 By Elliot Allen
Four games into the season, the New York Knicks sit at 2 wins and 2 losses. Their record of .500 is ironic and indicative of how the early season has gone so far. The Knicks won the first 2 games beating the Clevland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. Then dropped the last 2 on the road against the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. In all 4 games the Knicks have played with flashes of brilliance and bouts of stagnation. This is a product of foundational change in the head coach. Coach Mike Brown vowed to create more of an equal opportunity offense by increasing ball movement and minimizing isolation basketball. On the other end of the ball, Coach Brown has also looked to tighten up the defense and create more turnovers to get easy opportunities on the offense. Just like their record, half of the time the Knicks make good strides toward these changes. Other times they fall back into the same habits that ultimately caused their exit in last year's playoffs against the Pacers. Those moments of good ball movement that we have seen this year have made the Knicks very tough to defend. In their game against the Bucks, in the 2nd quarter particularly, the Knicks moved the ball very well. Getting good penetration and kicking the ball around the perimeter for open shots, which they knocked down. However, as the 3rd quarter started the Knicks settled into isolation play and the ball movement stopped, causing their shooting percentage to drop and giving the Bucks the opening they needed to take control of the game for the win. Coach Brown talked about the inconsistent play but also understands it is a process to get the team to become fully comfortable with the foundational changes. How quickly the Knicks can become comfortable with Coach Browns system will weigh heavily on the outcome of this season. With only four games under their belt, it appears the Knicks are on the right track with their progress. It will be interesting to see their progress at the 20-game mark of the season. Ultimately, the key to success will be determined by whether Brown can get the players to buy into the system. Of course, with change there will always be push back and not everyone will be happy. There is some talk of Karl Anthony Towns being uncomfortable with his role so far. That does go with the territory of a new system. The equalizer to all of that is winning! Time will tell us a lot about the direction of the New York Knicks in the 2025-2026 season.
0 Comments
 By Elliot Allen
The New York Knicks opened the season with an early showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a matchup many predict could be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals. Madison Square Garden was electric with anticipation for the special season, the crowd feeling as though it was picking up right where the playoffs ended last year. The Cavaliers also look hungry to erase the memory of last year's disappointing playoff loss after posting the league's best record. The game proved indicative of teams' eagerness to start the season impressively; however, both were dealing with injuries. The Cavaliers were missing their All-Star Darius Garland and key player De’Andre Hunter. While the Knicks were managing without Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson, both teams played well without their key players. For the Knicks, it was fascinating to see the changes that came with the new Head Coach, Mike Brown, including both their offense and defense. The ball seemed to move around more evenly, and the scoring was much more balanced throughout the game, securing a solid victory for the Knicks. They were led in scoring by OG Anunoby, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks had five players finishing in double figures, including 23 points from captain Jalen Brunson. The Knick defense was aggressive, jumping into the passing lanes and really pushing the ball after Cavalier turnovers. The Cavaliers did put up a great road effort, battling back several times to reduce double-digit deficits; however, the Knicks continued to counter with runs of their own to secure a 119-111 victory. This game was a great win to start the season. Next up for the Knicks is the Boston Celtics, who come to town Friday night.  By: Aaron Allen
The NBA season has started, and has started in a big and interesting way for the Philadelphia 76ers in their first game of their regular season Tonight the 76ers picked up a major win against the Boston Celtics in TD Garden in a very impressive, entertaining game just running away with the win by 1 point. For this Philadelphia win there are 2 major names to take credit in this Sixers win, and those names are Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as they combined for a total of 74 points at the end of the game. Tyrese tonight, had a 40 point game with 6 assists on the night. He played 40 minutes and went 7/9 from the 3 point range tonight. Tyrese’s impact was definitely felt while he was on the court in this game, especially having a huge 19 point 2nd quarter, and a huge 15 point 4th quarter to ensure them the win tonight. This is a great pickup from where Tyrese left off last season and as if he didn’t play good enough during the preseason, tonight was a significant improvement from his performance then. VJ Edgecombe, just simply a masterclass of a game and not to mention, his NBA rookie debut. A huge 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. VJ had a great preseason run and that did not stop or slow down tonight being that this was his first official NBA game of his career. VJ made his presence known straight away having a massive 14 point 1st quarter, and staying consistent all throughout the night as well. VJ is showing great and promising potential and can prove to be a very valuable piece for the 76ers. These 2 are already looking to be a very promising and dominant front court duo as they really came up big, picking up the slack from Embiid and his off night. This was a very good win for the Sixers, an even better way to start off the season, and hopefully a confidence booster anyone of the team needed heading into their next matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. By: Isiah Allen  The NBA season has begun, and there’s no better way to start the season opener than with the Lakers going against the Warriors. The Lakers and the Warriors are coming off seasons where both teams made the playoffs, but unfortunately lost before the Western Conference Finals. In the offseason, both teams spent time adding to their rosters. The Lakers brought in players Marcus Smart, providing a defensive backup point guard, and DeAndre Ayton, finally securing the center they have been searching for. The Warriors signed Al Horford, giving them a strong center with his ability to shoot threes and space the floor. They also resigned Jonathan Kuminga after there was a lot of speculation that he may not return. Regardless, both teams are coming in with a roster that has the potential to win a championship, but have little to no playing time together. The Warriors played games with Jimmy Butler, went on a phenomenal run, and ended the season with a 23-7 record, taking down the 2-seeded Rockets in the first round. The Lakers are coming in with two no pieces that can make or break their season, but it’s fair to say they’re title favorites.
