Knicks vs Warriors | Opening Monologue | POSTGAME RECAP

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2:09Getting tool for this shit, huh? Shout out, John. Hope you decided to watch the Oscars tonight. Instead of that basketball game that we all witnessed, a 110107 win by the New York Knicks. This is the Knicks Film School postgame show presented by Fanatic Sportsbook. Listen, there are two things that matter tonight. Like really just two things. Get a win and stay healthy. How the win came about, listen, they could have won by 30 and it wouldn't have changed the way you perceive this team or increase the ceiling of this team or giving you optimism that this team can go farther. If they had lost the game, I don't even know if it would have changed anything in that regard because it would have just sort of baked in what you had already believed about the inconsistencies and sometimes a lack of professionalism about this group.

3:12But listen, you get a win and you stay healthy and in a week and probably three, two games. You're not going to remember this one. Now you would have remembered it if they lost the game, of course. And they were lucky that the Warriors turned the ball over enough and including the last possession and were just out over their skis a little bit in terms of talent that they weren't able to string together enough down the stretch to win a game, a game that they are up by 21 at one point. And this was according to the broadcast, the biggest Knicks comeback win since April 2024. So give the team credit for that, I guess, for pulling it together after just a dreadful first quarter that they ended up being down 14. I thought they actually came out and performed pretty well offensively in the first quarter

4:16for the first, I don't know, handful of possessions. It seemed like they were getting good stuff, excuse me. The Warriors went to a zone soon after that and it just seemed to get the Knicks stuck in mud a little bit. It was a one three one zone and the Knicks really didn't know how to attack it. I don't know how many possessions they've played against a one three one this year. The key there is that as a defense, you're sort of exposing the corners, but you're also trying to prioritize taking the corner past the way and the Knicks are not able to force that ball to the corner, which is what you want to do because then it makes that the backside, the one in the one three one on the back end have to baseline run in both directions. So if you can get it to one corner and then swing to the next, it really puts a lot of pressure on that back defender. And the Knicks really were never able to get it to that spot. And then obviously the Warriors went to more of a boxing one, especially late in the game

5:18with Gary Peyton Jr. taking the assignment on Jalen Bronson again, slowing the Knicks offence down. So Steve Carter did a phenomenal job of sort of mucking the game up and making it very difficult for the Knicks on the offensive end. And the Knicks really on the defensive side, it just had like an unprofessional start to the game, a group that listen to starting lineup. Not saying anything that has not been said a thousand times, they come out and some of these games far too often with a certain lack of consideration for high leverage moments and effort and trying to put your foot on the neck of an opponent that if you would have done that, you likely would have gone and won this game going away and had a nice little rest on the bench through most of the fourth quarter, but because they did not come out in that professional manner, the Warriors obviously got a big lead in the next year having

6:23to claw their way back the entire game. And if you take out that first quarter, I thought the Knicks actually played a pretty good basketball game. And if they would have sort of played a neutral in the first quarter, forget being up, if they would have played a neutral, they probably would have won by double digits in this game, but they didn't. Thankfully, the Warriors threw it all over the basketball court. Thankfully, the Knicks went 22 of 23 from the free-throw line and we should sort of acknowledge and give credit where credit is due because if you are a Knick fan for as long as I have, you have seen many a game in Madison Square Garden, especially be lost because the Knicks did not shoot great from the free-throw line and they were almost perfect from the free-throw line in this one and that is an important thing and should be noted. But I am not going to sort of take this game and apply anything other than the two things I started with and this is a win in the win column.

7:26They are trying their damnedest to get very good to great seating in the playoffs. This will help. When they came out of this game from what we understand, at least watching it healthy and that to me is the big picture here. There are certain things in terms of granule areas that we can talk about and this offense right now is sort of at a nadir in terms of this season and there is probably, if you had to think about it, more confidence right now in the defense in the offense which is a pretty crazy position to be in but I think that is where we are right now. But we should talk about some of these players that sort of helped shepherd this team to a win and the guy we have to start with and it is a guy that was out of the rotation for basically a month and a half. A guy that was brought in to perform exactly how he performed tonight, to pick the team

8:29up when they needed a boost and to give this team that scoring punch off the bench to be the professional in a game where the team was unprofessional and that's exactly what Jordan Clarkson did tonight. Just a phenomenal performance by him and we'll talk about the offense but to me, he answers the game and he's like, other than him and Shamit really but those two were into the basketball in the defensive end and I thought Jordan Clarkson knew that the Warriors didn't have anyone that he that could sort of attack him foot speed wise. So he was using every ounce of physicality, he was handsy, he was using his chest, he was staying in front, he was physical, he deterred drives. He was impactful on that end and as we know that has not always been the case this year it has mostly been the opposite.

9:30So for him to defend like he did in this one saying nothing about the offense was to me one of the keys to the game because it really sort of changed the complexion of the basketball game. So for him to do it on both ends of the floor was massive. I'm going to look up to see what his plus minus ended up being. I imagine it was really high in a game the next only one by three so Jordan Clarkson on the night was a plus 14 and that to me was indicative of how he played and it's a performance for him that thank you Mark for putting that in the in the chat helped me out there. So 14 points six of 11 from the field five of nine on two's hit it is one of his only two three point attempts. But the next one win the game without him and this coming off obviously the heels of the performance in Utah to games ago where he had gone a stretch basically being out of

10:32the rotation comes into that game in a feel good story maybe it kind of felt like was this going to be sort of a game that was not going to be indicative of a longer stretch being in the rotation. But clearly Mike Brown has feels like he's found something a certain run here by Jordan Clarkson and credit to the coach for leaning into it. And you know his drives tonight were really good and it's never all the way to the rim. It's sort of in that deep paint or a middle middle paint area doesn't get to the restricted area that gets just enough into the painted area to make some really tough floaters and push outs. It's he's an interesting player because he doesn't collapse the defense. So it's a lot of one on one operating and it's just about is the shot making going to be good enough to warrant those drives. And tonight they were they were good enough.

11:35And then it just needed it. And it felt like he did a good job of sort of reading where the game was going. And on both ends of the court as I mentioned, but just knowing where the team was just needed it extra scoring because they just were not able to generate much offensively after those first handful of possessions to strain together good offense is good offense and he did a nice job of not only changing the tone and tenor of the game, but just producing enough points when the team really desperately needed it. And just played bigger and stronger than a lot of the Warriors players. And that is a, you know, one of the things about him that I think is the most surprising aspect to him is his strength level. He's a very strong player through the court and he's rarely knocked off bounce when he is off balance. It's almost by design because he gets to these weird shot angles that is really difficult for the defense to track. And then you saw the strength display itself on the defensive end as well.

12:39When I as I mentioned, this warrior's team is not going to bludgeon you with drives one on one and sort of stampede dribbles when you're planning gap that you have to slide over and take away. This is a motion team that is sort of can carve the way into the pain and get there with the pass. But not someone that's going to blow by you and he took that sort of lack of talent in that area by the Warriors and was able to attack it with his strength and physicality on the defensive end. So he'll have a job by him again, I thought she had it along with Clarkson on the defensive end, changed the game a little bit. And the next just weren't, I mean, I counted three or four, I stopped after a bit in the first quarter of how many loose balls the Warriors are able to generate in that first quarter. And it was just one of those things where heart was the big part of it. Heart had a couple of brutal, brutal defensive possessions in the first quarter did not seem

