Intrusive Thoughts on Knicks Comeback Classic
The "vibes myth", De’Aaron Fox overkill and a good-bad Brunson shot
Myles Brown said, “That was a top 5 game of my life,” and I’d agree with that sentiment, which is funny because it was mostly a horrible watch. The controversial two quick fouls on Karl-Anthony Towns helped set up a situation where the Spurs coasted for a couple hours. More specifically, they spent over 60 percent of the game at above 90 percent win probability. And yet.
If this had been the Orlando Magic’s 29-point NBA Finals comeback, it’s a memorable moment, but not quite this. The Knicks are like what the 2016 Chicago Cubs were, even if the franchise has titles in the living memory of what looks like most MSG courtside celebrities.
Those old timers reminded me of how my father is a Knicks fan and that I loved the team as a kid. There was always something faintly tragic about the 1990s NYK experience because Patrick Ewing a) Tried so hard and b) Was so balky in the big moments. After the couple decades of failure that followed the 90s, a team that was often savaged in that era came to retroactively represent a glory days pinnacle. It’s disorienting to interface with a Knicks present that can finally exceed that Knicks past.
Fox in the Doghouse
I’m not the biggest fan of De’Aaron Fox’s game and believe he doesn’t quite fit into San Antonio’s future. That said…
I don’t know if it constitutes an act of collective transference from a protected superstar but the insta-infamous Fox layup botch is getting overblown. Wembanyama and Fox were both horrible in the second half, but Fox’s screwup happened later and looms larger in the postgame conversation than, say, Wemby’s two missed free throws. It seems a bit much because Fox’s mistake isn’t Bill Buckner failing at the routine or JR Smith brainfarting on the score. I’d argue the block is roughly as great a defensive play as it is a poor offensive choice. Obviously, Fox shouldn’t have tried a shot in that situation (Up 1, 12 seconds left), but I see what happened as at least understandable.
Fox attempted the layup because he, one of the league’s fastest players, figured there was enough space past OG Anunoby. That would be the correct calculus in that exact situation against 95 percent of league defenders. When a fast point guard steals the ball with that sort of pick-6 motion, it’s usually easy money. When Fox bats the ball towards the Spurs basket, Anunoby, New York’s last line of defense, has momentum going in the opposite direction. That should kill the Knicks right there but since Anunoby is an incredible athlete, he seamlessly flips his hips like a cornerback to rescue the possession with a chase down block.
It’s a spectacular play and I have some sympathy for why Fox, in a moment of surprise chaos, had instincts that failed him. An open layup, if it was open, isn’t a demonstrably worse choice than wasting two seconds so a career 74.7 percent foul shooter can try two free throws. Like everyone, I think Fox should have taken the foul, but he’s nearly a coin flip to miss a free throw in that situation. The big issue was that (OG surprise!) the layup wasn’t wide open.
This sequence has been discussed almost like it’s an NFL scenario where the Spurs could have taken a knee and walked off the court had Fox simply stopped. I keep seeing reactions insisting that Fox should have “dribbled the ball out” to waste time. I’m not sure what these people were watching. There was no “dribble the ball out” option for the same reason the block happened: OG was suddenly on him, because Anunoby is a shocking physical force out there. If Fox had enough space to “dribble the ball out” and burn a meaningful amount of clock, then that’s a totally different situation where an easy layup is actually a fine idea.
Loved Jalen Brunson’s missed shot
Some said that OG Anunoby’s historic tap-in came after a bad Jalen Brunson shot. I loved that attempt by Brunson, even if it was a double-teamed 31-footer. It surprised the Spurs, including Wemby, who had been dragged out of rebounding position. With 4.6 seconds left, down 1, you’re holding a hand grenade. Teams too often get precious in this situation versus hoisting try up there with enough time for a possible follow. Perfect is so often the enemy of good. This wasn’t “bad process, great result.” It was “good process, great result.”
There Are No Vibes, Only Vibes
There was a lot of talk about “ruined vibes” when the series came back to New York and I think that represents a projection of feelings onto players whose focus is elsewhere. I don’t think this stuff explained why Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two early fouls anymore than it could have explained why the Knicks stormed back from down 29-points. The actual Knicks are concentrating on their jobs versus whether Donald Trump is in a suite or if Dolan is annoying in a radio interview or if idiots are roughing up visiting Spurs fans in Midtown. “Vibes” matter in the sense that, the palpable emotion of that Madison Square Garden crowd makes for great television.
Speaking of that aspect, one element of Finals coverage was negativity about the get-in price at Madison Square Garden. It was a historically expensive ticket for obvious reasons. There’s no solution for that, even if there are many complaints. The Game 4 “bedlam at the Garden” reminded me of an old Bill Simmons point, though, with my paraphrasing here: The Knicks crowd will always be good because there’s so much money in New York that fandom can’t be priced out.
I think you saw this on Wednesday night. Yes, there were neutral celebrities and status seekers in attendance, but so many of the elites present happen to actually deeply care about the team. Ultra rich people can, and often do, express feelings about the New York Knicks similar to what you’d see from Sidetalk degenerates. Maybe we can add “goes psychotic about the Knicks” to Adam Carolla’s “rich man, poor man” (appropriate cameo from Jerry Seinfeld here).
Elite overdrive was supposed to be part of the bad juju afflicting Knicks nation, but again, none of it apparently mattered in the end. I get it, we’re narrative-building machines and we prefer when sports offer us mystical causations.
It seems I’m getting deep into my past for this post, because I’m reminded of how, back in high school, Sunday Chargers games at my friend Eric’s house were ridiculous. Eric’s dad, an obsessive optimizer and highly intelligent man, demanded we watch the action on DVR delay. He would yell, “GOOOOO!!!” whenever LaDainian Tomlinson broke free on a run. Obviously LT had already gone, doing whatever he did 30 minutes prior. When the Chargers started losing, our buddy Blake, now a highly rational finance worker, would either switch chairs or blankets. Whatever superstitions we employed didn’t work in the aggregate because the Chargers moved away.
None of us three high school friends are quite Knicks fans now, but we all share some affection for the team because our Jewish fathers hail from New York. Somehow this was a fairly common biographical detail in our San Diego suburb. But I digress.
Amin Elhassan Will Never Let Me Forget
HoS guest and comedy snob Amin will never let it go that I found the Inside Amy Schumer show funny way back when. As the Knicks were making their comeback, Amin texted to remind me about my “unforgivable” take and pointed out that the MSG crowd loudly booed Schumer. That booing scenario at least, horrible as it might have been to experience for her, is funny.
Jose Alvarado
It’s pretty random that short Puerto Rican role players have had a massive impact on two huge NBA Finals. There have been about 20 NBA players from the territory in league history.
KAT’s tip
What a play by Karl-Anthony Towns to save the game with a deflection. But observe how refs didn’t notice the tip and start the clock accordingly. Imagine the post-buzzer mess if Stephon Castle had made a shot in time, but only because of this oversight.
My Favorite Knicks Reaction Video
This isn’t the rowdiest Game 4 reaction video, but I love this blurry clip out of JFK Terminal 8 when OG Anunoby batted in the tip. The open space just gives you a great sense of how all this felt in the moment.
I can’t believe there have only been 4 games of this Finals. It feels like it started years ago. What a series.