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  • What to make of the Sixers-Knicks regular season series ahead of playoff matchup

    What to make of the Sixers-Knicks regular season series ahead of playoff matchup

    In several recent seasons, the Sixers dominated the New York Knicks in the regular season. There was a multi-year span in which the Knicks failed to notch a single victory over the Sixers. Things changed in 2024, though, when the new-look Knicks took three out of four contests against the Sixers, with two of those wins coming in Philadelphia and all three of them occurring in blowout fashion. This past regular season was the first in which the Knicks won the season series over the Sixers since the 2015-16 campaign in which the Sixers finished 10-72.

    Season series results are often not emphatic indicators of playoff series outcomes, and this is an example of that: Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid only played in one of the four games these two teams faced off in this season. But across the four games, spanning from the beginning of January to the second week of March, there are some lessons we can learn.

    Just so you would not have to, I spent my Thursday afternoon and evening rewatching all four Sixers-Knicks contests looking for any sorts of tells that may indicate how the playoff series will turn out. Here is what I found:

    Tyrese Maxey will see a lot of different looks — but one more than most

    Like the Sixers and the Miami Heat team they just defeated, the Knicks have faced a tremendous amount of adversity this season, mostly in the form of injuries, and they have faced that adversity better than the Sixers or Heat all year long. Even now, as the dust settles before the playoffs begin, the Knicks will be without three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

    There are many obvious negatives to dealing with a massive amount of injuries, but there are some silver linings. One of those is that it enables many players to prepare to fill several different roles throughout a season, so that no matter what challenges are thrown their way in the postseason, they do not have to enter uncharted territory. 

    The Knicks’ All-Star point guard, rising superstar scorer Jalen Brunson, finished this regular season 10th in the NBA in total minutes played. But two Knicks actually played in more contests than Brunson: fellow Villanova products, workhorses Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who each logged 81 games. Hart is one of the game’s best rebounders; DiVincenzo is one of the game’s best three-point shooters. But both are tried and true defensive forces. Hart uses his incredible strength to take on bigger assignments, while DiVincenzo is more reliable against guards.

    The Knicks, however, swung a significant trade at the end of December, acquiring wing OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors. Because of his late arrival and ensuing injuries, Anunoby has only played 23 games in blue and orange — but when he has suited up, the Knicks have been dominant: New York went 20-3 in the regular season when the two-way threat was available. Part of the reason why was that he immediately stepped in as one of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s most trusted perimeter defenders. 

    At 6-foot-7 and 232 pounds, Anunoby can guard big wings and even some big-men. But because of his tremendous athleticism and foot speed, he may profile as the Knicks’ best chance to slow down Maxey, the Sixers’ first-time All-Star guard who may be in line to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award after averaging 25.9 points per game — 11th-best in the NBA — in his fourth professional season.

    Anunoby only played in two of the four Sixers-Knicks games this season — though Sixers head coach and former Toronto shot-caller Nick Nurse’s former trusted wing did play against the Sixers twice in the early portion of the season as a member of the Raptors. But when Anunoby did suit up for New York against the Sixers, he was often Thibodeau’s first choice to defend Maxey. When one glances at Maxey and notices his frame, they would not expect someone who looks like Anunoby to be his primary defender over the course of a playoff series. But the Knicks’ starting wing figures to draw the assignment more than any of his teammates.

    This is where we must circle back to the Knicks’ bumpy journey, though. Because they have had to live life without Anunoby on plenty of occasions, the Knicks have both Hart and DiVincenzo more than prepared to take on the Maxey assignment at any given moment. Anunoby’s superior speed likely makes him Thibodeau’s choice to open things, but if either of Hart or DiVincenzo need to step into that role, they can. The Knicks’ rotation also features an x-factor of sorts: 23-year-old guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, whose ability to defend his position at a high level while also knocking down 41 percent of his three-point attempts on significant volume has made him a fan favorite in New York. 

    Things did not go perfectly for Maxey against Miami. Unfortunately for him, they are not going to get much easier against New York. The time for him to step up is now.

    The Sixers do stand a chance against Brunson

    Brunson is, as Maxey referred to him after Wednesday night’s Play-In Tournament victory, New York’s “head of the snake.” The Villanova product who was born in New Brunswick, NJ put together an absolutely stellar season featuring yet another massive leap. Brunson received his first All-Star nod in the first half of the season and only got better from there, ultimately averaging 28.7 points per game — the fourth-highest average in the NBA over the course of the season.

    As you have probably heard by now, Sixers veteran wing Nico Batum had the game of his life to save the Sixers’ season Wednesday night: he scored more points (20) than he had in any game in over a calendar year, put on a defensive clinic and came through in every single important spot. 