13:44to have like any sort of zip in his game. We'll get to Mikhail Bridges here in a moment, but you saw that the, it was like two parts. It was one. The Knicks were doing a lot more switching in this game. And I thought that was probably a, the right call going in because, you know, the Warriors are very much, even their bigs, they're very like size or they play in a similar way that you can, you can get away with switching because you're not going to put yourself into some really bad mismatches, even though post late in the game was able to get Clarkson on a jump hook on the left block. But all in all, it's a team that you could switch pretty liberally again. So I just thought the Knicks switching in the first quarter especially and it didn't get a whole lot better to be completely honest as the game went along. But it was at its most egregious in the first quarter where I just seem like every switch to the Knicks were trying to communicate was late. And it was allowing the Warriors to get these switch pocket drives that were giving them

14:47some easy runs and drives to the rim. And Shamit comes in, Clarkson comes in, Moa as well just, it seemed like they were able to get into the basketball and just make the, the navigating of the, the offense a little bit more difficult for the Warriors and credits of Clarkson for just staying ready. I mentioned how unprofessional the game was for the Knicks to start and how professional Jordan Clarkson has been as a Nick. And I don't know if there is a better indication of professionalism when you are relegated to basically spot minutes for a five, six game stretch. And then you can be brought into a competitive environment and perform at a high level. That is the definition of professionalism because that means all the work, all the practice time, all the pre-game shootarounds, all the, you know, the work you're doing pre-game, all that stuff is happening because you just can't perform at that level if you are

15:47not doing the work. And he's doing the work. And that's a credit to Jordan Clarkson for just being there, being there first. He made it when they, they need him. I don't know what it's going to be for him when it comes to Duce McBride coming back in the playoffs, but he, these are wins that he's helping the Knicks get that is hopefully going to give them a really good spot in the seating in the playoffs. So he is providing immense value for the contract that Knicks gave him. And then some because he's won the game, he's won the Knicks multiple games this year. And that to me says a lot for what obviously he's costing on the return on investment and just, just what you expectable player that is kind of like on the outsides of a rotation though he clearly seems to be brought back into the rotation at least at this point. And the other guy I want to talk about, it's Carl Anthony Towns who I thought had, I imagine

16:55it had to have been a very frustrating first half for him. A first half that saw him take four shots, four points, four rebounds, a minus 11, where Jalen Brunson took 12 shots, scored 17 points, let's say I think we're sort of accustomed to Jalen Brunson taking the mantle and taking the first quarter and using it as the springboard to get going individually and get the Knicks offense going. That has been sort of the way it's been for years now. And I don't think that should change is one of the best first quarter players in the league in the first quarter tonight, 13 points on four of seven. So he did enough offensively in the first quarter though obviously on the defensive end was part of the problems there, but Kat was not involved in the first quarter. But typically what will happen is in the second quarter when he's playing with the reserves in Alvarado specifically that is starts to turn around. He's more involved in the offense.

17:57Well, he wasn't really involved much in the offense in the second quarter either and they just felt like there was a certain lack of priority to get him into some really good scoring zones. Just to isolate him at the top of the key, uses power to not only see the defense and hit cutters, but drive and get to the rim. That wasn't really part of the schematics in that second quarter and it was odd. Clearly in the halftime period, there was a concerted effort to figure out how to get Karol Anthony towns going. And I thought he was phenomenal in the second half, third quarter specifically, 11 points for rebounds plus nine. I thought Josh Hart and getting every loose ball in the third quarter and was I mentioned the first quarter. He wasn't getting any. He was a very clear priority for him to exert his will onto the game the third quarter,

18:59shout out to Josh Hart for that. But then you had Karol Anthony towns, I thought dominating the paint and whether it was offensive rebounds, post ups, drives, he seemed like he really was putting his stamp on the game. And I thought it was an important stretch for the next to get them even and then push the lead ahead and it's just another scenario where you see the talent and you realize it is just a matter of the players and the coaches sort of deciding, all right. We have this unique offensive force of the like that we there really is not a he doesn't have a contemporary when you talk about his his ball handling his passing is shooting. So just isn't anyone's quite like him. The only thing he doesn't have is the ability to sort of get his own. So you have to make sure you are doing that.

