ink-blank eyes — WTF?)

For now, the 2025 Knicks just won their biggest game as a group, their biggest, best win since 2000. It took everyone they have play to do it, but do it they did. All year, ever since it was evident these two teams would meet in the second round, there was no blueprint for making it work. All the Knicks could do was get us here and ask us to trust them. They accomplished the first part by beating Detroit. Last night didn’t earn them the fans’ full trust. But the trust bucket today is a lot fuller than it’s been in a while. A long while.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...-108-celtics-105-ot-from-disaster-to-delirium

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Bulletin: ‘Reset and get ready for Game 2’

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

No, you’re not dreaming. Yes, it happened.

The world-favorite Celtics are down 0-1 in their second-round series against the Knicks.

New York has yet to host Boston for a semi-finals game yet it already is up in the matchup after beating the reigning champs 108-105 in overtime.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few other folks said before and after yesterday’s shocker for the world but expected outcome among those belonging to our family.

"I thought it was a great team win."

Tom Thibodeau on the Knicks' overtime Game 1 victory over the Celtics: pic.twitter.com/XhcPkwZupI

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Tom Thibodeau​

On what winning Game 1 means:

“The important thing for us is to understand what it is, its one win. And then understand we have to reset and get ready for Game 2.”

On the Knicks’ toughness:

“This team has fought all year, it’s been a pretty good road team. We’ve had to endure some things with guys out. I think over time that helps you. You build up your mental toughness and understanding how important that is. Like I said, it’s one game. There’s a lot of emotional highs and lows in a playoff, but no matter what happens you have to keep moving forward.”

On the need to limit Jrue Holiday’s work on the boards going forward:

“We’ve got to make sure that we get a body on him. He’s real quick to the ball and as a team they’re quick to the ball, so we have to do a better job of that.”

On Brunson’s efficiency:

“The obvious [thing] is his shotmaking ability, but it’s also his teammates working with him to create advantages.

So understanding what the coverage is, what you’re trying to get away from and then to try to create those advantages, it’s everyone working together.

And also trusting the pass when the second and third defender come and how we can play off of that. So if there are two, three guys on him, just spray it out and we get a good look. And oftentimes, if we don’t make that, we get an offensive rebound.”

On McBride’s late-game sub in replacement of Brunson:

“Keeping it simple. Not overthinking, not forcing things. Read the game, the game tells you what to do. Play to your strengths, cover up your weaknesses. When he does that, he’s terrific.”

Josh Hart talks about what the Knicks were trying to do defensively in the second half:

"I don't think you want to force them into threes" pic.twitter.com/mMm8mBuV6b

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Josh Hart​

On Brunson’s missed game-winner:

“He should’ve won it in regulation.”

On Mikal Bridges’ mentality:

“That’s who Mikal is. He’s gotten a lot of criticism and he never lets that affect him. I don’t know how many games down the stretch that he’s won for us on the defensive side alone — the Brooklyn game, the block, the Chicago game he got a block at the end. A couple in the Detroit series. He’s been a huge part for this team.

“Sometimes those things get overlooked and people just look at stats and they lose sight of how valuable a player that he is. He went out there and his shot wasn’t falling, but he had a big three in overtime. Plays that go overlooked. He had a back tap — Jalen [Brunson] ended up missing the three, but plays like that, his motor always goes.

“He’s a winning player. He makes winning plays. He should be celebrated for that.”

On Boston’s three-point volume:

“I don’t think you want to force them into 3s. We don’t want them to shoot more 3s. They got great shooters, man. We were just trying to make it tough for them, play physical, do those kinds of things. You never want a team like that to shoot more 3s. We tried to stop them and they still got up 60.”

Jalen Brunson was asked if he had any message for experts who picked the Celtics:

"No." pic.twitter.com/v0HFoHcyl2

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Jalen Brunson​

On his missed floater in regulation:

“Not clutch enough.”

On how the team stayed in Game 1:

“We told each other just keep believing. Just keep fighting, sticking together, and keep chipping away.

There wasn’t going to be a 20-point shot where we can just come back. We’ve got to keep chipping away possession by possession. Just find a way to keep getting stops and making plays offensively as well.”

On regaining momentum in overtime:

“I feel like we still had momentum at that point. Obviously it wasn’t the result that we wanted. But we had another five minutes to compete, and we went out there as a team and did that. Just thankful I had my teammates. Yeah, overtime I wasn’t at my best and my teammates had my back and I’m thankful for that.”