    The Sixers did a good job limiting Brunson as a scorer across their four contests against the Knicks this season, holding him to 22.3 points per game on subpar efficiency (Brunson posted a true shooting percentage of 53.6). One of the primary reasons was Batum, who by my eye spent more time defending Brunson than any other Sixer. Batum may continue to come off the bench in this series — the Sixers’ starting lineup of Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tobias Harris and Embiid has generally been quite successful since Embiid’s return from injury, and starting lineup changes this time of year are rare. But Batum’s ability to not just pressure Brunson, but do so across all 94 feet of the floor, make it easy to pencil him in as an integral part of the Sixers’ rotation in this series, perhaps even more than usual.

    But, like the Knicks, the Sixers have plenty of trustworthy defensive options on the perimeter as well. Lowry and Oubre were both stellar on that end of the floor against Miami, and will both see some of Brunson (Oubre would be my pick to open games defending him). Maxey lacks the physicality to counter the immense strength that helps make Brunson so lethal, but his defensive strides in recent weeks have been noticeable, culminating in an impressive outing in that department against the Heat. He can take on difficult assignments these days, even if for brief spurts of time. Harris is not the ideal defender against a point guard, but has enough reps in similar matchups that he would not be a terrible option against Brunson if needed.

    Slowing down Brunson may be even more challenging for the Sixers than slowing down Maxey will be for the Knicks. But in addition to the strategic advantages that come with having a coach as creative as Nurse, the Sixers do have the requisite personnel to make the fellow first-time All-Star guard’s life difficult.

    Hart attacks are on the way to Philadelphia

    By the end of any good playoff series, each fanbase has a newfound hatred for a player on the opposing team who they simply did not realize would frustrate them so much. Heat fans may never forget The Nico Batum Game. One reason the Sixers won that game is because Miami was without renowned Sixers Killer Terry Rozier. 

    Hart’s exploits have always been respected because he played at a high-profile school and won a national championship. His abilities have become even more appreciated in recent months as he stars in a significant role for one of the league’s flagship teams in one of its largest markets. He is even a viral podcaster these days. But at his core, Hart is simply a killer who will always find a way to torture his opponents and their fans.

    I do not say this lightly: Hart has the chance to frustrate Sixers fans more than any opposing role player has since Marcus Smart’s peak of annoyance with the Boston Celtics.

    First of all, the way the Sixers play on defense and their tendency to attempt to suffocate stars allow capable but imperfect three-point shooters to take big shots. One of the reasons they beat Miami is that someone like former Sixers developmental project Haywood Highsmith missed all four of his three-point tries. Hart fits the exact profile: he is not a good enough shooter that the Sixers will always stick to him when Brunson drives — Hart made just 31 percent of his three-point tries this season — but as a 34.4 percent three-point shooter for his career and a genuine big-game player, he has more than enough ability to knock down a crucial shot in a pivotal situation.

    Then there is the defense. Hart will likely get some cracks at Maxey; as a 6-foot-4 player that is the kind of matchup one might expect him to take on. But he will also see a lot of time — perhaps the majority of his minutes — against wings. Hart is extremely physical, enough to hang with guys who may have much better frames like Batum or superior athleticism like Oubre. 

    But Hart is also cerebral. There will absolutely be times when he goads Harris into making avoidable blunders. His timing on double-teams against Embiid will be pristine, and he will likely force the reigning NBA MVP to commit some turnovers that look like head-scratchers. Hell, he and Thibodeau are both so maniacal that he could end up guarding Embiid one-on-one at certain junctures. That is the kind of versatile athlete the Sixers will have to deal with here.

    This is perhaps all without mentioning the part of Hart’s game that will anger Sixers fans the most: his uncanny rebounding ability. Despite that 6-foot-4 listed height, Hart averaged 8.3 rebounds per game this season. He finished the season 16th in the NBA in total rebounds, an absolutely ridiculous feat for someone of his size. What is as impressive as Hart’s rebounding ability is the timeliness of his rebounds. He seems to come up with every single 50-50 ball, will revive possessions with offensive rebounds at crucial junctures of games, and is simply able to come away with the ball on occasions when he has absolutely no business doing so. 

    Prepare for at least one Knicks win in this series where Hart makes a defining play or has a signature moment or performance. It feels inevitable.

    Adam Aaronson

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  • Quentin Grimes’ shooting skid continues: ‘Every shot I shoot probably weighs 100 pounds if I don’t make it’

    Quentin Grimes’ shooting skid continues: ‘Every shot I shoot probably weighs 100 pounds if I don’t make it’

    MILWAUKEE — Quentin Grimes says he needs more shots — and that he’s not going to be effective if he’s running up and down the floor and only touching the ball once or twice in a half.

    Grimes also said he doesn’t feel like he has any margin for error — that if he misses a shot, he’s going to get pulled from a game.

    “It feels like if I don’t hit the shot, I’m coming out,” he said in the locker room on Tuesday. “So every shot I shoot probably weighs like 100 pounds if I don’t make it, and our defense, it ain’t cutting it, so I know I ain’t going back in.”

    It’s the first time Grimes has spoken publicly since the onset of his shooting skid, which continued its downtrend in his 0-for-1 shooting performance in the Knicks’ loss to the Bucks on Tuesday.

    Grimes’ only shot attempt came in the third quarter, and it was generated on a Julius Randle drive to the rim that collapsed the Bucks’ defense, leaving the three-and-D wing wide-open in the corner.

    The open shot was a bit rushed and came up well short.

    Grimes has now missed 17 of his last 21 shots from downtown for a 19 percent three-point shooting clip over his last seven games. After starting the season as a 40 percent three-point shooter, Grimes’ efficiency has regressed below 35 percent.

    Head coach Tom Thibodeau said he’s not considering a lineup change, even though Grimes’ backup, Donte DiVincenzo, was shooting the lights out before his cold night against the Bucks.

    “I look at how the unit is functioning. And so, I would say tonight, we didn’t play well, and to put it on Quentin is not fair,” said Thibodeau. “I don’t think we really had anyone who played really well. So, we’re capable of a lot better. You win together; you lose together. Just focus on the improvement and getting ready for the next game.”

    Grimes aired his grievances in the locker room postgame, pointing to the Knicks’ offense which functions largely on the shoulders of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.

    The third-year guard out of Houston ranks bottom-five among qualifying players in total touches this season. Dead-last on the list is Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish, who shared a similar frustration with his role during his time on the Knicks.

    “It’s just hard when you go the whole quarter without touching the ball, the whole second quarter without touching the ball, and then you get one shot and you got to make it,” Grimes said on Tuesday. “So it’s tough going out there and just standing in the corner the whole game. Then you got to make the shot when you shoot the ball one or two times per game. It is what it is. We’ll see.”

    Grimes said he doesn’t know how to find a rhythm in the current structure of the team’s offense because it takes shots to find a rhythm, and he hasn’t gotten many shots, let alone touches.

    He shot 39.7 percent from downtown from the beginning of the season through Nov. 16 but has since become a non-threat from behind the arc.

    “I feel like I just gotta get more shots. You can’t get out of a rhythm unless you shoot the ball,” he said. “So I feel like I’m coming in and I know I’m probably only gonna get one or two shots, and it’s gonna be tough because I’ve gotta make ‘em or I know I’m coming out.

    “So it’s tough like that, but you can’t let that dictate your whole game. I feel like I didn’t have to let that dictate my defense. So it’s tough but I know it won’t last forever.”

    Grimes said he had more opportunities to score and shoot last season because both Barrett and Brunson missed games for different reasons.

    “So I had the ball in my hands a little bit more — I knew I wasn’t coming out,” he said. “I knew I was going to be in there and get more shots, play the whole first quarter, the whole third quarter. I knew I had opportunities to get the ball and get my shots up. Now it’s just a matter if the ball come my way, really.”

    Brunson said it’s his job as the leader of the team to get Grimes in rhythm.

    “I think most importantly being a good teammate is the first thing I have to do. Just continue to encourage him, make sure he’s aggressive, keeps his confidence. And every player at some point goes through it,” he said on Tuesday. “I just think for us as teammates, we have to be on his side, tell him things are going to happen, continue to do what you do, do your routine, do all the stuff that helped you get here. Continue with your confidence.”

    Randle, who found Grimes for an open look he missed in the third quarter, agreed with Brunson.

    “Yeah. He has a hard job, a tough role,” he said after the game. “But we’ve gotta do a better job of trying to get him better looks, make him feel more included for sure.”

    Grimes said he’s not looking over his shoulder even though the Knicks signed DiVincenzo to a four-year, $47 million deal over the offseason. DiVincenzo has emerged as an impact player during Grimes’ shooting slump, though Grimes is undoubtedly the Knicks’ best defender.

    “You come in with a mindset that it’s a new game every time I step on the court, so you just try to have a positive mindset every time I step out there,” he said.

    Brunson reiterated it’s on the team to find ways to get Grimes involved. Josh Hart echoed a similar frustration with his role within the offense — that he was not touching the ball and asked to shoot while out of rhythm frequently — but erupted for two straight high-scoring games after sharing his frustrations with reporters.

    “Obviously, we have three players in the lineup who all go left, all do a lot of similar things,” said Brunson. “When it comes to Quentin, he’s had to keep with his confidence. He’s going to be open, he’s going to get to do stuff. He’s going to get the ball, so sometimes when the confidence is low it seems like the end of the world. But as teammates we need to pick him up and make sure he gets back on track.”

    Kristian Winfield

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  • Julius Randle arrives, Knicks survive in Atlanta to defeat Hawks in 116-114 thriller

    Julius Randle arrives, Knicks survive in Atlanta to defeat Hawks in 116-114 thriller

    ATLANTA — Julius Randle spun on the low block, pump-faked, then jumped into Hawks’s defender Saddiq Bey, warding Bey’s block attempt with one arm and double-pumping the basketball with the other for the off-handed bank shot.

    The whistle blew shortly after for the and-one.

    Randle shrugged his shoulders, as if to shed Bey’s body weight. Then he had some words for a fan sitting court side before stepping to the line and hitting his free throw.

    Two possessions later, Quentin Grimes had a dunk attempt blocked at the rim with less than three seconds left on the shot clock. Randle received the inbounds pass, then immediately rifled a no-look pass to a cutting Isaiah Hartenstein, who finished at the rim for an and-one of his own.

    A night like this has been a long time coming for Randle, who endured one of the worst opening-season stretches imaginable after enduring offseason ankle surgery.

    It’s safe to say Randle is back, and with his All-Star caliber play, so are the Knicks, who defeated the Hawks, 116-114, in front of an electric State Farm Arena crowd on Wednesday.

    The victory wasn’t without its theatrics — Randle and Hawks star Trae Young jawed back and forth and were separated by Isaiah Hartenstein, who shoved Young in the direction of his bench.

    The victory also came with its fair share of anxiety. The Hawks, on tired legs in the second leg of a back-to-back, trailed by as many as 13, and made a ferocious comeback in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as seven on a late-game run after Quentin Grimes checked himself out of the game with an apparent hand injury.

    The Knicks survived, securing their fourth win in their last five games to improve to an above-.500 record of 6-5.

    Randle had help, none from the officials, who awarded the Knicks with just nine free throws to 24 for the Hawks. With no RJ Barrett, who is day-to-day with a migraine, Josh Hart got the start — but Immanuel Quickley played the featured scoring role as the third head of the Knicks’ offensive attack.

    Randle finished with a game-high 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Jalen Brunson added another 24 points and eight assists of his own. Quickley’s shooting — 20 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting from the field — swung the game.

    So did Mitchell Robinson’s offensive rebounding.

    Robinson finished with more rebounds (15) than both Hawks centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu combined (nine).

    The starting Knicks big man also impacted Hawks guard Dejounte Murray on a driving layup that would have given the Hawks a 109-108 lead with 1:51 to go in the fourth quarter.

    With less than a minute left, Randle missed a turnaround fading shot, but Robinson created an extra possession with Josh Hart the beneficiary of the offensive rebound. Hart gave the ball to Brunson, who drove baseline, then dished a no-look swipe pass to the cutting Randle, who hit a layup to five the Knicks the lead.

    On the ensuing possession, Brunson his Hawks forward Deandre Hunter with an in-and-out dribble then stopped-and-popped at the foul line for a dagger two that gave the Knicks a three-point lead with 18.8 seconds left.

    Hawks fans rose to their feet for what felt like an eternity. Murray finished with just 12 points but made a driving layup that made it a one-point game with 15 seconds left. The Hawks sent Immanuel Quickley to the line, and he made both free throws.

    Then out of the timeout, Hawks shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic — who had a team-high 28 points — up-chucked an ill-advised fading three with 15 seconds left on the clock. It air-balled, all but sealing defeat for the Hawks at home.

    Until DiVincenzo was whistled for a five-second violation while attempting to inbound the ball.

    Up three, the Knicks intentionally fouled Murray, who made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second before the Hawks were whistled for a lane violation.

    The Knicks now travel to Washington, D.C., for a matchup with the Wizards before traveling to Charlotte for the second leg of a back-to-back against the Hornets.

    It’s clear Randle is back after a slow start to the season. And with him go the Knicks hopes for a deep playoff run.

    Kristian Winfield

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  • Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau on playing starters late in blowouts: ‘I’ve seen 13 points in 35 seconds’

    Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau on playing starters late in blowouts: ‘I’ve seen 13 points in 35 seconds’

    Tom Thibodeau didn’t say a word to Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson — or anyone for that matter.

    His Knicks were up big on Sunday — a 21-point advantage with 1:20 remaining in an eventual 129-107 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, their third in a row — with a back-to-back looming against the Boston Celtics on Monday.

    Thibodeau pulled Randle, Brunson and Mitchell Robinson from the game. As the lead ballooned, the three expected to play closing minutes in the fourth quarter.

    A Thibs specialty.

    Only four days earlier, the Knicks led the San Antonio Spurs by 30 with three minutes to go in the third quarter, and he played his starters until the 1:28 mark of the fourth quarter when no run imaginable could have powered the opponent back to victory.

    Two nights before that, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue waved the white flag and sent James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the bench trailing the Knicks by 16 at the 4:25 mark of the fourth quarter.

    Thibodeau played his starters for the rest of the period. The Knicks went on to win by 14.

    Thibodeau has his reasons, reasons he explained after sitting the trio of Randle, Brunson and Robinson the entire fourth quarter, then leaving RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor for extended garbage time minutes.

    Thibodeau subbed Grimes in for Barrett at the 6:59 mark of the fourth, subbed Hartenstein out for Jericho Sims 27 seconds later, then Miles McBride for Hart and DaQuan Jeffries for Quickley with just over three minutes left.

    The odd man out, Donte DiVincenzo played the entire fourth quarter.

    The rationale has its roots during earlier stints of Thibodeau’s coaching career.

    He was a member of the Houston Rockets’ coaching staff on Dec. 9, 2004, the night Tracy McGrady went nuclear and scored 13 points in 33 seconds to power a remarkable Rockets fourth-quarter comeback over the San Antonio Spurs.

    “He’s got a lotta trauma man,” Randle joked after sitting the fourth quarter. “He’s gotta work on that. He’s gotta work on that.”

    Thibodeau said he can’t even relax when his team’s up big in the fourth quarter and he’s pulled his starters from the game. He wants his players to put everything they have into each and every play, each and every day, and he’s setting the tone on the sidelines — even if he’s got McGrady PTSD.

    “In this league, no lead is safe,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen 13 points in 35 seconds. So people will tell you ‘ah he needs to get the starters out of there.’ Yeah? Well I know what experience tells me.”

    Brunson and Randle seldom experience rest the way they were spectators for the fourth quarter on Sunday. The quarter off came as a surprise for the two stars who expect to carry heavy minutes burdens this season.

    “No he never tells me bro,” Randle said. “Mentally, I was ready [to go back in]. If they had one run, we was going back in for sure.”

    “I thought I was going back in,” Brunson added. The Knicks floor general isn’t sure there’s a lead big enough for Thibodeau to feel comfortable pulling his starters for good: “Always got to assume [you’re going back in],” he added. “Always assume.”

    With the second leg of a back-to-back on the road against the championship-contending Boston Celtics on Monday, Thibodeau hoped there would be an opportunity to sit his stars on Sunday.

    “You never know how the game will unfold, and we were fortunate that it did [give our stars some rest],” he said. “And then the fact the bench is playing as well as they are, and our depth is really good. So finding that balance where the starters finding get that rhythm. But you got to play well. You got to make sure you’re doing all the things necessary to improve and win. So that’s where we were. I’m glad it worked out the way it did.”

    Brunson is happy he got a chance to rest — but he says he stayed locked in until the end of the game. Thibs would approve.

    “Let’s be honest. Whenever we can win like that it’s definitely a good feeling,” he said. “I try not to check out at any point in the game. It is what it is.”

    Kristian Winfield

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  • Julius Randle calls for less isolation amid shooting slump: ‘There’s some things that we can do different’

    Julius Randle calls for less isolation amid shooting slump: ‘There’s some things that we can do different’

    MILWAUKEE — Julius Randle wants less isolation and more movement off the ball.

    It’s a message he’s relayed now two games in a row as his inefficient shooting start to the season crescendoed with the Knicks’ 110-105 loss to the Bucks in their first in-season tournament group stage game on Friday.

    Randle shot just 5-of-20 from the field and one-of-nine from downtown for 16 points and the Knicks fell to a 2-4 record to start the season.

    The All-Star forward reiterated he is seeing “a lot of bodies” when he attacks the rim, and pointed to some areas his role in the offense can change.

    “I think there’s some things that we can do different, but you know, we’ve just gotta working with it and keep staying at it,” Randle said in the locker room postgame. “For me personally, I think I can just play off the catch, play off the move a little bit more. For me less isolation, less getting into pick-and-rolls, just playing on the move more, rather than just catching it and staring at bodies.”

    Randle is now shooting 26-of-96 (27%) from the field and 9-of-40 (22.5%) from three-point range on the year — unrecognizable numbers for a player who earned All-NBA and All-Star honors last season.

    Many of his misses are wide-open looks. Last season, he shot 34% from three on more than 630 attempts and 46% from the field altogether.

    “I’m just not in rhythm,” Randle said in the locker room postgame. “Not in rhythm, everything just seems a little bit off, you just start pressing a little bit, but like I said, I’ve just gotta stay with it. Keep working.”

    Randle also refuses to use his offseason ankle surgery as an excuse for his inefficient shooting, even though head coach Tom Thibodeau said the summertime procedure threw a wrench in the star forward’s preparation ahead of the season.

    “I’m not gonna sit here and make excuses or anything,” he said. “Like I said, just gotta keep figuring it out, keep trusting the process, and it’ll fall into place.”

    Despite Randle’s shooting struggles, Thibodeau wants his star forward to continue to let the threes fly.

    “He’s gotta trust the process. If you’re open, you gotta shoot,” he said. “Shoot it well. Don’t miss short, be long. But I thought we created a lot of good, open looks. You can’t hesitate. You gotta let it go.”

    Thibodeau said Randle has to trust the pass when defenses are crowding the paint.

    “The game tells you what to do,” he said postgame. “So when you look at their defense, what were they doing? They were collapsing. They’ve got two seven footers, so when they collapse, you have to trust the pass.”

    Knicks star Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 45 points, which wasn’t enough to sink the Bucks at the Fiserv Forum without a more efficient game from his co-star.

    Brunson said Randle’s shooting struggles are “part of basketball” and appeared optimistic his All-Star teammate will return to form.

    “It happens,” he said. “This dude, he has a great mindset, a great work ethic. He comes in every day, does what he has to do, does his routine and all that stuff. The ball is not going through the hoop right now for him.

    “I tell him every day I’m with him: ‘We’re going to work through this, everything.’ When I have days I’m not making shots, he says the same to me. It’s just, it’s alright.

    “I mean, he’s missing shots, but we’re still in games. He’s still contributing in a big way. I’m not going to get into all that stuff, but his heart’s still there. He just has to get over this little hump.”

    Thibodeau said he’s concerned less about Randle’s shot quality and focused more on the quality of his decisions. Randle also finished with five assists to just one turnover and grabbed 12 rebounds on the night.

    “I want him to make good decisions,” Thibodeau said postgame. “I’m not going to measure every shot that he takes. Like he got into the lane, he created good separation and he got two really good looks, and that’s what he’s got to do. The game tells you what to do.”

    Thibodeau refuses to pin the blame on Randle, even though his shooting has been dreadful to start the season.

    “We all have to do more,” he said. “It’s not about individuals. It’s about the team. You don’t have to shoot well to play well. And that goes for everybody. As a team we’re not shooting well right now.”

    Randle, however, also broached the topic of spacing after his 3-of-15 shooting night in the Knicks’ Nov. 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

    Thibodeau said the court shrinks when shots aren’t falling.

    “Yeah, we missed wide open shots,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we get easy baskets and then we’ve got to move and get off the ball and move.”

    Kristian Winfield

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  • Mike Lupica: Knicks have finally built a foundation, but when will they make next step towards NBA title?

    Mike Lupica: Knicks have finally built a foundation, but when will they make next step towards NBA title?

    The Knicks have signed enough role players now, and have certainly set some kind of world’s record for signing ex-Villanova Wildcats. The Knicks found themselves a real and appealing star last season, if not a superstar, in Jalen Brunson. They even managed to win a playoff series, something they have now done exactly twice in this century, which means in the century when James L. Dolan has become the face of the executive suite at Madison Square Garden, and who knows more about facial recognition than Jimmy?

    The Knicks play hard for Tom Thibodeau. Twice in the last three seasons they’ve been in the 4-5 first round series in the Eastern Conference. But the question Knicks have to ask themselves as another Knicks season is about to begin is this:

    When is this enough for a fan base that has been waiting almost as long for a title as Jets fans have?

    Or maybe the real question to ask about the Knicks, under Dolan and quiet man Leon Rose, is this:

    Where are they going this season, north or south, and that doesn’t mean up Eighth Ave. or down Seventh?

    It is without question that the Knicks have established themselves as a nice, middle-class team under the leadership of Rose and Thibodeau and William Wesley, the great and mysterious Wizard of Oz at The Garden. And they did play the Heat, who went on to the NBA Finals, a very hard series in the second round last spring before final losing by four points in Game 6 in Miami.

    It is also an absolute fact that Rose has only been on the job as Dolan’s top basketball executive since March of 2020, which is not a lifetime in professional sports, but is still a long time.

    The Knicks seem, at least for the time being and perhaps for the foreseeable future, stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference. They’re not where Phil (The Thrill) Jackson left them when he became Dolan’s basketball savior-in-chief, which means nowhere. They’re no longer one of the NBA’s lost franchises, which they were under Jackson and the way they once were under a basketball confidence man named Isiah Thomas.

    But where are the Knicks, exactly, going into a season when two Eastern Conference teams — Bucks, Celtics — are considered co-favorites to win an NBA title? Are they better than the Heat, or Cavs, or even the Nets? And by the way? Chris Young took over the Texas Rangers the same year that Leon Rose took over the running of the Knicks. You know where the Rangers are going? They’re going to a World Series that opens in their ballpark on Friday night.

    The Knicks haven’t played for the title since 1999. They are moving up on having gone as long without winning a title as the Rangers did before June of 1994, another time the Knicks made it to the Finals. We know that Knicks fans are forever. They continued to pack the Garden through all the losing, and all the times when Dolan raised ticket prices. But in a world where you are either moving towards the big trophy or away from it, who looks at this Knicks team, as young and athletic as it is, and sees it making even the conference finals this season? Or next?

    Who sees them going toe-to-toe with the Bucks of Giannis and Chris Middleton and Damian Lillard, or the Celtics of Jayson Taytum and Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis and now Jrue Holliday, who may help the Celtics more than Lillard is going to help the Bucks? It’s a lot of question marks, I know. So, too, are the 2023-24 Knicks, who could make a move up to No. 3 in their conference, or go the other way if anything ever happens to Brunson.

    Somehow there was this fever dream around here, because there always a fever dream like it with the Knicks, all the way back to LeBron, that Giannis was somehow going to end up at the Garden. He wasn’t, even before he signed that $186 million extension with the home team. Now the next longshot dream is Joel Embiid, who looks around at his immediate future in Philadelphia and wakes up one morning and decides he’s the one who wants to go play somewhere else, and the somewhere else is 33rd Street, New York City.

    Again: Brunson is terrific, and should have been an All-Star last season. Julius Randle, as head-scratchingly inconsistent as he can be, has already been an All-Star. RJ Barrett, a former No. 3 pick in the draft, is still a work in progress, though he still doesn’t turn 24 until next June. Josh Hart, ex-Villanova Wildcat, is a high-level role player, you bet, and Donte DeVincenzo, also ex-Villanova Wildcat, is going to be a crowd favorite at the Garden, almost without question.

    The Knicks still need a superstar. As good as Brunson is, you saw the difference between him and Jimmy Butler last spring when the money was on the table. The Knicks need someone like Embiid, or Luka Doncic or — don’t laugh — Ja Morant, the player the Grizzlies drafted right before the Knicks took Barrett in that same draft. The whole world knows how Morant looked like an idiot last season, as he seemed almost drunk with pride being an idiot waving around guns. Maybe he won’t be anything more than that. Or maybe he’s learned a lesson before blowing what should be a promising career, the way Latrell Sprewell once did at the Garden.

    The Knicks are an appealing team. They are. They’re going to be fun to watch. But, in the words of the great Al McGuire, when do they move uptown?

    Mike Lupica

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  • How the NBA’s new player participation policy affects the Knicks and Nets

    How the NBA’s new player participation policy affects the Knicks and Nets

    Julius Randle and Ben Simmons are “star” players under the criteria set by the NBA’s new Player Participation Policy.

    Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are not — though that could change the instance either earn their first All-Star or All-NBA nod.

    This is how the league is tackling its widespread load management issue, with new rules that penalize teams for sitting star-level players without just cause.

    Teams with two such star players — that is: a player who has been named an All-Star or made an All-NBA team in any of the previous three seasons — are not allowed to rest both players in the same game.

    Randle is a two-time NBA All-Star (2021 and 2023) and a two-time All-NBA honoree (2021 Second Team, 2023 Third Team). Simmons is a three-time All-Star, though his last All-Star appearance was in 2021. If he does not make an All-Star team this season, he will not qualify as a star for the Nets next season.

    As a practical example, the Los Angeles Lakers deciding to sit both superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the same game without prior approval from the league would trigger a league investigation this season.

    Under the NBA’s new player participation policy, star-level players must appear in all nationally-televised games – and they must appear in all of the league’s upcoming In-Season Tournament games, as well.

    The Knicks play 25 nationally-televised games in the 2023-24 season, 20 if you exclude games broadcast on NBA TV. And now that Durant and Irving have orchestrated trades out of Brooklyn, the Nets have seen their national exposure nosedive: just five games this season set to air on either ESPN or TNT and six more on NBA TV.

    This new set of rules, however, also triggers the moment a player earns star status.

    So if Brunson were to become an All-Star this season, the NBA would fine the Knicks for resting both Brunson and Randle in the same game unless both were justifiably hurt or excused by the league for a pre-approved absence.

    These exceptions to the rule include multigame absences for bona fide injury, personal reasons, rare and unusual circumstances, roster management of unavailable star players, and end-of-season flexibility

    The Nets would need to seek similar approval should Bridges earn his first All-Star nod this season, a likely outcome given his exceptional play representing Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

    Mikal Bridges’ standout World Cup game marred by late miss

    The Player Participation Policy features five key rules teams must comply with to avoid the stiff financial penalties for sitting star players: No more than one star player can be unavailable for the same game; star players must be available for nationally-televised and In-Season Tournament games; if a player is going to miss games, the league prefers the games be missed at home; teams can no longer shut down players for long stretches of games without league approval; and healthy players who are resting a game must be on the bench and visible to fans.

    Failure to comply with any of these rules will now trigger a league investigation, with a team’s first PPP infraction set to trigger a $100,000 fine — not to the player but levied upon the team.

    The second infraction of the player participation policy prompts a $250,000 fine, and the third activates a $1.25 million penalty. Every subsequent violation triggers a fine worth $1 million more than its previous penalty.

    This fine structure would have crippled the Nets during the Durant, Irving and James Harden era, where the Big 3 only appeared in 16 games as a trio. It would have also hurt the Nets last season, when Simmons appeared in just 42 of a possible 82 regular-season games.

    Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with goal of rehabbing back

    WHAT ABOUT BACK-TO-BACKS

    Teams must now seek pre-approval to rest stars in either night of back-to-back games, and if one of those games is a nationally-televised, the rest must occur for the other game.

    For example, the Knicks travel to Boston on April 11 for a matchup against the Celtics set to air on TNT. The following night, they host the Nets at Madison Square Garden in a game that will air locally on MSG Networks.

    Under the new rules, barring verifiable injury or excused absence from the league, Julius Randle must play against the Celtics. If the Knicks wanted to rest him for any game of that back-to-back, they would need pre-approval from the league to sit their star forward against the Nets.

    This would become complicated, however, if Brunson were to also receive his first All-Star nod this season as teams cannot rest both star players in any single game. Both would be required to play against the Celtics, then only one would be eligible to rest the ensuing night.

    The Knicks have three other instances of nationally-televised games occurring on one leg of back-to-back: Oct. 27 at Atlanta and 28 at New Orleans (NBA TV); Oct. 31 at Cleveland (TNT), then Nov. 1 at home against the Cavaliers; and Nov. 12 hosting the Charlotte Hornets before Nov. 13 at Boston (NBA TV).

    In each of these instances, the Knicks would need pre-approval to rest Randle in the non-nationally-televised leg of the back-to-back, though Brunson wouldn’t apply to this rule because he is not yet an All-Star.

    The Nets host the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in a nationally-televised (NBA TV) game on Dec. 22, then host the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 23. Under new league rules, Brooklyn would need to seek pre-approval to rest Simmons against the Pistons – though given his injury history, they should have no problem securing such approval; nor should they have any issues with the fashionable Simmons appearing on the bench in games he is resting.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The Nets, however, have a nationally-televised back-to-back: Feb. 5 against the Golden State Warriors in a game that airs on NBA TV, then Feb. 6 against the Dallas Mavericks in Kyrie Irving’s return to Brooklyn – a game that will air on TNT.

    According to the new rules, the Nets would need to seek prior approval for a player to rest one leg of a back-to-back if both games are nationally televised or In-Season Tournament games.

    The Nets have two more back-to-backs that feature a game aired on national television: March 9 at Charlotte and March 10 at Cleveland (ESPN); then March 16 at Indiana before March 17 against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, a game set to air on NBA TV and, surprisingly, be played at a neutral location.

    These games will be played after the All-Star break, meaning if Bridges earns his first career All-Star nod, both he and Simmons will be ineligible to rest one leg of each back-to-back.

    Nets’ Ben Simmons ‘as healthy as he’s ever been’ since last season in Philly’: report

    EXCLUSIONS TO THE RULES

    According to the release issued by the league, the exclusions to the player participation policy include injuries, personal reasons and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload or serious injury.

    Under these rules, the Nets should have no issues seeking rest time for both Simmons and Bridges, as Simmons has a verifiable back injury history that must be monitored to prevent aggravation.

    Bridges, due for an All-Star nod, played in 83 combined regular-season games for both the Suns and Nets last season, then played more minutes than any player not named Anthony Edwards for Team USA during the FIBA World Cup. Should he qualify for star status, the Nets could easily point to his workload over the past calendar year as just cause to rest him in the second half of the season.

    Despite Bridges’ miracle, Canada eliminates Team USA in bronze-medal game

    That will be difficult to pull off, however, if they are actively load-managing Simmons’ back.

    For the Knicks, both Brunson and Josh Hart played into the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs then played regular Team USA minutes in the FIBA World Cup. Hart does not qualify as a star under the new rules, but a case can be made for workload management for both.

    Cam Johnson also represented the Nets for Team USA but should have fresh regular-season legs after spending most of the World Cup watching from the sidelines.

    WHAT ABOUT THE AGE AND WORKLOAD EXCEPTION?

    The NBA has created an exception to the rule for appearances in back-to-back games for players who are 35 years old on opening night or have career workloads of 34,000 regular-season minutes or 1,000 combined regular-season and playoff games, according to ESPN.

    Neither the Knicks nor Nets rosters feature a player who qualifies for this exception. Bridges has appeared in 392 regular-season games and 39 additional playoff games. Randle has appeared in 595 regular-season games and an additional 15 playoff games. Brunson has only appeared in 345 regular-season games plus 36 more playoff games. And after missing an entire season, then half of last season, while also missing his entire rookie season due to injury, Simmons has only tallied 317 regular-season games since 2017, plus 34 more playoff games.

    Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and James Harden are the only NBA players covered by this exception.

    Under these new rules, the Nets would have only been able to rest Durant, who met the 34,000 minutes criteria, in last season’s Dec. 10 matchup against the Indiana Pacers, where they won despite sitting Durant, Irving and Simmons.

    PLAYER PARTICIPATION POLICY

    NBA end-of-the-season honors now have updated criteria based on availability.

    In order to be eligible for Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player or Defensive Player of the Year, as well as any All-NBA or All-Defensive Teams, a player must appear in at least 65 regular-season games. They may appear in 62 games and still qualify for an end-of-the-season award if they suffer a season-ending injury and appeared in at least 85% of his team’s regular-season games prior to suffering the injury.

    Under this new rule, Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. would not have been eligible to win Defensive Player of the Year because he only appeared in 63 games.

    Julius Randle, who earned Third Team All-NBA honors last season, appeared in 77 games for the Knicks last season and would have remained unaffected had these new rules been implemented last season.

    Kristian Winfield

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