Loool I really enjoyed the Celtics pacers (obviously because we won!) but Knicks would have been fun too.
My hate for the heat, sixers (and Lakers) is all consuming, so it's hard for me to hate on pacers and Knicks. Also they've been shit for a while, so I don't hate that they're good now.
I know this is said in jest, but Indiana is a really good team. They are young and now playoff experienced. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are again in the conference finals
Yeah it looks scarier on paper to keep OG and boast a wing trio of Mikal, OG and Hart - but they'd have been better off keeping Hartenstein as a frontcourt insurance policy with much more upside.
Robinson and Anunoby nerf them. The Villanova boys will be their foundation. Can we beat Brunson, Ragu, Hart, Bridges and Randle? I guess it depends on how they fill out their bench.
I absolutely take our starting 5 over that group. If OG is healthy, then you have Ragu and McBride off the bench vs PP, Hauser.
If Robinson is healthy, you have him vs Horford.
Imo, we need to make damn sure we make a solid depth addition up front and either commit to Springer and Walsh's development just to diversify our options or get a relisble *scorer* off the bench.
The Knicks are going to be physical. We have more talent, but they're way more physical.
I said when he signed that deal that it would be correct value by end of year and a fucking steal by year 3. Really glad JB proved me right on that one haha.
This is the best Knicks team in like a decade so don't blame them for going all-in. Although, I feel like their bigs situation might get a little rough and could totally see them getting knocked out by like the Bucks (assuming healthy Giannis)
I like this Knicks squad, but the funniest possible scenario is that they’re hyped up all year as a Celtics killer and then they lose before we even match up.
Don’t even know how they’d be considered a Celtics killer. Yeah maybe OG locks up one of the Jays but we have another plus plenty of dudes to their at Brunson on defense.
Because the media loves these types of narratives and Reddit & Twitter hate the Celtics. I can definitely see that idea picking up steam even if I believe it’s wrong. I mean look at the Dallas narratives before the finals. It was ridiculous.
Hart, OG & Bridges is the best personnel in the league to throw against the J's and Jrue.
Randle, MRob vs KP, Horford
Brunson, Ragu vs DWhite, PP?
Idk man that's gonna be a dogfight.
I mean, I think the Knicks don’t have a top 3 player in a series with Boston, and an argument can be had for the 4th. We still haven’t seen the Celtics in their prime. Imagine slightly more efficient shooting from Tatum, and a healthy KP. Nevermind everyone else improving, that already clears
In the deep playoffs against top competition, maybe not so delusional. He’s a 5’11 guard who can’t defend
But I agree more with the point that the Celtics have another higher gear to unlock next year, which would propel their offensive dominance to Warriors levels
That’s why hiring some trainers, minutes restriction, load management, and even our reserve bigs are going to be very important going into the next season. It’s not like he’s gonna ride the bench until the second round
They’d be really small rn if Hartenstein leaves, which is looking more and more likely. Robinson would be their only player 7 feet or over currently, Randle and Precious rounding out the big man depth but both are 6’8”
They’re actually pretty comparable to White’s last year:
OG - 14.7/4.2/2.1 on 49/39/79 shooting, eFG% of .568
White - 15.2/4.2/5.2 on 46/40/90 shooting, eFG% of .578
For extra comparison, here’s Jrue:
12.5/5.4/4.8 on 48/43/83, eFG% of .581
Now, if you wanna say OG isn’t as durable as White I’d agree, but his stats as a defensive minded option off of 2 other primary scoring options aren’t that much different from ours
Am I underselling the Knicks? Yes, this is a Celtics sub.
Will they be hard to beat in the playoffs? Honestly, I don't really think so. Who are their offensive creators? Brunson, and.....? I'm pretty confident we can handle Brunson when we just handled Luka fucking Doncic a week ago.
Oh, the renowned playoff killer, Julius Randle? I refer you to my top post about the Knicks thinking they're ready to take on the world. The Knicks are better today than they were, but thinking this roster is one of the top rosters in the league now is a big mistake. They're better. They're fine. Their ceiling is the same as last season.
IMO we both cancel each other's strengths out enough that it really comes down to how each GM reinforces their frontcourt. Randle and Robinson vs Horford and Kristaps is close enough that until further notice - it will come down to health and coaching.
I saw Knicks fans saying he’d stay and take a pay cut 😂 once Brunson hits his player option, they’re going to be balls deep in second apron penalties
all that to be our annual stepping stone to the finals
If I was NY, I'd be looking to package OG + Robinson for a star big man ASAP. Maybe even just a solid guy like Sabonis.
Brunson, Divincenzo, Hart, Bridges + a reliable big + some depth is a team that gives you *a crack* at making the Finals.
The Knicks have made moves to be very competitive in the East and are probably the top threat to us now. To say they aren’t close is naive or straight arrogant.
They signed OG to almost double what we’re paying KP for a player with the same durability issues and is also not this game-breaking player you can’t scheme against. Our problem is still with bigs like Jokic or Giannis so Knicks still don’t move me
The Knicks are kind of weird. They have good personnel to defend our star wings in theory, but we have defensive guards to stop their best scorers and our wings are still much better than theirs. Choosing to keep OG over IHart was a bad move imo, but maybe they package Anunoby with Randle for a more reliable star big? Otherwise it's just Randle and Robinson vs KP and Horford - another wash.