Without LeBron James, the Lakers struggled against the Warriors, losing 119-109. Luka Dončić carried the team, finishing the game with a phenomenal stat line of 43 points, 8 assists, and 12 rebounds, but his teammates couldn’t get anything going to help him. Another huge factor in their loss tonight was their ability to guard the three-ball. The Warriors shot 17/40 from three, which is 42.5% while the Lakers shot 8/32, achieving 25%. The Lakers do get credit, though, because despite being down almost 20 at some point, they never stopped fighting for the game. They managed to bring the game down to within seven late in the fourth. The team came alive in the fourth quarter with Austin Reaves and DeAndre Ayton stepping up. Reaves finished with 26 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, while in his Laker debut, Ayton recorded 10 points and 6 rebounds. The Warriors started their season with a new lineup, finally including Jonathan Kuminga, and they did not disappoint. The Warriors came out hot with Jimmy Butler leading the way with 15 first-quarter points. They slowed down a little in the second but picked it right back up in the third and fourth. The Warriors showed chemistry tonight with their plays, with everyone dishing the ball and getting open for high-percentage shots. Their top performers were Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Jonathan Kuminga. It was truly an all-around game for the Warriors, with Jimmy Butler leading the charge with 31 points, followed by Steph with 21, as well as both Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga having 17. The Warriors did what they do best: shooting the lights out and securing the win for their first game of the season. They then picked up where they left off, with Jimmy Butler earning them a win against one of the top teams in the West. They have truly earned their status from last season into this one as a championship contender, and they proved tonight they won't go down easy. Although the Lakers lost, they should not be discouraged; they played winning basketball, especially down the stretch of the game. They have the team to win it all; they just need to gain playing experience with each other. When LeBron comes back, that team is only going to get better. There was no better way to start the NBA 2025-2026 season. By Elliot Allen As we get ready for the start of new season, the excitement in New York City is higher than it has been since the Patrick Ewing led New York Knicks. This year's team has emerged as a true title contender for the coveted NBA Championship. The sting of the loss to the Indiana Pacers in last year’s playoffs still rings as unfinished business for the Knicks. One of the early season questions will be can they reset their mindset and use the tough loss as a confidence builder to know they can win the championship this year. The Knicks will be returning their core players to the team, which is something we have not commonly seen in the past from this team.
However there will be a major component change in the coaching position. New York fired Coach Tom Thibodeau and brought in veteran coach Mike Brown. The move was a mild surprise in response to the abrupt elimination of the team in last year’s playoffs. This will be part of mental reset ahead of the Knicks this season. The often criticized New York Knicks offense was offered as a reason for their elimination against the Pacers. Knick team captain Jalen Brunson had an outstanding season carrying the heavy load of being the marquee player inside the famed Madison Square Garden. The underlying tone of the team is there needs to be more ball movement and equal opportunities on the offensive end of the floor. The Knicks added more firepower with shooting guard Jordan Clarkson, to go along with potent scorers Karl Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. Mikal Bridges is another returning staple in the offensive attack that could be utilized more under Coach Mike Brown. Brown spoke about opening up the offense and playing faster, as well as tightening up on the defensive end. The Knicks won 51 games last year and had a strong playoff run. So, it will require a mental reset to embrace the big picture of winning the championship. The physical pieces are there, so it will be interesting to see if the Knicks can go to another level mentally and play with that swagger of being a Championship team. The leadership of their captain Jalen Brunson will be a key part of the journey. The most impressive part of his tenure with the Knicks has been his mental strength to perform and play clutch basketball on the most pertinacious stage in the league. It is expected this will be a transition he can handle and take the team to another exciting season pushing further in the playoffs this year. The time is here, and this season will prove to be one of the most significant seasons in quite some time for the New York Knicks. |
Archives
October 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed