Jalen Brunson Life Advice and a Knicks Focused East Playoff Preview

Hi, so we’ll deal with team USA later, I probably don’t have as big of an issue with JB not making this team as some other people in the Knicks-verse, but that’s a summer project. 

Having the second seed is ideal. I understand other people not wanting the winner of 76ers/Heat, and I’m not going to make the same “Thibs winning culture” argument that, while I agree with it, would be more noise. If you want a laugh, go listen to Lou Williams (who I love as a player and a dude) on Fanduel TV talking about whether Thibs should be fired if we lose in the first round. 

This Knicks team is strange because I feel like, besides Boston, we have around the same chance to beat every single other team in the east. Don't believe me? 

Bucks: 

Giannis is the best player on the floor but we have OG, they have no one to guard JB, a bunch of solid role players on both teams (Lopez, Pat Bev, Pat Bev, Beasley, and my personal favorite, Bobby Portis (I'm also not going to name our role players, I'm assuming you know them by now), we have the better Coach, they have the better top three if healthy (Giannis, Dame, and Middleton are better than Brunson, OG, and ___________). That's even. 

Cleveland: 

Look, would I take Cleveland in the first round over the 76ers? Yes. I also think they will lose to the Magic (we'll see how this ages), but they would play us so much tougher than last year. Mitch Rob hasn't been himself since he came back, which you know if you've been watching, and he's the reason why that series was over in five games. As much as we know JB is better than Mitchell and Garland, those two don't know that. Max Strus is a proven playoff guy, and while, again, Thibs over Bickerstaff, if Bickerstaff lost to the Knicks again, he's done in Cleveland. Why does that matter? It matters because he doesn't need to worry about next year. He'd be more willing to take risks, to bench one or two of that "core four" they have because he won't have to deal with the repercussions of doing so next year unless he wins, and then he's a genius. I would lean toward the Knicks, obviously, but this would be a much closer series than last year. 

Magic:

If there were a First Take, "Knicks" version, the producers would love me for this. I genuinely believe the Magic would give the Knicks as tough of a series as the 76ers. It's matchup-related, but it is also true. If I could pick one NBA player to guard Jalen Brunson for a series, it would be Jalen Suggs. The six-five Gonzaga Product is only twenty-two years old, athletic as all hell, and works around screens better than anyone else I have watched in that guard-stopper role they have him in. He stays down on pump-fakes, and he will take the matchup personally, as twenty-two-year-olds tend to do. While Franz has had, I don't want to call his season disappointing but I'll say he has impressed me less than I thought he would, a mediocre year, Banchero has exceeded every expectation I had for him. I actually attempted to make a YouTube video about Paolo coming out of Duke, and why I thought he'd be a huge bust. I didn't realize how athletic he was; I think it's challenging to figure out how athletic a person is compared to NBA players in college because obviously a stud freshman number one pick type is going to out-athlete every person that guards them. OG on him would be a challenge, but Paolo has three inches on OG and has more wiggle than other NBA players at that size. 

The Knicks are good because, well, they have a bunch of ridiculously talented NBA players and two uber NBA talents, one on offense and one on defense, but also because they want to win more than some of these other teams. It's a weird mindset thing. A mindset that successful young teams typically have (see, e.g., Magic, Thunder) because they haven't had enough time for the realities of the NBA (money watching, girls, fame, relationships with other players) to kick in yet. Another reason why I think Thibs being so "You play to win" isn't just a dude stuck in his ways, it is a calculation that if you try to rest guys or do stupid shit trying to find the perfect matchup, both your team and the other team know it. I'd rather have a team that's like, "Fuck it, we're playing to win, and we play who we're assigned to play." There are fewer variables. 

. 

Pacers:

 If, and this is a big if, IF, can I make this if even bigger? IF Haliburon is playing—I won’t even say at the start of the season because he was playing out of his mind—like himself, like the super talented run-and-gun point guard we would expect him to be (I’ll be honest, I watch a LOT of NBA basketball, I also haven’t watched the Pacers pretty much since the last Knicks game) this is a fifty-fifty series. I’d also be interested to see how Thibs would match up, I’d guess he’d put OG on Pascal Siakam (best name in the NBA? I might have to write about this. Immanuel Quickley is a wonderful name, Zion Williamson is cool, Grady Dick and Bruce Brown obviously have to be mentioned (did I just name three Raptors?) For my money, JB and Hali play even (I’m not going to lie, I nervously wrote that little phrase there), OG and Siakam are even, Coaching is . . . interesting, and I guess I would take our role players? (Nembhard, Mathurin, Sheppard, (Does Obi still get time? Would make me feel better if Obi still gets time. Checking some box scores . . . lalalala . . . please still play Obi . . . okay, good) Toppin, fucking T.J. playing out of his mind right now McConnell) Gulp Maybe? Oh, I haven’t mentioned Myles Turner yet? Consider yourself warned about being excited when the Pacers beat the Bucks. 

Miami: 

I was going in order, but I want to save Phili for last because that’s who I think we’re going to play, but because we legitimately might play Miami, I’ll spend some time on them here, but I don’t think I’m going to have to convince you that this is legitimately a toss up. 

Jimmy is Jalen, Bam is OG, Josh Hart is an enigma (if you are reading this and then go get mad at Josh hart after a playoff game because he didn’t take or didn’t make some shots, I urge you, URGE you, please, just, for five minutes in the game, just watch him, don’t pay attention to the game, just watch what he does) Tyler Hero is back and good, I always have a soft spot for the Williams king Duncan Robinson (was shit on for like all of last year and is back in form, he’s hurt though), Spo > Thibs (don’t get me into my take that the only other person beside Spo I’d want over Thibs is Jay Wright, and this season is making me question that take). The take that Bam is a dirty player is a little ridiculous but he is reckless, and I mean is he INTENTIONALLY hurting players, obviously not, but like people will be hurt in this series because of, well, these two teams are like looking in a mirror.

So, what has changed from last year? OG on Jimmy? Yes please. No more RJ corner threes that don’t go in? Yup. Brunson on another level? Yup. Tyler Hero is also back, but Caleb Martin is also Caleb Martin again, which would be good for us. I’m running out of steam here and I want to get this out tonight (a good editor would cut that sentence, editor), but the main thing? Why would I pick the Knicks in 7?  NO KYLE LOWRY WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD HE IS SO CLUTCH THANK GOD WE DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM ANYMORE AND HIS SUBLIME AND SOMEWHAT QUESTIONABLE FLOPPING AND CHARGE TAKING AND BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND ALL THE OTHER INTANGIBLE SHIT HE DOES THAT IS SO ANNOYING THANK GOD THEY LET HIM GO UGH EVERY TIME HE PLAYS A PLAYOFF GAME HE JUST DOES LIKE FIVE THINGS THAT ARE JUST WINNING PLAYS.

76ers: 

So, finally, we reach our destination. Joel Embiid and these Philadelphia 76ers. Is Tobias Harris bad? No, he’s a Long Island legend. Would I like him taking as many shots as humanly possible in this series? I plead the 5th. Maxey is so much fun. Just a fun guy to watch, I’m sure a fun guy to root for. Brunson’s better (and older, if in the rare event a 76ers fan is reading this), Batum I’ve always had a soft spot for but he gets handsy and complains to refs so he’s annoying. Kelly Oubre has gone from a good player to a guy you have to worry about in a playoff series, and Buddy Heild can always get hot. And of course, I can’t forget our Big East brother . . . BBall Paul!! (Paul Reed, Embiid’s backup for the less informed, DePaul). A great team, with Embiid being Embiid. The Question is: Will Embiid be Embiid? I think it’s Fifty-Fifty. 

This is why it was important the Knicks beat the Bulls on Sunday. It’s important because you are what your record says you are. Phili is this low because Embiid gets hurt this much. He’s recovering from injury as I write this, and playing 40 minutes against Hartenstien and Robinson isn’t going to make him feel better. And it is not like the 76ers got some secret weapon off of . . . 

oh no. 

No. 

No no no no no. 

NO! 

NOOOOOOO! 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSyz3qYxS8A

Well, you think he would let us get away that easily? God I love him so much, and I hate playing against him so much. For the informed, you thought I would pull this out when I mentioned the Big East guy, huh? Step ahead of youuuuuu, keep uppp. Yes, the 76ers have Kyle Lowry. A year older, a little tubbier, but with the same mind. BUT! Our Villanova guys love playing in that arena, it is Villanova’s home court for big games. Legitimately I think that’s an advantage. It’ll be interesting to see who Jay Wright is rooting for. Coach Wright, what do you have to say? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSP59d2mYI

This entire series comes down to what Joel Embiid shows up. As I write (after spelling Wright so many times, as a writer, I had to pause on writing the word write, right) about the Knicks, I think the bad one does. Knicks in six and half, the half being if Jay Wright is in attendance for game 6. 

Knicks: Oh? You thought I was going to wax poetically about these other teams and just ignore the 50 win New York Knickerbockers? Have you, uh, read anything on this website before? Wait, yes, editor? (the editor is me, of course, if I had an editor they would have been fired long ago (My editor, going to his performance review: “so, we have a writer who just kinda, spews thoughts about the Knicks and does nothing else? And you allow these grammatical mistakes because it seems . . . ‘More authentic?’” (I clearly have no idea what an editor does) (I also am getting lost in my parentheticals, where are we? Ah, I’m responding to my imaginary editor)) oop, one more) Oh, you want me to write about the Celtics vs Knicks Matchup first? Fine. 