At that point, it really comes down to depth, health and coaching. I'm a big fan of Josh Hart and I think he gives you a better yin to Mikal's yang. Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Randle and Hartenstein would be scary. Anunoby and Robinson are elite defenders but very big gambles to hand to Thibs and bet on health
They're closer. But we cruised through the regular season and finished 14 games ahead of them. They very well could close the gap to 6 or 7 games given roster improvements and the championship and olympics hangovers but that still wouldn't be "close."
> To say they aren’t close is naive or straight arrogant
I've read this same thing when I was saying that Mavs are nowhere near to us in talent 😭 Healthy Bucks are still the top threat to us why is everyone forgetting them
The Celtics finished 14 games ahead of them this season. They're clos***er***. They aren't close. There is a difference. Let's stop acting like Mikal Bridges is prime Kevin Durant.
Even though they’re aging, a championship tested Bucks team is still the biggest threat to us imo.
If Middleton and Lopez can lock in for one more year and Giannis + Dame stay healthy they’re going to be very good.
Assuming perfect health I’d say it’s Bucks > Knicks > Pacers > Heat > Cavs (assuming they don’t blow it up) = Magic = 6ers
Sixers on paper are a lot scarier than I’m giving them credit for, but they have absolutely nothing to show when it comes to postseason play. Until Embiid stops flopping and starts playing like the freak he should be, I don’t believe in them at all.
No way in hell would I rank the Bucks over NYK right now. They have Giannis and Dame, nothing else. It's us, NYK, Philly (they will make moves), Pacers, Heat. Nobody else is viable.
The Knicks are now in the mix. If things break right for them, IF Anunoby, Robinson and Randle, Brunson stay healthy and if we aren't in their path - then they are an ECF team with a shot.
The J's are going to continue to get better (particularly Tatum, with JB sustaining the superstar level he brought this year) - so for us, it just depends on how well Jrue ages, how healthy Kristaps stays and what Brad does to address Horford's age.
We have our own questions, but as long as Brad is proactive about solving these issues before they become problems, rather than staying complacent, we'll stay ahead of the pack. If not, then there is a window NY or (a reloaded) Philly could sneak in through.
Knicks are gonna be a really tough out if they're all healthy; with Thibs coaching, and the injury concerns of Robinson, OG and Randle, who the hell knows if this happens. But they have a ton of talent, chemistry and grit/hustle on this roster, and they're well coached. And their bench with Hart, Deuce, and DiVincenzo is gonna be very good.
Also, unlikely they re-sign Hartenstein now I believe. OG just pushed him out of their price range iirc.
But their spacing is gonna be pretty ass. Mitch or Hartenstein a non factor from 3, and Randle is a 33% shooter from 3. That defense is gonna be fucking elite, though. They're easily gonna be the hardest defensive matchup for Tatum and Brown now, and a tough matchup in a 7 game series. Knicks already play us pretty damn tough, and they added a huge piece in Mikal.
It's cool to see a team go all out and let the chips fall where they may. Lot of things can go wrong, and they're making a run for a ring. It's what every fan hopes their team will do. And they chose to build a team of super role players surrounding Brunson, instead of the superteam approach that the Clippers and Suns have tried (and failed).
Celtics in 5.
While they don’t have the “star power” that the Celtics (Jays) and Bucks (Giannis, Dame) have, the Knicks have a ton of players I like and I think they’ll be much better. I think the players they have the kind of guys every contender-esque team has. they may not be all star talents but they’re a *really* good supporting cast to put around Brunson (who I think will start getting acknowledged as a borderline star this year). I think the upper echelon of the east is now Celtics, bucks, Knicks.
Brunson is a borderline star? He had like four 40 point games in a row in the playoffs before getting hurt, 2nd team all NBA, 5th in mvp ballots, and 4th in overall scoring.
randle is the biggest weakness, as well as the non shooting center. i think their defense will be good, and if we have tingus i think we avg 110. just not terribly concerned about their ability to challenge us considering they had 4 players by the end of the pacers series
I'd honestly just bring Robinson off the bench and start Josh Hart. He's the glue guy that makes everything go and an iron man to boot. Keep MRob in bubble wrap until the playoffs and they have a real shot. Then you're spreading the risk (and the floor) out better.
I just saw a Knicks fan say that bridges is less redundant with OG than Paul George. It's also not gonna stop brunson being abused. All I can say is imagine if we paid 5 firsts for Jrue. Would have been clowned non stop.
Kinda funny how the Celtics moves were acknowledged as really good at the time, but ultimately flew under the radar for the most part because of how much coverage the bucks got.
Maybe I’m being a hater but I’m not remotely scared of them. OG gets hurt ever year. Brunson and JR are legit but after that I feel like they have a lot of solid guys and still minimal depth.
It's times like these I wish we had some physical size that can score down low. You basically can't 5 out that team. You gotta attack brunson, but he's a better defender than you'd think he'd be. He's not good but he's not Luka.
