Tag: New York Knicks

76ers’ Paul Reed just gave the Knicks unnecessary bulletin-board material

The last thing the tough Knicks need is more motivation.

Everyone knows that, on paper, the New York Knicks are a better matchup for Eastern Conference NBA playoff teams this year than the Boston Celtics. It shouldn’t be controversial to think wanting the 50-win opponent over the one that won 64 games is better for your team’s chances.

But if you’re actually one of the players going up against the Knicks very soon, you probably shouldn’t share these thoughts in public. Oh no.

During Thursday’s episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV, Philadelphia 76ers backup big man Paul Reed came on the show to discuss his team’s recent play-in win and their upcoming first-round series against the Knicks.

RELATED: For The Win’s 2024 NBA playoffs predictions, from dark horses to the NBA Finals. 

When asked about the 76ers’ play-in thought process in potentially playing the Knicks or Celtics, Reed openly said that the Knicks were the “easier” matchup. Again, that’s probably a true statement. But if you’re someone actually playing against that team, that’s not something you should say on television!

The Knicks are one of the best defensive teams in NBA basketball. They make you work for every single inch for all 48 minutes, and they beat you up in the process while doing it. While yes, the Knicks are likely an easier matchup than the Celtics, you typically don’t want to feed tough-nosed teams like them any bulletin-board material.

Good job to Paul Reed. He may have just motivated the grinding Knicks even more.

Charles Barkley and Shaq roasted Kendrick Perkins for questioning how much basketball they actually watch

Charles Barkley and Shaq quickly put Kendrick Perkins in his place.

Note to self: Never question the professionalism or acumen of two Hall of Famers on any sort of nationally syndicated program. (Especially if it just seems like you’re pandering to a major media market.)

This is an important lesson ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins apparently needs to learn.

On Monday, the former NBA big man hopped on the Michael Kay Show to discuss the New York Knicks’ upcoming playoff prospects. During his conversation, Perkins called out TNT’s Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal for only watching NBA basketball when their network is broadcasting games. As it pertains to the Knicks specifically, who, again, play in New York, Perkins isn’t convinced the TNT duo has seen much of them:

“It’s obvious (that) they don’t watch basketball,” Perkins said on the Michael Kay Show. “I’m serious. They can’t watch basketball on a consistent basis. The only time they actually probably watch the Knicks is when they’re covering the Knicks on their game nights.”

Hoo boy. That is probably not something Perkins should’ve said about his peers on a public platform. Needless to say, Barkley and O’Neal caught wind of his critique and blasted the former role-player center during TNT’s first broadcast of the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament.

How? They used the news of Blake Griffin retiring from the league to showcase one of his more famous dunks… on Perkins. Then they quickly made reference to Perkins punching up to two all-time greats out of the blue:

If Perkins’ intent was to ruffle some feathers of fellow national NBA broadcasters, he clearly succeeded. He probably should’ve kept his thoughts to the Knicks, though.

Torrey Craig shares thoughts on viral blunder with Andre Drummond

After their viral moment in the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the New York Knicks. Torrey Craig spoke about his collision with Andre Drummond.

The Chicago Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in their 9-10 Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks. They are just one game ahead of the Hawks in the standings. Unfortunately, while the Hawks lost on Tuesday night, giving the Bulls a chance to pull ahead, Chicago also fumbled, falling to the New York Knicks by a score of 128-117.

And to make matters worse, the Bulls had a viral moment during the game – in the worst way possible. At the beginning of the second quarter, after the Knicks had led the way for most of the first, Torrey Craig got a fastbreak. He threw the ball off the backboard, going for a self-alley-oop, but Andre Drummond also went for it.

The two players collided mid-air, and they both missed the shot. After the game, Craig spoke about the moment. (H/t ESPN)

“I just wanted to try to create some excitement,” Craig said.

It was an ugly sight, and the Bulls went on to lose the game.

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Billy Donovan says Knicks games will help Bulls against Hawks

Billy DOnovan says playing the New York Knicks multiple times will help the Chicago Bulls against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Chicago Bulls have a very odd schedule to wrap up the season this year. They picked up a win over the New York Knicks on Friday night, but that’s not the last time they take on the blue and orange. In fact, the Bulls will play the Knicks two more times before their regular season wraps up, including in their season finale.

The Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks are a very physical team that relies on their defense to lead the way. As Chicago prepares for their inevitable Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks, Billy Donovan is looking to gain as much experience as possible, and he believes playing the Knicks a few times will help with that.

Donovan said that the Hawks have improved their physicality, so the Bulls need to prepare for it. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

‘‘It will be a great physical challenge for us,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Atlanta has made some significant progress defensively the last few weeks. This is what it’s like at the end of the year, playing against these types of teams, and I think it can only be helpful for us going against it. There are certain things you have to do physically, and at times we’ve struggled with that, quite honestly, whether it’s on the backboard or trying to win the point of the screen.’’

If the Bulls want to make a run, they need to be in tip-top shape.

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DeMar DeRozan pokes fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau after Bulls win

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan jpoked fun at Thom Thibodeau.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the New York Knicks to town on Friday night for a game that meant something to both teams. The Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in the 9-10 game over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Knicks are trying to keep their spot in the East playoffs, even pushing for home-court advantage in the first round.

Javonte Green played hero for the Bulls, as the veteran forward exploded for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, point guard Jalen Brunson had a 35-point, 11-assist showing for the Knicks. However, the Bulls rode Green’s impressive showing to a 108-100 win in wire-to-wire fashion.

After the game, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan poked fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile on the sidelines or laugh or crack a joke,” DeRozan joked. “You’ve got to love that in your coach. His attitude is very indicative of the teams he has coached.”

DeRozan put up 20 points and dished out 10 assists against New York.

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Jalen Brunson shares thoughts on Bulls after tough Knicks loss

Jalen Brunson praised the Chicago Bulls after the New York Knicks’ loss.

Both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are fighting for playoff positioning. In the case of the Bulls, that just means battling with the Atlanta Hawks for the ninth seed and home-court advantage in the 9-10 Play-In game. But for the Knicks, it means scrapping with four other teams for seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

On Friday night, the two teams squared off, and the Bulls got the better of the Knicks. Chicago earned a wire-to-wire victory over New York thanks, in part, to a monster performance from Javonte Green, who just recently rejoined the Bulls. It was a tough loss for an injury-plagued Knicks team.

After the game, Jalen Brunson praised the Bulls for how they played in the win. (H/t ESPN)

“They played with more energy and more pace than we did,” Brunson said. “That’s two games in a row where we were down big early. We just can’t allow that to happen.”

Brunson ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists.

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DeMar DeRozan shows love to Javonte Green after Bulls win over Knicks

After Javonte Green’s monster game in the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan gave him a bunch of credit.

As the Chicago Bulls look to end the season on a high note and maintain their place as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the Play-In Tournament, they earned a huge win over the New York Knicks on Friday night. They took down Jalen Brunson, who has been one of the best point guards in the league this year, largely thanks to Javonte Green.

Green, who the Bulls originally signed to a 10-day not long ago before converting his contract to a standard deal, played a giant role in the win over New York. He led the Bulls in scoring on the night.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan credited Green for everything he brings to the table. (H/t ESPN)

“The energy, the enthusiastic style of play he brings, the person he is off the court — he’s one of those guys you want to have on your team,” DeRozan said. “It’s been a tough year for him just trying to get healthy. For him to come out and be doing what he’s been doing since he came back, it’s amazing.”

Green ended the night with 25 points and 13 boards.

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Javonte Green breaks down highlight play in Bulls win over Knicks

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, Javonte Green spoke about his highlight-reel dunk.

The back-and-forth Chicago Bulls lived up to their name once again on Friday night. They took down the New York Knicks following a tough loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who they are fighting with for Play-In seeding. Their win over the Knicks was much-needed, and some unlikely heroes stepped up for Chicago.

Ayo Dosunmu put up 24 points and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Javonte Green who stole the show against New York. The Bulls brought him on board on a 10-day contract, but he was recently converted to a standard deal. He threw down a monster jam in the second quarter.

After the game, Green spoke about the moment, as well as the fact that Drummond got fined for his celebration. (H/t ESPN)

“It was a great feeling,” Green said. “I’m not gonna help Andre pay the fine. Andre’s a pro. I feel like that’s my game, though. Just bring excitement to the game and just play as hard as I can and just try to win each game for the team.”

Green finished the game with a team-high 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block while shooting 10-of-14 from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

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Could the Chicago Bulls convince the New York Knicks to part with center Mitchell Robinson?

We’re skeptical the Bulls have a player that would interest New York, but the deal proposed might be what it would take to pry him loose.

Could the Chicago Bulls convince the New York Knicks to part with center Mitchell Robinson III? In the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, it is certainly a trade target that the Bulls ought to at least try to pry loose from the Knicks. “Chicago has good size up front with Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, but there’s hardly any bounce between the two bigs,” writes the B/R analyst.

“An aggressive deal for … Robinson, who’s perhaps been made expendable by the rise of Isaiah Hartenstein, would change that in an instant. Robinson possesses the kind of hops you almost never see in a 7-footer, and he routinely puts it to good use as a shot-blocker, glass-cleaner and above-the-rim finisher.”

“He’s had his share of injury issues, though, and the … Knicks could conceivably be willing to let him go if they plan on paying what it takes to bring Hartenstein back as an unrestricted free agent.”

“A straight-up swap with Vucevic for Robinson wouldn’t do much for the ‘Bockers, but a three-team deal that sends Vucevic elsewhere and delivers assets to New York (probably including at least one first-round pick from Chicago) could work,” he adds.

We are skeptical that the Bulls have a player that would interest New York enough to make sense, but the framework proposed by Favale might just be what it would take to pry the defensive big man loose.

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Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: March 25-31

Not a flashy week by any standard.

It wasn’t the most productive week for Notre Dame’s NBA representation, but [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] got it off to a decent start. In the Milwaukee Bucks’ March 26 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, he made only a single 3-pointer but tied his career high in assists with nine, which he set earlier this season.

Connaughton finished his week with four points, four assists and three rebounds March 30 against the Atlanta Hawks. For the week, he averaged 3.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds a game.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] scored five points, had three assists and picked up a steal to help the San Antonio Spurs defeat the Phoenix Suns on March 25. He had four points, five rebounds and three assists in a March 29 win over the New York Knicks. That helped a week in which he averaged 2.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game.

Here are some photos that were taken of Notre Dame’s two NBA players during the past week: