thelesterlee
We did it. It’s finally over. The New York Knicks drove the Sixers to the airport to start their summer vacations. On Thursday night, New York won 118-115 in a brutal Game 6 where the Knicks were up 20 in the 1st quarter and ended up going down and somehow, went into halftime down 3.
This team went to war. Let’s talk about what we learned from this boxing match with Philadelphia.
Here are 3 takeaways from the Knicks Game 6 victory:
1. Jalen Brunson is one of the best basketball players in the world
For Knicks fans, this may go without saying but I was paying attention to the scuttlebutt all season long.
People who don’t watch Jalen every night talk about him like he’s just a good scorer and nice for Knicks fans to enjoy as if he’s a toddler being patted on the head for going pee-pee in the potty, when in reality, Brunson just went chest-to-chest with the reigning MVP, outplaying him. The lowest-scoring game Embiid had this series was 19 points in Game 5. The man scored 50 in Game 3. And he was still outstaged by Brunson and his ability to get two points whenever he decided he wanted it.
I don’t think you guys understand the way Brunson was being discussed. At one point, Gilbert Arenas said the Houston Rockets wouldn’t trade Jalen Green to New York for Julius Randle AND Jalen Brunson. Becky Hammon and Candace Parker said he was too little to win a championship. They were talking about Jalen Brunson like he was Terry Rozier or some shit.
Brunson had 41 points and 12 assists, sending Philadelphia home. From now on, his name belongs next to guys like Nikola Jokic, Giannis and Luka Doncic.
2. Mitchell Robinson deserves everything
Mitchell Robinson’s first career NBA start was in October 2018 against the Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors.
Robinson shared the starting unit with Tim Hardaway Jr, Damyean Dotson, Noah Vonleh and Frank Ntilikina. 2 of those guys aren’t even in the NBA anymore, and not because they decided to retire.
Mitch was hunching over in timeouts watching David Fizdale draw stick figures of the team holding hands over the words “friendship = everything”. The Knicks would walk back onto the court confused while the other team put nonstop buckets on their heads.
Not only did Mitchell survive an organization full of executives who didn’t understand basketball and players who, too, did not understand basketball, but Mitchell Robinson has had injury woes throughout his entire career, including this year with only 31 regular season games under his belt.
The longest-tenured Knicks player had Joel Embiid in a straitjacket all series long.
Easily my favorite player on the roster, Mitch will look some combination of hurt, exhausted and high out of him mind, only to suddenly have quick hands to create deflections leading to fastbreak buckets, sticky hands to grab every rebound in arm’s length and blocking shots into celebrity row—he deserves this success and let’s see how he does against Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam.
3. The Knicks are going to beat the dog shit out of Indiana
Joel Embiid’s knee injury was the only reason the Knicks and Sixers were matched up in the first round. This entire series could’ve been the Eastern Conference Finals any other season. I had a lot of, um, thoughts on Philly but honestly, Nick Nurse, Tyrese Maxey and (healthy) Joel Embiid are terrifying. Philadelphia probably wins this series if those 3 are surrounded by guys who actually want to be there instead of Tobias Harris who took just 2 shots in an elimination game.
The Indiana Pacers are not the Sixers.
Interesting how no one wanted to give Jalen Brunson any love but when Tyrese Haliburton started the season hot, he was treated like he was already a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Then Tyrese got injured and he’s nowhere near as productive as he was prior to pulling his hamstring.
The Pacers don’t have an Embiid or a Maxey. I could score a few points on Obi Toppin and I’m vaping while writing this.
Knicks in 4.
What are your thoughts on this massive Knicks Game 6 win? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if you who you think will win the Knicks Pacers series.
