It is clear that the New York Knicks They are far from having the talent of the teams that appear among the best of this 2022-2023 season. And yet they exist right now few more fun shows for the neutral fan to watch the meetings of the New Yorkers, who find at competition (and in the imbalance of a pair of forms), a ideal treatment to erase these deficiencies.
An example of this was seen this Thursday, as part of it NBA Rivalry Week, beating the visiting Boston Celtics 120-117in a fight with playoff intensity and full of ups and downs… like almost everyone who plays Tom Thibodeau’s.
pushed by Julius Randle (37 points and 9 rebounds) and Jaylen Brunson (29 points and 7 assists), New York appeared to have the win in hand, with a Leads 106-94 with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter. However, Boston responded in time, playing its best five minutes of the night and ending forcing the supplementary (110-110).
The Celtics went ahead 115-110 in overtimeclosing a series of 21-4 in his favor And there came an even more valuable response from New York than dominating the game for three and a half quarters. with two key triples by Randle and RJ Barrettand with the help Jalen Brown missed two free throwsNew York ended up winning at TD Garden 120-117.
CLUTCH SHOT RJ! pic.twitter.com/3MY6hdcRmD
—NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 27, 2023
The game was the perfect example of what makes these Knicks such an attractive team to follow: this unpredictable wind and high intensity competition they have almost all their meetings. There are much more colorful teams, with better shooters, better 1v1 players or more dominant defenders. But few (if any) compete and play inside playoff mode every night like New Yorkers.
Of course this playoff mode It also has its disadvantages, such as short rotation and the overload of intense minutes for beginners. The feeling is that while other teams will be able to raise their game with an extra gear in the postseason, what we see from New York is the same as it will be in these clinchers.
but if well Thibodeau’s team and approach have a low ceilingThe Knicks’ run through the Regular Season has been a balm who offers it competitive weight which is often hard to find at this time of the season.
Sometimes it claw, sacrifices and physical basketballcan be as fun as the beautiful game of luxuries, refined ball movement and three-pointers. These The Knicks and their 27-23 recordThey prove this.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