20:00And that third quarter was critical obviously if he doesn't have that third quarter where he is sort of taking over the game for a stretch, I don't know if the next win the game. And I know that he didn't have a big time performance in the fourth quarter. And you did see some man in OB at the five, although briefly, I think it was a two minute stretch. Excuse me, where you saw the next go to a smaller lineup, this was after a post had hit a three. So it felt like Mike Brown was like, all right, we need to give Kat a breather here. Let's get some smalls on the floor and just try to stay on the perimeter with the guy that was hurting them from three. But he came back in the game late and it was just an important performance for Kat in a game where there wasn't a lot of great performances to be had. I thought Brunson, you know, this is a tough game for him as a offensive player because, you know, the zone is designed.

21:01The one three one is going to disallow a lot of penetration. You're the one on the player at the top is sort of shading in one direction. So it's similar to like the Nick's icing or downing a ball screen where you're trying to keep things to the side. So usually the person at the top of the zone is trying to shade in and dictate where the offensive player is going. And then you have all these bodies sort of aligned in the middle of the paint. And if you're not able to get that ball to the corner, as I mentioned, you can get into these scenarios where it just feels like there's bodies everywhere. Once you get the ball to the corner, then you can you get that bottom player baseline running and having to close out far distances, then you get the collapsing of the zone. And then you can break it and then you get some open threes out of it. The Nick's never able to really do that. Part of that is on Brunson. Part of that is just the nature of that type of zone. It's really difficult for not seeing it often.

22:02And the Nick's obviously not seeing a lot of zone. So that was part of it. And then you had a deal. A box in one with Gary Payton Jr. defending him. And that is that's hell. I mean, that is just not easy. So he's fighting like heck just to get the ball. And then once he has it, he's got a crampaint and he's got a guy that can slide with him that's physical. And that is really good at contesting without fouling as well. It's just a really tough on the ball defender. And Brunson was able to get him on that step back in the middle paint going to his right. It's the same shot. He had hit against true holiday. I think in either Gamewater Game 2 in Boston last year to put them up one where he gets into the body with his left shoulder. And he steps back going to his right all the way in from about 15, 18 feet. It's a shot that he's sort of mastered. And it's a shot that when the paint is being disallowed

23:02and bodies are everywhere, it's a shot he can get to. And if he can get that initial punch with that left shoulder, then he can use that physical nature of that initial hit. And then he can step back. And it typically creates some space. Now he hit Gary Payton Jr. for the first one. And was able to get creative that space. The second time, Payton absorbed the blow and was able to contest much better than he missed it. So it was a really difficult matchup. I thought for Brunson, who just isn't, you know, we've seen signs of the shot making coming back around. And even in at night tonight, where you feel like he performed pretty well, but you look at the percentages and then just not, he's not playing in terms of scoring the basketball at a level that we're accustomed to. And it's a pretty long stretch now. It's, you know, if you've since the all-star break, roughly, so we're talking about, you know,

24:03almost a month now, we just has not looked like himself, where the shot contest just seemed to be a little bit more tough and the shots are just not going in as much. And that is something to be relatively concerned about. I think he will turn it around. I do wonder, and this is the transition to Michele Bridges. If there is going to be a change coming up, not a, I don't think this is going to be the next game or the game after that, but we are seeing more and more Michele Bridges, not closing games. If you just go to the last six games, the last six games from Michele Bridges, he's averaging six and a half points a game. And the minutes are 26 minutes a night. Shooting 32 percent from the field, 21 percent from three.