On keeping focus after the Game 1 win:

“Tonight, we’ll all go back and eat dinner together. Wake up tomorrow and it’s a brand-new day. Game 2 is 0–0. Gotta go out there and do the same thing, that’s our mindset. We got to flush it as quick as possible.”

On team unity against Boston:

“What’s most important is that we’re out there together and we’re going to fight for each other every possession. No matter how the game starts or finishes, we’re going to be there together. I think that’s how we want it too. We just want to stick together through all the nonsense, through all the BS that goes on. Good and bad we’re going to be together.”

On Boston’s record-breaking three-point attempts:

“We gotta be better at that. Not let them shoot it as much and not let them get open shots up.”

On Josh Hart’s role:

“That’s just who he is. He’s going to find a way to… run around and do things. The way he brings energy night in and night out, it’s contagious. When he does that, I think he helps us become a better team. We feed off his energy. It propelled us to come back from down 20.”

On the high school matchup with Tatum:

“It was one of those national showcase things. We played against each other, they won. It was a pretty good game… He went to high school in St. Louis, and I was outside of Chicago, so pretty far. It was a pretty cool experience, especially for a public school, not really traveling for national games. It was pretty cool.”

On that experience’s impact:

“Team-wise, we started to get a little bit more national attention. So, it was pretty cool just from my experience in high school, the group of guys that we had. It was a real cool team, a real fun experience with them that I’ll never forget. Just from that aspect it was a great experience.”

"I was just watching his eyes. I'm a football guy."

Mikal Bridges talks about getting the steal on Jaylen Brown to seal the Knicks' Game 1 win: pic.twitter.com/lbwSRS5APt

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Mikal Bridges​

On the final defensive play:

“I’m a football guy. I’m watching his eyes and following where the ball is at. I’m trying to get my hands as soon as I see the ball. We’re up three so we were going to foul. Just trying to track the ball and see where his eyes are at.”

On tracking Jaylen Brown on the final play to snach the ball from his paws:

“I was telling Cam Payne over there, that I was just watching his eyes. I’m a football guy. I’m just watching his eyes and following where the ball is at, and trying to get my hands up as soon as I see the ball. Because we’re up by three, so we’re trying to foul.”

On his clutch three in overtime:

“Yeah, just staying with it. I’d been missing a lot, a lot of shots that I’m upset with myself about missing. The basketball gods blessed me for just keep staying with it, because it banked. I don’t remember a time I banked in a corner three. Yeah, just the basketball gods, man, just looking out.”

On the Knicks’ mentality:

“Yeah man, we’re here. We’re just trying to play hard and win games. Obviously, the regular season, we just gotta learn from it. Watch a lot of film and whatever we gotta do to play better. But yeah, man, I think we just keep fighting. It’s the playoffs now. So all that stuff is out the window. Just gotta go out there and try to win the game.”

On the team effort:

“We’re just going to keep fighting until the clock hits zero. We’ve been showing that.”

OG messing with the microphone pic.twitter.com/Bmr6OyMHm5

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

OG Anunoby​

On his mindset through Game 1:

“I felt like I had it going early, just trying to hunt for shots and get out in transition and run. Just trying to be aggressive and make the right play whether it’s passing it or shooting it.”

On defending Jayson Tatum:

“Just forcing him into difficult shots. He’s a great player. He’s gonna make some tough ones. So make him as uncomfortable as possible and see if he makes the shot. Make it as difficult as possible.”

"We know we're all we got"

Karl-Anthony Towns talks about the Knicks playing for each other and being a tight-knit locker room: pic.twitter.com/9GqXHicDts

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Karl-Anthony Towns​

On the Celtics and what’s next:

“This team is special. Obviously [they’re] the defending champions and they’re gonna come back hungrier and we need to play the next game at a higher level.”

"We play at the best arena, so any hostile environment we welcome. We love it and we're going to be ready."

Deuce McBride on playing at the TD Garden: pic.twitter.com/2fyAoBPfEg

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 5, 2025​

Miles McBride​

On building confidence:

“Honestly, I keep trusting myself. I’m shooting with confidence.”

On the matchup vs. Pritchard:

“Obviously he’s a great player, he’s done great things this season and obviously, [they’re the] defending champs. It’s a tough matchup for anybody, but we’re going to do it as a team. No matchup is individual. We’re going to do it together.”

On his personal bounce back from Round 1:

“Just keep shooting with confidence. Keep trusting my work. That’s pretty much it.”

On his shot selection and shotmaking:

“Yeah. I feel like they’re all shots I’m capable of making. Teammates are doing a great job of finding me. I just gotta knock ’em down.”

On the bench mentality:

“Honestly, whoever coach calls upon, we’re gonna step in and get the job done. So we’re just all focused on doing it together as a team.”

Mitchell Robinson on IG pic.twitter.com/3rJuTT6FwA

— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) May 6, 2025​

Mitchell Robinson​

On the Celtics falling for the Hack-a-Mitch trap:

“Basketball is not just about free throws. You got defense, you got rebounds, offensive rebounds — there’s more to it than just free throws.”

Joe Mazzulla says he was trying to call timeout with eight or nine seconds left in overtime but the referees did not see it: pic.twitter.com/IRD71ByNBO

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics Coach)​

On his Celtics’ Game 1 breakdown:

“We left some of their good shooters open. Saw some personnel stuff. They were able to get out in transition off of some of our misses. They had a 5–0 run off of offensive rebounds. Detail stuff that we have to be able to be better at. I thought we missed some good ones, and I thought there were a few we could fight to get better on.”

On Boston’s shot selection:

“I look at the process and the shot quality, (and) our shot quality was high. There were probably eight to 10 shots that could be better at for sure.”

"It's the playoffs. We probably should just play without the refs, with how physical it is."

Jayson Tatum was asked about how teams are defending him this year and about whether he was frustrated about a "lack of calls" tonight: pic.twitter.com/5NMneUElXv

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics Player)​

On the officiating in Game 1:

“It’s the playoffs. We probably should just play without the refs, that’s how physical it is.”

On Boston’s shot selection:

“Obviously in hindsight, if we could go back, we’d probably drive the ball a little bit more because we missed a lot of shots tonight. You can always go back and look and see what you should have done differently.”

Jaylen Brown was asked if he thought he got fouled on his missed layup late in overtime:

"It's the playoffs. Any play, every play, you could probably say that. I just got to finish that. That was it." pic.twitter.com/ZFMCfDCMq4

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 6, 2025​

Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics Player)​

On settling for too many threes:

“Some of them felt good, some of them felt like we maybe forced the issue. Definitely, our rhythm and our timing was a little bit off. We got a lot of great looks, but it may be some truth (to shooting too many) today.”

On momentum decisions:

“In those moments when the other team got momentum you can’t just fire up threes to break up momentum. You got to get to the free throw line, get to the paint, get to the basket, maybe get an easy two. You hit some free throws and then maybe the next three pointer feels a little bit better.”

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
"OGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ANUNOBY"

–– Korean TV pic.twitter.com/69koFawI2I

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 6, 2025​

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2025/5/6/24424247/knicks-bulletin-reset-and-get-ready-for-game-2

 

[New York Knicks]

Playoff Game Preview: Knicks at Celtics, Game Two, May 7, 2025

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images

No shot they do it again... right?

In case you live under a rock, the Knicks put together one of the most inspiring wins of the last fifty years for the franchise at TD Garden on Monday.

Facing a twenty point hole halfway through the third quarter, New York battled and bruised their way to a hard fought overtime victory. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby led the way on the offensive side of things, but it was Mikal Bridges who stole the spotlight in overtime, making some key defensive plays including a game-clinching steal from Jaylen Brown as time expired.

Overtime Mikal Bridges
pic.twitter.com/M2eW00v85r

— Teg (@IQfor3) May 6, 2025​

The Celtics shot 15-for-60 from long range, setting the NBA playoff record for most three point misses by a wide margin. Poetic, considering what game one of the regular season looked like.

New York is now up 1-0 in the best-of-seven, and has flipped homecourt advantage in their favor in a series in which no one expected them to win.

Their reward? They get to do it all again tonight. Game 2. Boston. 7:00 PM tip.

It’s hard to stay grounded after a remarkable Game 1 win. On one hand, the Knicks finally proved after some poor regular season play that they can hang with these guys. It’s possible. There’s a blueprint for victory. On the other hand, Boston is… well, still Boston. They’re the reigning champions. They’re still heavy favorites to win the series. There’s still a long series ahead.

We’ll see tonight if the Knicks can give the Celtics another run for their money.

The Knicks are on the more favorable end of the injury report. From the starting unit to the end of the bench, all fifteen guys are good to go.

The Celtics can’t say the same, however. Kristaps Porzingis, who left Game 1 with a non-Covid illness, is probable to go tonight. Sam Hauser, the C’s flamethrowing wing, is listed as doubtful. He plays a big role off of the bench, and it’ll be interesting to see how Boston replaces his minutes if he indeed misses tonight’s game.

The Knicks could really flip the NBA world upside down with a win tonight. I didn’t have much faith heading into Monday. Now, they’ve given us a reason to believe.

Game Details​

Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

TV Broadcast: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...preview-knicks-at-celtics-game-two-may-7-2025

 

[New York Knicks]

Knicks Mythbusters: Are the Celtics missing that many wide open threes?

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

While the data says yes, the eye test says no-ish.

How would you have reacted if someone told you on Monday morning that the Knicks would be heading back to the one true Garden on Saturday with a 2-0 series lead?

What if they told you the Knicks were down by 20 in both games and won?

You’d probably be completely and totally stunned, as would I. The Knicks got dominated by the Celtics repeatedly in the regular season, were massive underdogs, and writers in this own blog were skeptical of how competitive they’d be.

As for the comebacks, they hadn’t come back from 20 down all season. The franchise’s largest postseason comeback was 18 in Game 6 of the 2000 East Semifinals against Miami. This doesn’t happen to us.

And yet, it did.

Between the two improbable victories, the media chose not to shower the Knicks with praise for their resilience but shame them for needing a horrific shooting night from Boston to get one win.

"I've never seen a Game 1 upset that means less. This is the only game the Knicks are going to win."@ColinCowherd isn't worried about the Celtics after their overtime loss to New York pic.twitter.com/HzWkDJn1lB

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 6, 2025​

It’s not happening again. Who cares? The Celtics are the better team and they’ll turn it on. If a team shoots 60 threes, they can’t possibly miss that many again!

In their series opening loss to the Knicks, the Celtics attempted and missed more 3’s than any team ever has in a playoff game. That’s bad news for New York https://t.co/Tli42307Tm

— Michael Pina (@MichaelVPina) May 6, 2025​

Look! NBA.com’s stat page says Boston had almost all of their attempts as open or wide open. The Knicks will get an avalanche of threes dropped on their heads soon enough.

NBA tracking scored 56 of Boston's 60 3-pointers as open or better (4+ feet of space from nearest defender)

Celtics shot 29.2% (7-24) on wide-open 3s, down from 40.7% on those shots in regular season.

Celtics shot 21.9% (7-32) on open 3s, down from 35% in regular season. pic.twitter.com/8KJNkAN6lr

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) May 6, 2025​

Today, we’re gathered to see if Boston truly had almost all of their threes as good looks.

After Game 1, I went back and watched all sixty three-point attempts by the Boston Celtics. After a similarly bad shooting performance in Game 2, I decided to do the same. I have placed these shots into four labels, which are not as cut-and-dry as the NBA site makes it. My loose criteria is as follows:

Great: Wide open look, feet are set, great shooter or good shooter for location.

Good: Wide open look for decent/ok shooter, semi-open look for good shooters with enough separation.

Decent: Moving threes/in-rhythm looks by good shooters, ill-advised but solid shots by decent shooters.

Bad: Terrible shot, not enough separation, desperate heave, bad shooter spotting up, guy whose bad at non-C&S pulling up.

This very incomplete table allowed for some judgement calls. I’m sure if I put every one of Boston’s 100 3PA in here, I’d get called out for inconsistencies.

Nevertheless, let’s go.

In Game 1, the distribution was as follows:

Great: 6-15 (40%)

Good: 5-22 (22.7%)

Decent: 2-13 (15.4%)

Bad: 1-10 (10%)

37 of Boston’s 60 threes were at least good, which isn’t bad. They made 40% of their great looks, but was horrid from beyond that point.

To give you an idea of what is classified as what, I’ll give examples.

Derrick White is a great three-point shooter. He’s wide open at the top of the key. This is a textbook great look.

This is what people will consider a wide open three. Yet, I have this labeled as only a good look. Why? Jaylen Brown shot 32.6% from 3 in 2024-25. He shot 29.2% on pull-ups and 29.6% above the break. It doesn’t matter how open you are, this isn’t any better than a Josh Hart attempt.

Sorry to pick on Jaylen Brown but cmon. This is decent. Brown has space, but he’s again not a great shooter and is deeper than a normal three. If Pritchard shot this, it’s good.

This was a bad look. A fadeaway from a bad shooter in a desperation play. Easy call.

For Boston, their best stretch of getting quality looks was, unsurprisingly, the stretch where they bludgeoned the Knicks late in the second and early in the third. They ran Horford pick-and-pop, got Pritchard open in the corner, and gave White the ball with room to shoot repeatedly.