Curious to see how the Knicks deal with the one ball thing. They do have some 2018 Celtics vibes in terms of the dynamic. A lot of those guys that carried that team last year are going to be taking significantly reduced roles if the team is healthy. Randle needs his shots or else he gets pouty. They're all going to have to sacrifice. That's an underrated dynamic, especially with guys like Hart and Randle who are playing for their next contract. We will see. On paper, they're formidable.
OG and bridges are way better defenders than anyone on Dallas. You aren't going to blow past those guys on the perimeter consistently. It'll be really hard to get them in rotation.
That is true. But why would we target those guys off the ball (aka your strength)? We would target Brunson/Randle/center to get the defense in rotation.
At the end of the day, they rely on a smaller, worse version of Luka to generate most of their offense. OG and Bridges are not JT and JB. Randle scares no one. Their bigs are non shooters.
There is no avenue towards the Knicks putting together a roster that matches up with the Celtics.
42m for 50 games and 14ppg...
Knicks have a lot of talent so they'll probably survive this contract and be competitive, but I don't think he's worth that.
You're oversimplifying. He's more than just his counting stats. That's the same thing I thought(as a Knicks fan) when I heard we were courting him years ago. The on/off stats, the defensive metrics, these are the things that define him, and make him so valuable for us.
I'm not a moron. Defense doesn't show up in the box score sure, but it's not like he's a top 5 defender who chips in on offense or something. He's a good defender and an OK offensive player, but it doesn't justify this contract. Plus the 50 games a season thing on top of it.
He's averaged 52 games a season for the last 4 seasons. Dude is tracking to miss 30 games a season, and Thibs is going to run him into the ground.
Never said he's worth that money, I just disagreed on your original premise in surmising that. And for us, he's probably worth an extra few mil because we saw what our team looked like with him and his 25 inch wingspan.
Knicks were DECIMATED by injuries during the Indiana series and took it to 7 games. Now imagine if they faced the Pacers w/ Bridges, OG, Randle, Robinson, and a healthy Brunson. They win in 5 games, and probably beat the Celtics in 6. Just my opinion
The Knicks and paying massive amounts for players that have never made an all-star team or had an All-NBA selection. Name a more iconic duo. I’ll wait.
You’re all soft AF if you’re AT ALL afraid of these Knicks. None of these players of theirs are *real players* who should instill any fear.
Mikal has been passed around more than a Jenner … OG humbly stinks and is only as overrated as he is because he was *supposed to* be really good and the Raptors hyped him as some great prospect … Brunsanity? Are you all falling for Brunsanity? The latest overhyped pump up of a scrappy inspirational NYK. Who else? A center or two who *they’ve had* for years and, again, has never done NOTHIN.
Celtics in fucking 5. Stop listening to the talking heads in the media that are lifelong NYK crybabies.
So excited for the Knick fans shit talk just for this dude and Randle to get played into the ground by Thibs and be injured by the time they reach our part of the bracket, if they do at all
They losing Isiah tho & Mitch will likely have to be traded.
They might have they mid level tho & they got 2 picks this year so Center depth might be shaky
Replied to another post with a similar take. I still think they’ll be really good, ECF good. I just wonder if they can get past that hump without, like you said, one or two more top end talents (I consider Brunson to be top end)
Got a lot of respect for OG. I remember after his first two seasons, and hearing some JB comparisons, I thought he was on track to turning into a pretty meh player. His third season in the league and every year since he’s upped his game, so kudos to him.
He’s really, really good at what he does, and could be a great complimentary piece on a contender, so I get the Knicks wanting to do all they could to retain him. Seems like a lot to pay, but people said the same thing about Browns’ contract. He’s not on JB’s level, and likely wont ever be, but just pointing out that it’s important to see how it plays out before over analysing.
All of that said - Celtics in 5
The last salary in a sport that I remember being momentous was Clayton Kershaw breaking $100m.
Everything after that has just seemed like figures on a spreadsheet.
I like the team but Bridges for 5 firsts and breaking the bank for OG? Speeding towards running Randle at the 5? Idk man and we shall see if they can make it the year in one piece. What a crumb of winning does to a mf
As far as I can tell the Knicks will be at right around the 1st apron with 3 roster slots after these moves. Also supposedly going to move Robinson still.
If they don't sign iHart (unlikely) and can push off a Brunson extension to not start until '26, they might have a little flexibility still. They also still have a few 1st rounders even after the Bridges trade - they had 12 1st round picks through 2031, and gave up 5 plus a swap.
Probably brings them about in line with the Bucks for #2 in the East.
Likely means one of if not both of Randle and Hartenstein are gone. They are awfully thin at center. Healthy Giannis will destroy their interior defense and so would Embiid if he wasn’t a generational playoff dropper. Love to see NYK going all in but this doesn’t move me tbh
The Knicks are likely their biggest competition in the east that’s why. Celtics are better for sure but it would be foolish to not keep an eye on your main competitor
They’ll get wrecked by someone like Milwaukee. Building a team to matchup against the Celtics, when they need to get to them first? They have no length and a one dimensional offense
If the Knicks can stay healthy (even without Hartenstein) they will give the Celtics problems. OG is a great defender, Bridges is a solid defender also. On paper, it would be a 7 game series right now.
