Brunson, who just narrowly missed a spot in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference, made the team as a reserve. The guard is having an outstanding campaign for New York and he is currently leading them to one of the best records in the East.
After learning he was an All-Star, the two-time NCAA national champion scored 40 points en route to a victory against the Pacers. During his walk-off interview at Madison Square Garden, the 27-year-old guard was emotional.
Alan Hahn spoke to Brunson following the performance and it was hard for the former Villanova star to find the right words.
Brunson described the evening as “fun” as he looked into the crowd at the world-famous arena.
He was asked about the “MVP” chants coming from the fanbase and once again, Brunson was nearly speechless. He said he had nothing to say as the experience seemed to overwhelm him.
No matter how closely you follow sports, these are the kinds of surreal moments that give you goosebumps.
Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau can’t quit each other.
Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau just can’t quit each other. With Mitchell Robinson out for most of the season (if not the full season, including the playoffs) and Julius Randle expected to miss at least several weeks, the New York Knicks have signed veteran frontcourt utilityman and savvy veteran Taj Gibson to a 10-day deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN via Priority Sports agency.
A Thibodeau favorite who played for the Knicks from 2019-22, and who previously played for Thibs on the Chicago Bulls in previous years, Gibson appeared in 10 games through December before he got officially waived on Jan. 7.
During his brief tenure with the Knicks earlier this season, Gibson averaged 1.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, one assist, and one block per game in nearly 10 minutes per game.
The former Trojan, now 38 years old, received a standing ovation from the New York crowd at Madison Squad Garden upon returning for his latest 10-day stint. The Knicks are having a strong season and Gibson is treated with respect in New York because of his strong work ethic and dedication to team-first goals.
He’s back! Free agent F/C Taj Gibson is signing a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/uaz5H876sh
Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.
The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.
The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.
The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.
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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.
Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.
Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.
Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.
Teams around the NBA have begun the second halves of their schedules, as the season rapidly approaches the trade deadline and All-Star break next month.
The past week saw plenty of storylines unfold, from some surprising coaching changes to a trade involving the Miami Heat to a few historic performances. The dialogue further showed how entertaining the NBA can be on and off the court.
The action should only continue to heat up with less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors are swirling around several players and teams, proving that it should once again be a busy acquisition period.
To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, winners! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you.
I think we need to talk about the Knicks today, man. This team is trending in the right direction.
New York just beat up the Nuggets in a 122-84 route. Denver is a team with championship expectations. It’s essentially the same team that just won an NBA championship last season, give or take a few tweaks to the roster.
So, that begs the question, how close are the Knicks to actual contention? Is this team already a contender? If we take a look at the team’s statistical profile right now, the answer is a yes. At the very least, it’s extremely close.
First, the Knicks’ 117.6 offensive rating (9th overall) and 112.0 defensive rating (8th overall) are both good for top-10 marks in the league, according to NBA.com’s stats tool. The Knicks are one of five teams in the NBA ranking in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings. The others are the Celtics, Thunder, 76ers, and Pelicans. Most people would consider at least three of those four teams legitimate contenders.
The team’s 5.5 total net rating ranks 5th in the league, which is good and usually signals a pretty good playoff team. The only teams ahead of the Knicks are the Celtics (+10.2), Thunder (+8.3), 76ers (+7.9) and Clippers (+5.7). Again, all of those teams are contenders. The Knicks should be in that conversation, too.
Do the Knicks have lots of room to grow? Certainly. New York is only 2-11 against the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers so far this season. Most of those games were played earlier in the year and this is a different team. But still, that’s why most would consider the Knicks a step behind the competition ahead of them in the East.
The OG Anunoby trade has changed things though. If you zoom in a bit more, since then the team’s net rating is a whopping +12.9 which is good for second in the league behind the Cavaliers at +16.7. The Knicks are 11-3 in that 14-game span.
There’s a lot of basketball left to be played. But New York is good. OG is the defensive wing the team has needed for quite some time. There’s someone who can guard folks like Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo now.
The games still have to be played. And the Knicks are the Knicks, so it’s understandable why people still don’t believe in this team. New York has failed in the playoffs for decades now.
But, man. This team feels a bit different. Whether it is or not will only be proven by time. But right now? Things are looking good in New York.
There are lots of familiar names on that list. You’ve seen rumors floating around about DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray and more. But one name that really caught me off guard here was Alex Caruso.
It’s not the fact that he’s on the list. Rather, it’s the fact that the Bulls are asking for so much for him. The Bulls want multiple first-rounders, Bryan writes. Here’s more:
“Alex Caruso has tremendous value due to his elite defensive ability and clutch performances. We wrote about why last season and earlier this season, we outlined which contenders should try to make a move.
But the Bulls consider Caruso as “almost” untouchable, according to Chicago Sun-Times‘ Joe Cowley. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Shams Charania has said that the team has “shut down” calls on the defensive ace.”
Sheesh, man. I get it. Alex Caruso is good. He’s almost shooting 50 percent from the floor and is shooting over 40 percent form deep. He’s putting up career-high scoring numbers this season.
But he’s still a 29-year-old 3-and-D guard without elite shot-creation ability. That’s a really good and useful player. Just probably not an untouchable one.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading Layup Lines today! We appreciate you. Have a fantastic weekend. We’ll be back again on Monday! Til then, peace. We out.