Celtics:

Jrue Holiday

Derrick White 

Jalen Brown 

Pull-up shoot, Jason Tatum 

Tingus Pingus (with a vengeance)

Here is the conclusion: The Knicks, by far, have the best chance to beat the Celtics. They are the Miami of old. They are tougher than you, more talented than you think, and their culture allows for players to be better here than they would be elsewhere. The Celtics are significantly more talented than the Knicks. For all you Knicks fans whining about Jalen getting second team all NBA, First team all NBA is for the dudes that do it year after year. For the superstars, for the all-time greats. Jokic is an all-time great, Giannis is an all-time great, Luka has been special ever since he entered the league, Tatum has been special since he entered the league, and quite frankly, so has that fucking dude over there in OKC (I gotchu OKC, no small market slander from this guy, Shai is the bucket of buckets). Is Jalen Brunson in that class? Not yet. You want to see some stats? Fine. 

PLAYER A: PLAYER B: 

AGE 27 AGE 27

 76 games played, 77 games played, 

33.8 minutes per game, 35.4 MPG

9 field goals made  a game, 10.3 FGM per game

19.4 Field goals attempted 21.4 FGA

46.3% Field Goals 47.9 FG%

3.2 3s made per game 2.7 3s PG

8.5 3s attempted per game 6.8 3pt APG

37.9% from 3 40.1% 3s

5.8 made, 10.9 attempts, 52.8% from 2 7.5, 14.6, 51.5% 2s

54.6 Effective Field Goal 54.2 EFG

7.8 made, 90.0% free throws 5.5, 84.7% FT

2.7 Rebounds 3.6 Rebounds 

5.9 Assists 6.7 Assists

0.9 Steals 0.9 Steals 

2.8 Turnovers 2.4 Turnovers 

28.9 per game 28.7 per game 

Similar, right? You may have already guessed who Player A is (or, perhaps I did this to throw you off? Maybe Player A is Brunson?). Was doing this part directly after the Celtics too much of a giveaway? Perhaps. Celtics Isaiah Thomas had a freaking year in the 2016-2017 season. Nearly 29 a game? You know what accolades he ended up with? 5th in MVP voting, 2nd team all NBA, and 5th in Most Improved player. You know what Jalen’s tracking to get? Similar, SIMILAR, we’ll see about 5th in MVP. I sure hope he doesn’t get MIP, that would be bullshit. He has been too good for too long to get that award, it would be an insult. 

What happened to the Celtics that year? They were the one seed, they made it to the conference finals, and they lost to, well, Lebron James. Sure, did they get to play the shitty Chicago Bulls and the John Wall Brad Beal Wizards in the first two rounds? Yeah, but they won. What happened to IT after this? (I am not doing a deep dive into this and I’m sorry if you think of something here that’s relevant this is just to make a mediocre point) The Celtics shipped him off, injured, to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. 

I say these things to say that first-team all NBA is a club, and besides a center here and there (looking at you, Deandre Jordan) it is just a list of legends of the game. Legends of the game, and (a guy named Anfernee Hardaway, who I have, oh wait, that’s Penny??? Did y'all know Penny’s real name was Anfernee?? Okay back to the list) and maybe this is showing my age and someone can tell me Gus Williams was a problem, but in 1982 Gus Williams made first team all-nba. It is a multi-year award, at least, that’s how it is voted on. Jalen has been a fringe all-star (Isaiah Thomas was actually an all-star in the 2015-17 season) and now a second team all-NBA guy. We’ll take our second team and see you next season after this playoff run and the old freight train at the PF spot comes back. 

Where does that leave us? Oh yeah! The Knicks have the best chance to beat the Celtics in the eastern conference. Why? Culture. Grit. Excellent role players and defense. And, most importantly:

I was talking about basketball with my Dad. I see him a lot less now, so I don’t take it for granted.  We, naturally, got around to the topic of Jalen Brunson. He’s more pessimistic than me when it comes to the team and thinks they are going to be whipped by Phili (I think it's a safety mechanism from being a Mets fan, but I digress). He was talking about how absurd it is, what Jalen has been doing these past few weeks, from where he started, his size, his stature. He was pontificating about one of his recent shots when I cut off my Dad and said, about a man I’m close in age to: 

“Jalen Brunson doing this makes me believe that anything you want in life and work hard at is possible.” 

Phili in six and a half, Miami in 7. Go Knicks. 

OMBF.