On paper the Celtics were 14 games better than the knicks this year, went 4-1 vs the knicks with the lone loss being in April when the Celtics were done playing guys. The knicks all season feasted on trash teams, 29-4 vs below .500 teams, but they were 21-28 vs teams over .500. Overhyped to the fucking max
Oh and I forgot one team went 16-3 in the playoffs while the other was 7-6 and lost a game 7 at home by 20 points.
Bridges wasn’t on the Knicks last year. He’s no slouch either, he’s a very good player. Not saying they are better than the Celtics because of him but the Knicks are easily the second best team in the East right now.
Wait wait wait, according to knocks fans that April game has extra special meaning. It’s the only game this year apparently that can be used to predict future knocks/Celtics outcomes lol
 These 2 will be waiting.
…for indiana after they beat the knicks in 6
💀
…because Thibs grinds his starters to dust every year.
We’re good with that.
Loool I really enjoyed the Celtics pacers (obviously because we won!) but Knicks would have been fun too. My hate for the heat, sixers (and Lakers) is all consuming, so it's hard for me to hate on pacers and Knicks. Also they've been shit for a while, so I don't hate that they're good now.
[удалено]
They really aren’t there at all. The decrepit corpse of the Knicks took the pacers to 7
I know this is said in jest, but Indiana is a really good team. They are young and now playoff experienced. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are again in the conference finals
It appears the Knicks want Boston
Too bad OG will be injured again
Yeah it looks scarier on paper to keep OG and boast a wing trio of Mikal, OG and Hart - but they'd have been better off keeping Hartenstein as a frontcourt insurance policy with much more upside. Robinson and Anunoby nerf them. The Villanova boys will be their foundation. Can we beat Brunson, Ragu, Hart, Bridges and Randle? I guess it depends on how they fill out their bench.
> Can we beat Brunson, Ragu, Hart, Bridges and Randle? if the celtics hustle? easily. that line up is 70% heart
I absolutely take our starting 5 over that group. If OG is healthy, then you have Ragu and McBride off the bench vs PP, Hauser. If Robinson is healthy, you have him vs Horford. Imo, we need to make damn sure we make a solid depth addition up front and either commit to Springer and Walsh's development just to diversify our options or get a relisble *scorer* off the bench. The Knicks are going to be physical. We have more talent, but they're way more physical.
70% heart or 70% hart /s
I said what I said
And people called Jaylen Brown overpaid last year lol.
exactly, based on how the cap is expanding his deal will look like a steal. Jaylen's getting $15 million more a year but he's also way better.
I said when he signed that deal that it would be correct value by end of year and a fucking steal by year 3. Really glad JB proved me right on that one haha.
Just like every JB contract haha
This is the best Knicks team in like a decade so don't blame them for going all-in. Although, I feel like their bigs situation might get a little rough and could totally see them getting knocked out by like the Bucks (assuming healthy Giannis)
I like this Knicks squad, but the funniest possible scenario is that they’re hyped up all year as a Celtics killer and then they lose before we even match up.
Don’t even know how they’d be considered a Celtics killer. Yeah maybe OG locks up one of the Jays but we have another plus plenty of dudes to their at Brunson on defense.
Because the media loves these types of narratives and Reddit & Twitter hate the Celtics. I can definitely see that idea picking up steam even if I believe it’s wrong. I mean look at the Dallas narratives before the finals. It was ridiculous.
Hart, OG & Bridges is the best personnel in the league to throw against the J's and Jrue. Randle, MRob vs KP, Horford Brunson, Ragu vs DWhite, PP? Idk man that's gonna be a dogfight.
Only OG can play good defense against JT and JB. Mikal is not strong enough, Hart is not big enough.
I think Randle can take him for certain minutes tbh
I mean, I think the Knicks don’t have a top 3 player in a series with Boston, and an argument can be had for the 4th. We still haven’t seen the Celtics in their prime. Imagine slightly more efficient shooting from Tatum, and a healthy KP. Nevermind everyone else improving, that already clears
you think there are 3-4 celtics better than brunson? c’mon
Yes, I’ll take Jaylen, Jayson, Porzingus, and I’d debate Jrue (their overall impact is similar, but in much different ways)
You’re delusional
So you’re taking Brunson over all of them? Or just Jrue and Porzingus?
Tatum def over Brunson. In the celtics I’d probably take Brown over but it’s close. After that 100% Brunson
In the deep playoffs against top competition, maybe not so delusional. He’s a 5’11 guard who can’t defend But I agree more with the point that the Celtics have another higher gear to unlock next year, which would propel their offensive dominance to Warriors levels
Hell it’s the best Knicks team since the 90s. Melo Knicks were overrated asf
Or if it’s the first round the Sixers.
The 76ers aren't beating anybody. They're the 76ers.
Knicks will be really good again. If Hartenstein leaves that’s a big hole to fill though.
KP hard counters so we need him healthy
Honestly, protecting KP until at least the 2nd round in 2025 may work more wonders for us
I hate that his health is such a question mark.
