The Strickland’s Round 2 Playoffs Roundtable: Can the Knicks pull this out vs. the Celtics?
The Strickland’s staff got together to talk Knicks-Celtics.
Outside of winning, what do you hope to see from and/or learn about the Knicks in this series?
Luca: Make the series competitive and show growth in maximizing the talent that is currently on the roster. The regular season series saw Boston win all four games by an average margin of 16 points, so keeping it closer during this second round series is the least I can ask for. Aside from that I’d like to see the Knicks utilize their WingStop duo to counteract Boston’s lethal 3-point attack, especially the Porzingis pick-and-pops. Let KAT use his athleticism to play up on screens, and let OG and Mikal use their instincts and length to disrupt actions and get into passing lanes.
Prez: I would like to see Tom Thibodeau prepare the team. I want to see the Knicks’ players aware of when they need to switch, hedge, drop deep, drop shallow, etc. We know Thibs is not going to fundamentally reformat the team, so if they go down, I’d like to go down actually doing what the coach envisions. That’s the Knicks’ version of going out shooting, and it would give the front office the most information on what to expect from the current configuration of coach and players heading into the offseason.
Shax: From a coaching standpoint, how prepared will Thibs have his team? What's the coverage in pick-and-rolls/pops? Boston's a tough matchup, even if he did everything “right” they can still lose. Show me the defensive mastermind side this series. For the players, I want to see what KAT’s made of. Despite poor usage, he's shown he can have big games. He needs to be imposing on the glass and in the post.
Alex: It’d be nice to see that with the amount of talent and investment in said talent the Knicks have made in this team, that they can at least hang with a championship-level team.
Which Celtic do you like the most?
Luca: If I must choose one, I’d say Jrue Holiday. He’s always been an underrated player in this league, and has always played and excelled in an underrated role on each team he’s been on. He also has the least punchable face on the roster.
Prez: As individual players, I like a lot of the Celtics, despite my despising the team as an institution. I think this season my favorite is Payton Pritchard and think his mix of ball-handling and insane shooting is fun to watch. He’s also a bit of an underdog — it’s hard for short point guards to succeed in the modern NBA, even off the bench.
Komrade: Going to go with Al Horford. His game has aged better than most, and I think he’ll be on the wrong end of some Knicks highlights. Win-win.
Shax: Big Derrick White fan, he's the glue to winning that every championship team needs. He does the dirty work, good secondary ball-handler, and a sniper.
Alex: Luke Kornet. Even as a Celtic it’s hard to forget how lovable he was as a Knick. I’m happy that he’s put together a fruitful NBA career.
If these two teams held a steel-cage royal rumble, who would be the last man standing?
Luca: Dare I say OG Anunoby? 6-foot-7, 240 pounds of lean muscle is not something that a lot of players on either team can boast.
Prez: The easy answer would be OG or Jrue, but they’re both jacked and gentle. I think the most insane personality would win, and that’s Josh Hart by a country mile.
Komrade: I think Jalen Brunson has a good shot here, because Thibs isn’t putting him in until the final couple minutes anyways.
Shax: Gotta be Josh Hart. He's got the stamina, the strength, and is slightly psycho.
Alex: A steel cage royal rumble is a hell of a stipulation match… I’m gonna say Ariel Hukporti. Wrestling loves a huge 7-foot tall dude. Plus it’s hard enough throwing guys over the top rope in a regular match, let alone tossing them over a steel cage. Need that height.
Besides Jayson Tatum, if your fairy godmother offered to put a hex on any Celtic to knock them off their game this round, you’d pick . . .
Luca: Kristaps Porzingis. Despite his horrific first round series against the Magic (12 PPG/6 RPG, 35% FG/12% 3P/71% FT splits), he always seems to come alive against our Knicks. Knowing that Thibs will likely deploy drop coverage to at least begin this series, the Knicks would greatly benefit from Porginzis missing his mark on his threes.
