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The Knicks are still alive for No. 2. Beating the NBA’s best was a breeze for the surging squad, which trampled the sleepwalking Celtics in Beantown, 118-109, behind 39 points from — who else? — Jalen Brunson. “He should win MVP,” OG Anunoby said. The win, which included a 31-point lead in the third quarter, represented a third in a row for the Knicks (48-32) and fifth in six games. They created a cushion around the East’s third spot — which they will clinch with a win Friday against the sad-sack Nets — and they are just one behind the Bucks for second with two to play. Since the Bucks own the tiebreaker, the Knicks would have to win out (against the Nets and Bulls) and Milwaukee drop its final two (at the Thunder and Magic). Anything seems possible now with Brunson in Jordan mode and Giannis Antetokounmpo out for the remainder of the regular season with a calf strain.
The Knicks have built a team of grinding, physical guys who want to play hard and outwork their opponent — Tom Thibodeau kind of guys. So it makes sense they want to keep him around as their coach. Thibodeau has one year left on his contract and both sides want to talk extension after the season, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic. His current deal runs through the 2024-25 season, but league sources say he hopes to secure his future with the Knicks when both sides plan to revisit the topic this summer. As Amick notes in his article, coaching salaries have exploded around the league in the wake of what the Pistons had to offer Monty Williams to lure him back into the coaching ranks. Thibodeau’s reported $7 million salary would be low for a coach of his stature in the league, so he’s likely to see a healthy raise (closer to $10 million a season is possible).
It wouldn’t have been a Knicks-Sixers playoff game without a healthy dose of cardiac moments. And as the drama didn’t disappoint in Thursday’s series finale, the Knicks emerged on the top, securing just enough big plays behind their Villanova trio to eliminate the Sixers, 118-115, in Game 6. Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, who once hung NCAA championship banners inside Wells Fargo Center, scored or assisted on 110 of New York’s 118 points.
OG is out. They have to start playing Sims and give McBride more minutes. Knicks are running out of bodies. Thibs will always stay true. Run his star players into the ground!
The injury situation, as expected, got worse for the Knicks. OG Anunoby has a strained hamstring and will miss Friday’s Game 3 against the Pacers, the team announced. He’s unlikely to play in Game 4, ESPN reports. The small forward was in the midst of his best Knicks playoff performance when he came up lame late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win at MSG. He grabbed his hamstring, limped to the locker room with 28 points and never returned.
The most logical option is to move Precious Achiuwa to starting power forward and Jericho Sims to backup center. Since the Pacers aren’t as threatening in the paint and on the glass, the Knicks could also move Josh Hart to power forward and start Miles McBride. Anunoby was the primary defender on Indiana’s Pascal Siakam in Games 1 and 2. Regardless, Hart understands his role. “I’m playing 48 minutes anyways,” he said.
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