25:03I just wonder if there's a level to this where the deep, the spacing issues that this starting lineup has. And I wonder if the shammett being a part of that, now, shammett is not, and I talked about this on on X recently, shammett is not a great, great floor spacer, but he is a better floor spacer than Michele Bridges. And when there are these games where it just feels like you have Innobee Bridges in the game as great a corner three point shooters as they are. Neither one of them are great above the break shooters. Towns obviously is going to be in the dunker spot. He's going to be screening and sometimes rolling to the rim. He's not always going to be spacing. We know the issues at heart

26:04has shooting the basketball than the how he's being treated. When you do make a change, and I don't think there is one coming out, I want to just state that for the record. I do not think Michele Bridges leave in the starting lineup anytime soon. But when that, when and if that happens, you start seeing signs earlier than the change, and him not closing games in the minutes starting to dwindle a little bit, would be the first sign if the change was to come. And he just has to be better. And I've defended him. I've defended him because I think what he does as an off-ball defender is generally underappreciated. I do think him as an offensive when he's going well. I do think how he moves on offense. He just never stops his cutting ability. The fact that he is an expert relocator from the wing to the corners for open corner 3s is incredibly important. His transition finishing is incredibly important when he's going well.

27:08His defensive versatility is incredibly important. But if the offense is where it is now, there's no off-ball defense that is going to be good enough to prop up a player and for a team that has championship aspirations. So it's really only been about six games. That has been really just alarmingly bad. We need him to play better. And this is the same guy that won the Knicks a basketball game in Boston, game two with his offense, by the way, not just the defense. So there is a player that still exists because I don't think there's been a complete attrification of his offensive skill set in these last six, seven games. So I'm confident he's going to figure it out. But it is quite apparent that patience is running a little bit thin with the head coach. And again, I don't know what that is going to mean for the starting lineup.

28:10I have said since January of 2025 that the Knicks best starting lineup is with Duce McBride and not Michele Bridges. Obviously, Duce McBride is not going to be playing basketball for at least likely the regular season. Maybe he comes back towards Yen. So that point is moot because I don't think we're going to get a good sample on that. But the man's got to make shots six and a half points per game where there is more opportunity for that when you're shooting 32% from the field and 21% from three. And Mark just put down a note from the storm Steph Bondy. This is from Mike Brown quote, I was not happy with the way we started the game and played it most of the way. Brown's so pissed off he didn't name a defensive player of the game. Okay, I look, I didn't read see the quote if the coach is as mad as that quote suggests he is,

29:16that is the right approach. That's the right approach. That's what the coach needs to do. If you're going to have a team play on serious basketball, you need to hold them accountable. That's the least you could do as a head coach. So I'm glad that is how Mike Brown is taking this one, a game that the nicks were able to win. And as I said, when we started, though getting the win is the only thing that matters. But I will say this. Dr. Jack Ramsey, obviously a great head coach, legendary head coach, legendary broadcaster. I remember him saying, this is on WFAN in New York, he said, when a team loses players and the team that's playing the team that's now decimated by injury, and there wasn't time to prepare for it. That next game, it is, he said, there are a few things

30:19in coaching that are the most you can count on the most. And one of those things is a letdown when the team's going to be against the one that just had all these injuries. And you are assuming you're going to walk into that gym and you're going to just by showing me or showing up, you're going to win the game. Because when you're playing the wizards, you're playing the nets or some of these other terrible teams, you have time to prepare for how bad they are. But when a team you wake up and all of a sudden you look at the injury port and there's seven guys out, six, whatever the number was, it is human nature to have a tremendous letdown. And I do think we need to acknowledge how humans behave a little bit. Because I don't think this is going to suggest that the next are going to have a massive amount of letdowns as we head towards the end of the season. With the next having one of the easier schedules in the NBA. So I think this will not be

31:22something the next one I'm going to have to contend with. I do think they're going to be professionals here on out for the most part. I think for this one, when you have these injuries for your opponent, and it is so apparent that they are so thin and decimated, it is very hard to guard against the natural human reaction, which is to assume this is going to be easy. And you forget that these are NBA professionals and these are talented players. They weren't talented players. They wouldn't be in the NBA. So I do think that is a big piece of it. But if you're the head coach of that team that just then almost gave this game away, it is you are 100% right to be angry at your team for that performance. Must be 21 or older. Gambling problem called 1-800-Gambler. Connecticut called 88-8-78-9-77-77.

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