Prez: I’ll go with Derrick White. KP is the easy answer because he cooks the Knicks from three, but White is really the second best shooter, ball-handler, and decision maker in the starting lineup. He’s the skeleton key that unlocks them, and has the best on-off of the starters as a result.
Komrade: I think White poses the biggest threat on both sides of the ball. So I’ll say him. The numbers say Jalen Brunson struggled against him this year (4-of-11 shooting in one-on-one situations), and he’s walking into this matchup averaging 17.6 points in the playoffs.
Shax: White for the reasons I mentioned before. Take out the glue.
Alex: Porzingis. His pick-and-roll/pop with Tatum is nasty and the one move the Knicks seem to never have a counter for.
What will the Knicks do better against Boston than they did Detroit?
Luca: Hopefully everything? That may seem like a cop-out answer, but both their offense and defense left much to be desired against a young, inexperienced Pistons team, so much so that a 3-1 lead was almost blown if not for The Captain. The Knicks will need to be locked in early and often against Boston on both sides of the ball, keeping the ball moving against the Cs’ traps and making smart defensive decisions against their 5-out offense.
Prez: Offensive rebound, inshallah.
Komrade: I’m going to say nothing, but with the caveat that it wouldn’t surprise me. Nothing can anymore with this team.
Shax: I’m hoping that the offense is better… I know that's a crazy thing to say, but there was plenty of room for growth vs. Detroit. Whether that includes a progression to the mean in 3-point shooting or KAT converting more post-up touches, they can be better.
Alex: Get fouls called? I anticipate the whistle won’t be so loose in this series, but who knows.
Who’s your most hated Celtic? Ever?
Prez: On court, probably Kevin Garnett. Historically talented, only punched down when it came to shit talk. Which is funny because in his post-playing career I am a massive fan of his happy-warrior attitude as he cheerleads the next generation of hoopers.
Komrade: I think most loved is easier to answer, and that would be Isaiah Thomas. What a tragedy that became. But it was real, real good hoops before the injuries.
Shax: Don't have one, but will say Jae Crowder because he's had beef with some Knick teams before.
Alex: Paul Pierce, that stupid turtle of a man.
If the Knicks are in the ECF in a few weeks, how did that happen?
Luca: Jalen and KAT each averaged 30, and the Knicks were able to make the Celtics shoot below their season’s average from 3-point range. Boston launches and makes more threes than any team in the NBA, and nearly (this might actually be true, might need a fact check) any team in NBA history*. However, Mazulla ball rarely switches up, so this mindset could be Boston’s greatest asset or its greatest setback.
*Ed. note: They did, in fact, take and make the most threes in NBA history this regular season.
Prez: Knicks execute on defense without significantly giving up easy threes after picks and penetration, recovering swiftly and on a string. Tatum is driven, by OG and Mikal, to a tough shot-making series and hits a below average number of said tough shots. On offense, the Knicks destroy them on the O-glass, thanks to some impactful double-big minutes. Additionally, KAT gets up 6-7 threes per game. Finally, they get at least two magnet ball games from three from two of Mikal/Deuce/Cam Payne.
Komrade: Mikal Bridges plays equally dominantly on both sides of the ball. He averaged 13.8 points against Boston, without attempting a single free throw mind you, in the regular season.
Shax: The Knicks defend pick-and-pops the best they have all year. They get some bad shooting nights from Boston, and dominate the glass on both ends. They're not afraid of switching and being smart in gaps when help is necessary. The lineups fluctuate to not only match the opposing team, but to win minutes through either 3-point shooting (5-out) or rebounding (double bigs). Cam Payne wins them a game, and McBride, OG, and Mikal shoot 40% or better from three.
Alex: Thibs shows a level of creativity and adaptability on both ends that we haven’t seen from him in his Knicks tenure. The Celtics miss a lot of shots they’d usually make. And probably a little luck.
