What are sports for? As something that came about as a pastime to play, sports have since become a pastime to watch. With that evolution, so too has the role of sports media blossomed from a means to inform fans to a means to antagonize some. Could the rise of fan media help turn the tide back to enjoyment in sports?

The Philadelphia Refere… — I mean, 76ers* — outlasted the New York Knicks on Sunday night in overtime, 101-100, despite late-game heroics from Alec Burks and Julius Randle. 

The Knicks needed a win at home against the Magic, and it got close late, but they came out on top after standout games from Julius Randle, Frank Ntilikina, Reggie Bullock, and more.

Thousands of years ago, it was predicted that NBA teams might one day play their three best players together, and the cave basketball players of old sang the Song of the Bucket. Thibs’ recent uncovering of these ancient texts has led to a most positive development for the Knicks — playing Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle together for big minutes.

The Knicks were in position to potentially win a big game for their playoff hopes, but came up short to the top-seeded Sixers on the road. Some games just exude disappoint, and this was one of them, writes Matthew Miranda.

The New York Knicks almost outlasted the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, but ultimately fell just short of an upset win, by a score of 117-112.

Last week marked the first All-Star appearance of Julius Randle’s career at the ripe old age of 26. But is it any surprise it took Randle this long to get there, considering the significant development hurdles that stood in his way throughout the years?

The Knicks got back to their winning ways in a big way, behind a career-high scoring effort from RJ Barrett, a triple-double from Julius Randle, and a strong case to start by Immanuel Quickley. There were a lot of storylines in this one: what’s your pleasure?

Check out a second excerpt from The Strickland Press’ first book, “Fred From Fresh Meadows: A Knicks Memoir” by Fred Cantor, about the legacy of Pat Riley vs. the famed Celtics coach Red Auerbach, and how each fared in their careers minus the biggest stars they coached.

Thursday night was throwback night for the New York Knicks, who got blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks, 134-101.

Two things are abundantly clear if you watch even a handful of Knicks games this year: they play great defense, and they play at a glacial pace on offense. Could that glacier afford to melt a little bit, though?

Nerlens Noel has stepped in in a big way for Mitchell Robinson, leading the Knicks to a top-10 defensive rating in Mitch’s stead. But for all of his defensive prowess, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that he just can’t hold onto the ball. Does Noel’s defensive dominance outweigh the limitations of his suspect hands?

From the time he entered the NBA and leading into his second season, RJ Barrett had two skills that could define his career in the league: finishing and shooting. He’s shown some improvement in both, but is it sustainable? And how do his improvements compare to others at his age?

Obi Toppin has unexpectedly been dropped into a very precarious development situation behind Julius Randle’s emergence. How has Obi fared on both sides of the ball? Could he actually be further along on defense than on offense?

Obi Toppin will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest this weekend, becoming the latest in a long line of Knicks to compete. Vivek Dadhania goes back through all the previous Knicks Dunk Contest participants and ranks them from worst to best, along with some historical context from the moment.

The Knicks have been winning a lot more this season, but they’ve often won “ugly.” But does winning itself make basketball enjoyable? Is it possible to play an aesthetically-pleasing brand of losing basketball?

The Knicks are a game over .500 heading into the All-Star break, their first time being over .500 this late in a season since the fabled 2012-13 campaign. Bask in the light that is a good and fun Knicks team.

Julius Randle has already won over our hearts and minds with his ascent to NBA All-Star this year. But in a league that’s constantly looking towards the next big thing, what could be the next step in Randle’s development? The most popular play in basketball might hold the answer.

The New York Knicks failed to capitalize on the San Antonio Spurs’ second night of a back-to-back and dropped Tuesday’s contest 119-93.

What has led to RJ Barrett having such an up-and-down sophomore season? Is it him? His surrounding personnel? The playbook? Jack Huntley examines the film to try to get to the bottom of sophomore year RJ.