As the fourth hit, the shot quality got worse. Notably, Brown and Tatum started taking some bizarre shots.

I gave this a bad rating. Why? Tatum is shooting 32.9% on pull-ups and he’s pulling up with limited space against a center with a long reach. He shot so many of these despite so many mismatches. He shot 52.6% on pull-up triples against the Knicks in the regular season and that confidence might’ve costed Boston an entire game.

You’re 6’10” with Jalen Brunson guarding you and seven to shoot. What are you doing? It’s not Jrue Holiday guarding you!

Let’s move onto Game 2. Boston only took 40 threes, but were they better looks?

Jrue Holiday does have space here, but he’s shot just 27% on stepback threes. At best, this is a decent look.

I’ve said it before. Why the hell is Jayson Tatum not attacking? You have the mismatch on Towns and there’s nobody in the paint.

This is one of the only flat-out bad looks I found and it’s not really Boston’s fault, it’s the situation. That said, what is this play off an inbound? Brown shooting a deep stepback 3 on Mitchell Robinson?

You want to know why the Knicks came back? Guys took shots like these. 34 feet away? It’s a playoff game!

The Celtics were shooting over 50% on “great” looks until the infamous fourth. Al Horford, who has been an ageless wonder for the Celtics, was possibly the biggest culprit of missing wide open looks. These are shots I groaned loudly seeing live and he kept missing them.

This is a rare time I’m using context. On paper, this is a great look. However, Tatum has been awful from 3 this series, has a wide open Horford down low after Brunson fell, AND has a wide open lane. This is decent, at best. Terrible situational awareness.

Ultimately, it graded out like this:

Great: 6-15 (40%)

Good: 4-12 (33.3%)

Decent: 1-12 (8.3%)

Bad: 0-1 (0%)

They aren’t even shooting bad on the truly great looks. After two games, the combined numbers look like this:

Great: 12-30 (40%)

Good: 9-34 (26.5%)

Decent: 3-25 (12%)

Bad: 1-11 (9.1%)

So, the verdict is that Boston is probably due for better shooting down the road, but the amount of truly wide open looks they’ve gotten is deceiving.

Just for fun, here’s what the Knicks’ numbers look like:

Great: 10-14 (71.4%)

Good: 11-27 (40.7%)

Decent: 2-17 (11.8%)

Bad: 0-6 (0%)

The Knick haven’t generated as many looks, but they’re choosing quality over quantity. That said, those decent looks have some room for improvement.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...ny-wide-open-threes-brunson-towns-tatum-brown

 

[New York Knicks]

Five things things I got wrong about the Knicks-Celtics series

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images

When I looked ahead to the Knicks’ second-round matchup against the Celtics, I could not have seen any of this coming. I did think that the Knicks could surprise people by keeping the games closer than their regular season record against the Celtics would’ve suggested. But I admittedly had the Celtics ultimately winning in a hard-fought five-game series. While it’s just been two games, and there’s still a long way to go, here are the things I was the most wrong about in my predictions.

Coaching ​

I came into the series believing that while it was close, Joe Mazzulla had a slight edge in coaching. Both have their own way of doing things, and both have driven their fanbases mad for different reasons and in different ways. But given how rocky Tom Thibodeau’s handling of the Pistons series was at times, I gave Mazzulla the upper hand.

Through two games, though, Thibodeau has been the better coach, and it hasn’t been particularly close. From both an X’s and O’s standpoint—and an effort and focus standpoint—the Knicks coach has pressed a lot of right buttons. He went with way more switching in game one, which contributed to the Celtics getting caught up in playing way more of a stagnant and heliocentric offense than we’re used to seeing. He’s used Mitchell Robinson in good spots, pairing him with Karl-Anthony Towns at times. And he surprisingly went with some extended minutes without Jalen Brunson or Towns to start the fourth quarter last night and entrusted Mikal Bridges to handle the offense.

But the team is still far from playing great basketball. Let’s make that very clear. They’re missing a lot of easy shots, the offensive process and spacing are still subpar, some of the passes and turnovers are head-scratching, and defensively, they’ve given up too many open shots, often when Thibodeau reverts to playing Towns in drop coverage. Luckily for the Knicks and Thibodeau, the Celtics are also playing some bad basketball, and some of that has to fall on Mazzulla. His lack of offensive adjustments, awkward timings of intentionally fouling Robinson despite not being in the penalty, and overall decision-making have played a role this series—and not in the way Celtics fans had hoped. This series is far from over, which means both coaches have plenty of chances to make or break this series. But so far, Thibodeau has been the better coach by a significant margin, and that’s something I was wrong about.