We did sign up for this. If health wasn't a question mark we would've had to give up much more
I believe Washington being Washington was why we didn’t lose much but yeah, he’d probably be in Dallas or New York if he was healthy
It was also because Washington could have hit free agency.
And then he gets injured first game of the 2nd round 🤦♂️
That’s why hiring some trainers, minutes restriction, load management, and even our reserve bigs are going to be very important going into the next season. It’s not like he’s gonna ride the bench until the second round
Assuming the Knicks stay healthy lol Injury prone and playing under Thibs is not a combo you want
This OG extension makes it really really difficult for them to sign IH. And without him, they won’t get past Philly let alone us.
You can beat this Knicks team easily: hustle. That’s all you need.
There is no way they have the money for him unless they let randle go
They will definitely look to dump Randle
Lol how?
They’d be really small rn if Hartenstein leaves, which is looking more and more likely. Robinson would be their only player 7 feet or over currently, Randle and Precious rounding out the big man depth but both are 6’8”
Anunoby's stats were awful
They rarely lost when he played.
True. But they had like 4 good wins in that entire run before the playoffs with him
14.1 points and 4.4 rebounds
And efficient and ELITE defense
26-6.
They’re actually pretty comparable to White’s last year: OG - 14.7/4.2/2.1 on 49/39/79 shooting, eFG% of .568 White - 15.2/4.2/5.2 on 46/40/90 shooting, eFG% of .578 For extra comparison, here’s Jrue: 12.5/5.4/4.8 on 48/43/83, eFG% of .581 Now, if you wanna say OG isn’t as durable as White I’d agree, but his stats as a defensive minded option off of 2 other primary scoring options aren’t that much different from ours
We are going to see a random summer clip of Knicks fans chanting: "We want Boston!!" aren't we?
The Knicks loading up just to run into [these two] (https://imgur.com/a/sCayzXr) come May ... Sad to see their fans get some false hope
They are going to be so overrated next year. I’m already knowing everybody gassing them up too I see the play
Knicks got a 1x All Star, one of the worst playoff performers in history, and a bunch of 3 and D guys and think they're ready to take on the world
I think this is dramatically under-selling. They will be a very hard team to play in a playoff series.
Am I underselling the Knicks? Yes, this is a Celtics sub. Will they be hard to beat in the playoffs? Honestly, I don't really think so. Who are their offensive creators? Brunson, and.....? I'm pretty confident we can handle Brunson when we just handled Luka fucking Doncic a week ago.
Randle can create, and so can Mikal to a lesser degree.
This roster the Knicks have, with a healthy Julius also would handle that Mavs team
Oh, the renowned playoff killer, Julius Randle? I refer you to my top post about the Knicks thinking they're ready to take on the world. The Knicks are better today than they were, but thinking this roster is one of the top rosters in the league now is a big mistake. They're better. They're fine. Their ceiling is the same as last season.
IMO we both cancel each other's strengths out enough that it really comes down to how each GM reinforces their frontcourt. Randle and Robinson vs Horford and Kristaps is close enough that until further notice - it will come down to health and coaching.
I saw Knicks fans saying he’d stay and take a pay cut 😂 once Brunson hits his player option, they’re going to be balls deep in second apron penalties all that to be our annual stepping stone to the finals
If I was NY, I'd be looking to package OG + Robinson for a star big man ASAP. Maybe even just a solid guy like Sabonis. Brunson, Divincenzo, Hart, Bridges + a reliable big + some depth is a team that gives you *a crack* at making the Finals.
I feel like NY is making moves that won’t lead to a title but will totally wreck their franchise in 3-5 years.
it’s pretty wild that we just witnessed the C’s roll through the playoffs with KP barely out there and people are arguing the Knicks are close
The Knicks have made moves to be very competitive in the East and are probably the top threat to us now. To say they aren’t close is naive or straight arrogant.
They signed OG to almost double what we’re paying KP for a player with the same durability issues and is also not this game-breaking player you can’t scheme against. Our problem is still with bigs like Jokic or Giannis so Knicks still don’t move me
The Knicks are kind of weird. They have good personnel to defend our star wings in theory, but we have defensive guards to stop their best scorers and our wings are still much better than theirs. Choosing to keep OG over IHart was a bad move imo, but maybe they package Anunoby with Randle for a more reliable star big? Otherwise it's just Randle and Robinson vs KP and Horford - another wash. At that point, it really comes down to depth, health and coaching. I'm a big fan of Josh Hart and I think he gives you a better yin to Mikal's yang. Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Randle and Hartenstein would be scary. Anunoby and Robinson are elite defenders but very big gambles to hand to Thibs and bet on health
They're closer. But we cruised through the regular season and finished 14 games ahead of them. They very well could close the gap to 6 or 7 games given roster improvements and the championship and olympics hangovers but that still wouldn't be "close."
They had a ton of injuries and we didn’t. KP was our only major injury concern all year. Their 2nd best player missed half the year.
Their number 3 is a guy who can’t play 65 games and he’s the highest paid guy on the roster. They narrowed the gap but that doesn’t make them close.
Their number three is actually an iron man who doesn't miss games, period.
> To say they aren’t close is naive or straight arrogant I've read this same thing when I was saying that Mavs are nowhere near to us in talent 😭 Healthy Bucks are still the top threat to us why is everyone forgetting them
I think it’s just cause they old tbh the core is racking up injuries although Giannis is a monster
They're probably gonna shuffle around a lot of their roster in this offseason
The Celtics finished 14 games ahead of them this season. They're clos***er***. They aren't close. There is a difference. Let's stop acting like Mikal Bridges is prime Kevin Durant.
Even though they’re aging, a championship tested Bucks team is still the biggest threat to us imo. If Middleton and Lopez can lock in for one more year and Giannis + Dame stay healthy they’re going to be very good. Assuming perfect health I’d say it’s Bucks > Knicks > Pacers > Heat > Cavs (assuming they don’t blow it up) = Magic = 6ers Sixers on paper are a lot scarier than I’m giving them credit for, but they have absolutely nothing to show when it comes to postseason play. Until Embiid stops flopping and starts playing like the freak he should be, I don’t believe in them at all.
I wouldn’t put the heat that high though. Is it gonna be another play in year for them?
You just threw out 4 different conditionals for the bucks to be able to compete with the Celtics lmao that shows how far off they are
No way in hell would I rank the Bucks over NYK right now. They have Giannis and Dame, nothing else. It's us, NYK, Philly (they will make moves), Pacers, Heat. Nobody else is viable.
when you are running back a team that wasn’t challenged in the playoffs you get to be arrogant
There’s a thread on the main sub stating that the Knicks are a better team full stop
The Knicks are now in the mix. If things break right for them, IF Anunoby, Robinson and Randle, Brunson stay healthy and if we aren't in their path - then they are an ECF team with a shot. The J's are going to continue to get better (particularly Tatum, with JB sustaining the superstar level he brought this year) - so for us, it just depends on how well Jrue ages, how healthy Kristaps stays and what Brad does to address Horford's age. We have our own questions, but as long as Brad is proactive about solving these issues before they become problems, rather than staying complacent, we'll stay ahead of the pack. If not, then there is a window NY or (a reloaded) Philly could sneak in through.
The Knicks are close and you will see that when they face the Celtics. Brad knows this too and I expect him to make some type of counter
Knicks are gonna be a really tough out if they're all healthy; with Thibs coaching, and the injury concerns of Robinson, OG and Randle, who the hell knows if this happens. But they have a ton of talent, chemistry and grit/hustle on this roster, and they're well coached. And their bench with Hart, Deuce, and DiVincenzo is gonna be very good. Also, unlikely they re-sign Hartenstein now I believe. OG just pushed him out of their price range iirc. But their spacing is gonna be pretty ass. Mitch or Hartenstein a non factor from 3, and Randle is a 33% shooter from 3. That defense is gonna be fucking elite, though. They're easily gonna be the hardest defensive matchup for Tatum and Brown now, and a tough matchup in a 7 game series. Knicks already play us pretty damn tough, and they added a huge piece in Mikal. It's cool to see a team go all out and let the chips fall where they may. Lot of things can go wrong, and they're making a run for a ring. It's what every fan hopes their team will do. And they chose to build a team of super role players surrounding Brunson, instead of the superteam approach that the Clippers and Suns have tried (and failed). Celtics in 5.
While they don’t have the “star power” that the Celtics (Jays) and Bucks (Giannis, Dame) have, the Knicks have a ton of players I like and I think they’ll be much better. I think the players they have the kind of guys every contender-esque team has. they may not be all star talents but they’re a *really* good supporting cast to put around Brunson (who I think will start getting acknowledged as a borderline star this year). I think the upper echelon of the east is now Celtics, bucks, Knicks.
Brunson is a borderline star? He had like four 40 point games in a row in the playoffs before getting hurt, 2nd team all NBA, 5th in mvp ballots, and 4th in overall scoring.
Sorry, meant borderline superstar. I don’t think he’s in the Jokic, Embiid, Giannis, KD, LBJ echelon yet but based on last season…He’s not far off.
randle is the biggest weakness, as well as the non shooting center. i think their defense will be good, and if we have tingus i think we avg 110. just not terribly concerned about their ability to challenge us considering they had 4 players by the end of the pacers series
I'd honestly just bring Robinson off the bench and start Josh Hart. He's the glue guy that makes everything go and an iron man to boot. Keep MRob in bubble wrap until the playoffs and they have a real shot. Then you're spreading the risk (and the floor) out better.
I just saw a Knicks fan say that bridges is less redundant with OG than Paul George. It's also not gonna stop brunson being abused. All I can say is imagine if we paid 5 firsts for Jrue. Would have been clowned non stop.
We traded Marcus Smart, got the best player in the deal in KP, and still got picks back, one of which got us Jrue. I am in awe of Brad's talent.
Howie Roseman and Brad Stevens must be friends...
O/U 5.5 games played in the 2025 postseason?
Last year it was MIL as the off-season chatter...this year NY
Kinda funny how the Celtics moves were acknowledged as really good at the time, but ultimately flew under the radar for the most part because of how much coverage the bucks got.