The light on Candace Parker’s basketball career shouldn’t be dimmed to satisfy Knicks fans.
Part of what makes Candace Parker one of the most incredible WNBA talents ever is that she knows the game and has always been unapologetically herself. She shouldn’t have to change that for Knicks fans.
Parker’s comments led to her social media accounts being flooded by vitriol from Knicks fans, and it even got the attention of current Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart.
The backlash prompted Parker to clarify her comments on Wednesday.
The question was not can you win with a small player as your best player…. ?It's can you win a CHAMPIONSHIP with a small player as your best player? Everyone throwing me and tweeting me stats. You are missing the point. A.I. Was my absolute favorite player…. Despite avg 35.6…
But here’s the thing: Like Hammon, Parker shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to validate her opinion simply because Knicks fans disagree. She’s entitled to her opinion just like they are entitled to theirs – even if that opinion is incorrect.
What she’s not entitled to is having her resume and her basketball knowledge questioned. The disrespect is mystifying and incredibly dismissive. If the energy is not the same for other media personalities when they comment on basketball or Jalen Brunson, this is selective outrage, and fans should be ashamed.
On this day in Celtics history, Isaiah Thomas goes off for 38 points against Houston, and Boston holds New York to just 46 points.
On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise set a record for the ages by holding their opponent on the night to the fourth-lowest score in their ball club’s seven-plus decades of existence.
That record would be set in the ball club’s very first season of existence (1946-47) — incidentally, also the first season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA, a precursor league to the NBA). The game was played just two days after Boston set a record for the second-lowest score an opponent was held to in franchise history, a 48-43 win over the (now defunct) Pittsburgh Ironmen.
The Celtics nearly duplicated the feat in a 52-46 win over the New York Knicks on Jan. 25, 1947.
Following Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn remains ‘pretty confident’ in a turnaround.
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the worst teams in the league in terms of record over the past month. While that puts Brooklyn in the company of teams that were expected to be towards the bottom of the league, unlike the Nets, there is belief that a turnaround is coming.
“I’m actually pretty confident,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks as part of the NBA’s Rivals Week theme. Brooklyn has been in an extended slump lately as they have won just five of their past 22 games and their meltdown against the Knicks was just one of the many examples of why this slide is occurring.
“That was a heartbreaking loss that we had in Clipper land,” Vaughn said. “Then we come back tonight and it’s 101-101 with a minute to go in the game. So, that ability for our guys to show a spirit about themselves, a competitiveness about themselves, definitely leans me into having belief and more comfort in this group to continue to push them and try to get some wins.”
The Nets went into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead over the Knicks thanks to the efforts of several players including Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. However, the final 12 minutes was a different story as New York won the period 32-18 thanks to getting five offensive rebounds and getting some key stops down the stretch.
It was one of those games where Brooklyn looked like a completely different team in the fourth quarter and it seems to be a theme that’s been repeated throughout this season: the Nets cannot close games. With the trade deadline just weeks away, Vaughn and the Nets may be out of time to turn things around.
Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks that the Nets ‘can’t’ change how they play.
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have not been able to turn their season around as the losses continue to pile up. To make matters worse, the Nets have been playing well enough to amass some fourth-quarter leads, but have found ways to lose those games too.
“I think the main thing is, we just can’t keep changing the way we play, keep changing the way we play in the fourth quarter,” Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks. Johnson, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds, lamented how Brooklyn seems to not have a concrete way to play so they can start finishing games.
“And, you know, we need to stick with what got us there,” Johnson said. While Brooklyn entered halftime trailing the Knicks 50-49, they managed to win the third quarter 36-26 to go into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead.
However, the Knicks changed up how they attacked the Nets as they did not play Jericho Sims in lieu of playing Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa down the stretch, allowing New York to dominate the glass. The Knicks also forced the Nets into taking some shots that were outside of their normal offensive structure. “That’s kind of what we’re straying away from,” Johnson explained.
After Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges gave his take on the poor finish to the game.
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets started this season like a team that was going exceed expectations and comfortably be in the playoff race by the end of the season. Over their last 22 games, the outlook for this team appears to be the opposite of that, especially with their fourth-quarter woes.
“Just got to stay together,” Bridges said after putting up 36 points, five rebounds, and five assists in Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to their crosstown rival, the New York Knicks. After a hard-fought first half, the Nets were in a similar position as they entered the fourth quarter leading 85-76 thanks to a third quarter in which they won 36-26. However, the fourth quarter demons came back to haunt Brooklyn again.
“That’s the biggest thing when a team makes a run, makes a push,” Bridges said. “Just got to handle adversity a little bit better. We had it earlier in the year. We won some games towards the end, but kind of lost that. It’s tough when you keep losing at the end, you know? It puts your confidence down. So, we just got to keep sticking together. We’re going to be in those positions a lot. Just got to be ready.”
To sum up how bad the fourth quarter has been for the Nets lately, there is a shocking stat. In their last four losses, including Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, Brooklyn has now been outscored by 52 points in the fourth.
While a big chunk of that is when the Nets lost the fourth quarter to the Los Angeles Clippers, it also includes double-digit deficits to New York and the Portland Trail Blazers. It looks like winning time is Brooklyn’s kryptonite at the moment.
