Week 4

The Games

Tues 11/11 vs Memphis — W 133–120

Wed 11/12 vs Orlando — L 124–107

Fri 11/14 vs Miami — W 140–132

Week record: 2-1

Season record: 8-4

Not bad not bad. In fact you might say

Don't hate it. And can't complain. -- besides the injuries on Friday (which I do hate) - it's hard to be anything but impressed on the macro level. New coach, new system, high expectation..and theyre holding it down. 8-4, protecting home court and blowing teams out - you take that every time.

we'll get into the injuries in a bit. Ya they're a little scary.

But right now the week recap. Hope you brought your lunch - cause this one gets deep.

Two explosive wins and one hangover loss to Orlando.

We're not going to win every game. So if you're going to drop one, let it be the obvious "trap" - second game of a back-to-back. Because outside of that - they're handling business at home.

A not so gentle reminder that the Garden is one of the hardest places in the league to get a win. What a nice thing to say.

Because it wasn't long ago where we'd get eaten alive at home. Any given night, some role players like Wayne Ellington or Aaron Afflalo (pre-knick) would walk into MSG and turn into Space Jam Michael Jordan. It was too common that guys like Kirk Hinrich (the 3rd hein-reich) would walk right into the Garden and poop all over us.

Now?

The Good:

The Knicks are doing exactly what good teams do:

They win at home.

They win big.

And they stack on those early season wins. Like pancakes in Maine. Hold the blueberries!

The pace is forreal, the depth is forreal, and my little boyish excitement for this team? Also very, very real. Tinkle time!

The Garden is our floor. General-issimo Bruns-issimo has made it clear those rims belong to him.

And they're moving faster on offensive. Even though Brunson's time of possession is down, he's actually moving more. He's top-10 in total distance traveled on offense. And it seems to fit - he's shooting 17-34 on catch and shot 3-pointers.

But back to the nit and gritty. Those granular tracking stats. See Bridges is right there with him being top-5 in distance traveled. Both of them are also among the league leader is average off-ball speed. So things are happening

"What are these ridiculous stats you're throwing at me , Master Pio"

Heres another one:

OG's defensive rating ( i dont know what it means) sits around 111.7 - which appears to be good. On top of that - when Anunoby's on the court, the Knicks are out-scoring opponents by +9.7. I know that is good.

And speaking of OG - how bout the trio of OG/Bridges/Robinson? Cause the metrics love 'em! Their defensive rating is a +65.1 net so far on the season. It's a modern big-wing-center, defensive spine, that fits beautifully in Mike Brown's high pace-and-volume offensive system.

Defensive rebounding is 2nd, offensive rebounding is 10th, and it's allowed or been emphasized for Towns to drop in coverage on 57% of ball screens - positioning himself closer to the rim. So much versatility from Wingstop and The Blockness Monster. Scooby dooby doo!!

Now the bench.. and Shamet

That whole thing about Shamet giving me heartburn? Hand up - the sham-wow has proven me wrong. The antacids and tums have been put away -- for now (looking at you Towns). Shamet has rumbled and tumbled into this perfect off-the-bench for this roster. Incredible efforts from the Laundry machine.

From the last guy to make the roster to massively stepping up in Friday's win vs Miami.

His week:

On Tuesday he put up 16 points shooting 50% from the field, and 4/8 from beyond the arc. 1 steal, 2 assists, 23 minutes off the bench. That's one clean, high-efficiency performance off the bench.

Wednesday he played his role. 33% from 3 (we'll take that). On a night where the entire team played with cement in their shoes. And pants.

Then on Friday exploded with a career high 36 points. 6/12 from deep. 6/6 from the line. Logging 37 minutes after that 1q injury to OG - when the Knicks were already short-handed without Brunson. He led a 75-point Knicks bench performance. Shoutout Clarkson and Hart as well. Depth, baby!

Way to go!!!

Fun little fact - KAT scored 30 in the 1st half, Shamet scored 30 in the 2nd half.

And it wasn't just scoring - the energy, hustling, spacing ,and physicality. Just being a weapon off the bench- Shamet the Shaman. The Laundry man doing teams dirty and taking them to the cleaners.

Depth, Baby!

The Bad:

The injuries are not chill. Definitely not ideal. Brunson and OG going down like that definitely stings. Time will tell for how long theyre out - but after last years miracle of health, it feels like the law of averages finally caught up to us. Especially with OG.

Not ideal. Not fun. Especially not what you want while finding rhythm.

The Vibe:

The engines are revving. The team feels bought in. And the Garden feels fertile.

This time last year the narrative was we couldn't beat a top team - this year it's we cant win on the road. That seems like an easier feat.

What's next:

Lets stay healthy - priority #1 is how Brunson and OG are. Let's keep the depth. Make home even more hostile and let's win on the freakin road.

P-P-P-P-Pio

(P.O if you work for the USPS)

Energy.

Good