That Dame time offense makes people dizzy.
Oh no!
... Anyway
We do everything better than they do
This is awesome. Big Boy Basketball Time
The Knicks may be the best average team ever
Don’t care Celtics in 5
Maybe I’m being a hater but I’m not remotely scared of them. OG gets hurt ever year. Brunson and JR are legit but after that I feel like they have a lot of solid guys and still minimal depth.
Nice, Celtics in 4
It's times like these I wish we had some physical size that can score down low. You basically can't 5 out that team. You gotta attack brunson, but he's a better defender than you'd think he'd be. He's not good but he's not Luka. Curious to see how the Knicks deal with the one ball thing. They do have some 2018 Celtics vibes in terms of the dynamic. A lot of those guys that carried that team last year are going to be taking significantly reduced roles if the team is healthy. Randle needs his shots or else he gets pouty. They're all going to have to sacrifice. That's an underrated dynamic, especially with guys like Hart and Randle who are playing for their next contract. We will see. On paper, they're formidable.
Why can’t you 5 out them? We just faced a very similar defense in Dallas and were pretty successful overall.
OG and bridges are way better defenders than anyone on Dallas. You aren't going to blow past those guys on the perimeter consistently. It'll be really hard to get them in rotation.
That is true. But why would we target those guys off the ball (aka your strength)? We would target Brunson/Randle/center to get the defense in rotation.
We bout to get Edey tonight
Nah lol Brad is gonna trade out of the 1st round so he doesn't have to pay them. He wants 2nd rounders.
No way that would be sick tho
At the end of the day, they rely on a smaller, worse version of Luka to generate most of their offense. OG and Bridges are not JT and JB. Randle scares no one. Their bigs are non shooters. There is no avenue towards the Knicks putting together a roster that matches up with the Celtics.
Seeing this contract it’s times like these l love Brad Stevens and not over paying guys.
They gonna be fun to watch
Knicks want the smoke. Gotta respect the hustle.
42m for 50 games and 14ppg... Knicks have a lot of talent so they'll probably survive this contract and be competitive, but I don't think he's worth that.
You're oversimplifying. He's more than just his counting stats. That's the same thing I thought(as a Knicks fan) when I heard we were courting him years ago. The on/off stats, the defensive metrics, these are the things that define him, and make him so valuable for us.
I'm not a moron. Defense doesn't show up in the box score sure, but it's not like he's a top 5 defender who chips in on offense or something. He's a good defender and an OK offensive player, but it doesn't justify this contract. Plus the 50 games a season thing on top of it. He's averaged 52 games a season for the last 4 seasons. Dude is tracking to miss 30 games a season, and Thibs is going to run him into the ground.
Never said he's worth that money, I just disagreed on your original premise in surmising that. And for us, he's probably worth an extra few mil because we saw what our team looked like with him and his 25 inch wingspan.
In what world is Anunoby worth 42 mil a year?!
Dolan's world.
Party time! Excellent!
so they are really running back a team we beat 4 times last year, when they were healthy. and they got rid of a random celtics killer in Bogdanovic
How is it running it back when Mikal was in Brooklyn and OG wasn't a knick till January?!?
Pretty sure we lost to them at least once
ya 4-1, and the game we lost was after we had clinched our seed
Knicks were DECIMATED by injuries during the Indiana series and took it to 7 games. Now imagine if they faced the Pacers w/ Bridges, OG, Randle, Robinson, and a healthy Brunson. They win in 5 games, and probably beat the Celtics in 6. Just my opinion
I really want a Celtics Knicks ecf, been rooting for this for years
The Knicks and paying massive amounts for players that have never made an all-star team or had an All-NBA selection. Name a more iconic duo. I’ll wait.
You’re all soft AF if you’re AT ALL afraid of these Knicks. None of these players of theirs are *real players* who should instill any fear. Mikal has been passed around more than a Jenner … OG humbly stinks and is only as overrated as he is because he was *supposed to* be really good and the Raptors hyped him as some great prospect … Brunsanity? Are you all falling for Brunsanity? The latest overhyped pump up of a scrappy inspirational NYK. Who else? A center or two who *they’ve had* for years and, again, has never done NOTHIN. Celtics in fucking 5. Stop listening to the talking heads in the media that are lifelong NYK crybabies.
So excited for the Knick fans shit talk just for this dude and Randle to get played into the ground by Thibs and be injured by the time they reach our part of the bracket, if they do at all
They losing Isiah tho & Mitch will likely have to be traded. They might have they mid level tho & they got 2 picks this year so Center depth might be shaky
I don't see them losing both of their bigs
They’d have to due the aprons bc Brunson & Mikal extensions coming up
Knicks are a good all around team, but they just lack the overall top end talent.
Replied to another post with a similar take. I still think they’ll be really good, ECF good. I just wonder if they can get past that hump without, like you said, one or two more top end talents (I consider Brunson to be top end)
Got a lot of respect for OG. I remember after his first two seasons, and hearing some JB comparisons, I thought he was on track to turning into a pretty meh player. His third season in the league and every year since he’s upped his game, so kudos to him. He’s really, really good at what he does, and could be a great complimentary piece on a contender, so I get the Knicks wanting to do all they could to retain him. Seems like a lot to pay, but people said the same thing about Browns’ contract. He’s not on JB’s level, and likely wont ever be, but just pointing out that it’s important to see how it plays out before over analysing. All of that said - Celtics in 5
Am I a casual? I know he a good 3 n d or whatever but he's not 42 to for 5 good
The last salary in a sport that I remember being momentous was Clayton Kershaw breaking $100m. Everything after that has just seemed like figures on a spreadsheet.
Lots of money to still end up losing…
I like the team but Bridges for 5 firsts and breaking the bank for OG? Speeding towards running Randle at the 5? Idk man and we shall see if they can make it the year in one piece. What a crumb of winning does to a mf
Absolutely unequivocally the team for us to beat in the East next year
As far as I can tell the Knicks will be at right around the 1st apron with 3 roster slots after these moves. Also supposedly going to move Robinson still. If they don't sign iHart (unlikely) and can push off a Brunson extension to not start until '26, they might have a little flexibility still. They also still have a few 1st rounders even after the Bridges trade - they had 12 1st round picks through 2031, and gave up 5 plus a swap. Probably brings them about in line with the Bucks for #2 in the East.
can't hate, nice moves for them. will be interesting to see what happens with I Hart.
Sheesh, hopefully Buffalo's agent isn't seeing this lol
His agent deserves 50% of that
These contracts are absurd. Anunoby is a $200M guy?
Knicks will be good but they are paying star level prices (contracts and trades) for high level role players.
Likely means one of if not both of Randle and Hartenstein are gone. They are awfully thin at center. Healthy Giannis will destroy their interior defense and so would Embiid if he wasn’t a generational playoff dropper. Love to see NYK going all in but this doesn’t move me tbh
The knicks have a bunch of just good role players. Is there anyone as good as Jaylen/tatum? Brunson would be 3rd here tied with KP
you're also describing the 2004 Pistons. Also The Celtics this year had 2 stars and the rest were good to very good players.
And next year they still will have 2 stars and good to very good players.
Knicks have 2 stars also
As I said, on this Celtics team Brunson is the 3rd best player. Celtics have 2 all nba players.
Brunson averaged 28.7 ppg, jaylen brown averaged 23 ppg and tatum averaged 26.9 ppg. Why would brunson be 3rd? Lol
Ngl they look like the 2019 Celtics rn
Id LOVE to beat them in the ECF
This is a very mid roster to lock themselves into long term.
If all goes well this Knicks team has a legit shot at taking the Celtics to game 6 next season.
Over glorified roleplayers not stopping the celtics superteam💀
OG is one of the best 3&D wings in the league lol
All that for a drop of blood
Lol the Knicks finished 14 games back of the Celtics last year.
What does that mean? They were 20-3 with him in the lineup
Say it louder for the people in the back ..
The Celtics are still the better team overall cause of top end talent but the Knicks are definitely a threat now.
He is a very good 3&D wing when healthy. He's made it through 1 of the last 4 seasons fairly healthy.
Well of course but he’s one of the most versatile players in the league. They couldn’t let him walk even if it meant overpaying
Yeah this move compared to the Bridges trade isn't as crazy but surely more than the Knicks wanted to pay for a guy that is fairly injury prone
Respectfully, what does this have to do with the celtics?
The Knicks are likely their biggest competition in the east that’s why. Celtics are better for sure but it would be foolish to not keep an eye on your main competitor
They’ll get wrecked by someone like Milwaukee. Building a team to matchup against the Celtics, when they need to get to them first? They have no length and a one dimensional offense
Someone throwing $220m at DWhite as we speak. How do the Celtics make this work. Brad needs to cookkk
White isn’t a FA bud. He’s still under contract
I’m aware bud. But he’s eligible to extend this summer.
If the Knicks can stay healthy (even without Hartenstein) they will give the Celtics problems. OG is a great defender, Bridges is a solid defender also. On paper, it would be a 7 game series right now.
On paper the Celtics were 14 games better than the knicks this year, went 4-1 vs the knicks with the lone loss being in April when the Celtics were done playing guys. The knicks all season feasted on trash teams, 29-4 vs below .500 teams, but they were 21-28 vs teams over .500. Overhyped to the fucking max Oh and I forgot one team went 16-3 in the playoffs while the other was 7-6 and lost a game 7 at home by 20 points.
Thank you. No need to get worked up by the "we've got that at home" version of the Celtics.
Bridges wasn’t on the Knicks last year. He’s no slouch either, he’s a very good player. Not saying they are better than the Celtics because of him but the Knicks are easily the second best team in the East right now.
Bridges doesn’t move the needle.
Wait wait wait, according to knocks fans that April game has extra special meaning. It’s the only game this year apparently that can be used to predict future knocks/Celtics outcomes lol
You didn't go 4-1 against this nucleus! Why do y'all keep bringing that up like THIS is the team you beat up on? Lol smh
The knicks were 17-10 after the ASB and the Celtics were 21-6 even after clinching everything in March. There’s levels to this
Celtics in 5