The best player in the series​

When I stated on the roundtable that the Celtics had the best player in the series, I meant it more in a vacuum because I do think that all things equal, Tatum is better than Brunson and that it’d be foolish to take Brunson over Tatum if you were to start a franchise right now. That being said, I did believe that, given the roster construction and the stakes, Brunson would have the chance to outplay Tatum. And so far, he has. Now, Tatum hasn’t made it too difficult for Brunson to do that, as he’s averaging just 18PPG on 12-42 shooting. But credit to Brunson, who has yet to play up to his standards through two games, but has come up big down the stretch—something that Tatum cannot say he’s done. As is the case for the coaching debate, there’s still plenty of time for this conversation to be flipped. But it’s clear that Brunson has been the better player and, just as importantly in the playoffs, the more clutch player thus far.

The Josh Hart dilemma​

I didn’t necessarily think Josh Hart would have a bad series per se. But I did believe that the Celtics would focus on making Hart beat them because that’s what they did for most of their regular season matchups against the Knicks. And so far, as he did against the Celtics in the regular season, Hart has had stretches where he’s killed the Knicks with his indecision and passiveness. But like Brunson, he has come up incredibly big when he’s been needed the most. He had multiple big offensive rebounds in the first game, where his energy kept the Knicks within shouting distance. And, in game two, his sudden offensive decisiveness and aggressiveness in the second half led to a big third quarter in a game where he led all players in scoring. Hart isn’t a perfect player. His shooting flaws have, and likely will, continue to hurt the Knicks at times. But Hart’s role in the two upset wins cannot be understated.

The Mikal Bridges dilemma​

Bridges, like Hart, had some very rough games against the Celtics in the regular season. Defensively, he was torched by Tatum in their meetings against Boston, and offensively, he was downright atrocious. So coming into this series, I had very little hope that he’d be good, let alone great. Well through the first 8 quarters, he’s been a plus player, which is surprising, since offensively, he’s still been pretty bad outside of overtime in game one, and the fourth quarter in game two. But he’s managed to make up for it in every other aspect of the game. You cannot talk about the last two wins without mentioning Bridges’ game-winning defensive plays. And you cannot talk about the Knicks’ ability to even be in that possession without talking about his rebounding (6.5RPG this series), and passing (6APG this series). If Bridges goes back to being a subpar defender when guarding Tatum or Brown, his offensive struggles will come back to bite him, but the Knicks could very well be down 0-2 if it weren’t for Bridges- and yes, I know that the Knicks would’ve won both games comfortably had he shot better, to begin with.

The Knicks need to play perfectly.​

When the series began, I, like so many other people, believed that the Knicks would have to play close to perfect to have a chance. Given the Celtics’ rather easy-looking championship run last year, their hot end to the regular season this year, and the relatively easy dismantling of the Magic in the first round, the Knicks had very little margin of error- or so I thought. But maybe I was going about it wrong the entire time. Maybe they didn’t need to try and outshoot the Celtics or play picture-perfect basketball. Maybe they needed to do the opposite.

That’s not to say that the Knicks are intentionally missing shots or making the kind of unforced mistakes they’re making. But a lower-scoring, bogged down, isolation-focused, physical game is one the Knicks have a better shot at winning, especially with the reigning Clutch Player of the Year on their side. Boston has missed a lot of shots, been sloppy, and played a pretty subpar series so far. And people are right to point that out. But it’s also time to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, the Knicks also deserve credit for just how bad the Celtics have looked.

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...s-i-got-wrong-about-the-knicks-celtics-series

 

[New York Knicks]

Playoff Game Thread: Knicks vs Celtics, Game Three, May 10, 2025

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

New York returns to MSG, hungry for third straight.

The Knicks return to Madison Square Garden today, riding high after taking a commanding 2–0 series lead over the Celtics with two gritty comebacks in Boston. Led by Jalen Brunson’s clutch scoring and timely contributions from his fellow Avengers, the Knicks have neutralized Boston’s offense, holding them to under 36% shooting so far. New York aims to leverage home-court energy and seize a decisive edge, pushing toward their first Eastern Conference Finals berth in 25 years.

Game time is 3:30 p.m. EST on ABC. This is your game thread. This is CelticsBlog. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Scream yourselves hoarse. And go Knickerbockers!

Source: https://www.postingandtoasting.com/...read-knicks-vs-celtics-game-three-may-10-2025