How the New York Knicks Can Beat the Boston Celtics in the Second Round

How the New York Knicks Can Beat the Boston Celtics in the Second Round

I want to get your initial thoughts, Trey. You first. Knicks Boston. We haven’t taped one of these things since um Jaylen took over the city of Detroit. Uh but I wanted to get your thoughts on this series overall. Just on a macro level, uh what you’re seeing, what you’re looking for, honestly, like what we’re from all from all you guys, what are the Knicks going to do to change the the narrative that has been built in this, you know, in these four games this season? It’s 40 Celtics in the season series. Uh besides the last game in MSG, the games haven’t been close and so the talent is there, but Trey, I want to start with you. What do we what do we need to see from them to basically sort of like flip this thing around a little bit? I feel like this is this is a very important series for the Knicks because this is what you got male for was to guard these big wings along with OG. And this is your test here on to see if you know if this is why if this is what you invested your future will invested your championship window for is you know this series against Boston. So I think it’s going to be huge for you know OG and Muel to you know really perform this series. Obviously Jaylen doing his thing obviously Cat doing his thing as well. But um it’s gonna be I think it’s gonna be a really fun series definitely scoring the ball-wise offensively and uh you know we’ll see a lot of highscoring games a little different from the Detroit series. Nikias I’m curious if there’s anything you think the Knicks can do to um you know Josh on Porzingis. Is there anything they can do to kind of like throw at them tonight in particular that you would sort of like to see that you feel like can get Boston off of the get them off the three-point line, which Orlando did pretty well, but then also just like get them off this rhythm that they have against the Knicks, which Trey and I watched opening night in uh New Orleans. It feels like it was 10 years ago, but like they’re just it’s three-point practice for whatever reason against this team, which shouldn’t work with the guys Knicks have defensively. And so what do you what do you what do you think they can do to just kind of like get this off them a little bit with this particular team? Uh I think the quoteunquote easier answer is that the Knicks can lean into switching in a way that they just really haven’t. Like they’re one of the lower switch rate teams in the NBA. And so if you want to try to flatten them out, there is just the Orlando template. Let’s switch. Let’s stay at home and trust that we can defend well enough on Boston drives. I don’t think, you know, with respect to OG and Mel, they are incredible. But you talk about the overall team shell, like I don’t think the Knicks have the personnel to switch as heavily as Orlando does and did in that Boston series. But I think that’d be your easiest way if you’re going to take threes, they are going to be self-created is would be kind of the mindset heading into that. And from there, how well do you hold up on drives? And if you do get into some of the Jason Tatum sideeps or Jaylen Brown pull-ups or Derek White pull-ups, how many of those are you willing to live with? Um, but that that’s the easiest way to go about it. I don’t know how effective that would be, though. Steve, they got to keep the ball in front. They’ve got to be able to contain dribble penetration. There’s going to like Nikai’s mentioned the switching. That’s a key part. Jaylen Brunson’s going to be in action. That’s probably going to be a show and recover. They may end up giving some switches at times, but I don’t know if they’re going to do that every single time. Cat, they’re going to mix in some switches with Cat with these guys, and then he’s got to hold up, but I don’t know if they’re going to do that every single time. So they have kind of those scheme issues. They can’t have that plus Austin drives by everyone and gets to drive and kick on top of it. If you going to be in rotation, it’s going to have to be because of you put these two in action. Not because our transition defense isn’t good. Our half court, you know, we’re not recovering. We’re getting beat on closeouts. That’s been the battle for the Knicks. I think they have the personnel. As Trey said, the problem is Boston’s able to poke at it to where, okay, cool. Y’all aren’t really in the action. Y’all have to do weak side help defense. You have to close back out. now we’re playing our game. So, I think it’s everything they can do to kind of keep Boston in the mud. That’s going to be their best shot. Trey, thoughts on that? Yeah, I mean, biggest thing with Boston, you can’t give them advantages because they’re going to take the advantage, hold it, and then score off that. So, switching is probably the key, but then it’s just like, all right, D really want Jayen Brunson on the ball against Jason Tatum or Jaylen Brown or even in the post against Jaylen Brown. And then also you gota do with Cat and his pick and roll coverage as well. So definitely got something to figure out with uh trying to defend Boston, but also too Boston has to guard them too. So it’s like you know that’s part of their defense is y’all got to guard us as well. What was your guys uh just because we haven’t taped since then. What was your main takeaway looking back on this on a great series with Detroit? I think for me one Jayla Brunson was just incredible in fourth quarters that entire series and so the big shot making was there and I think once the Knicks got more comfortable with how they wanted to open things up for Cat I think that’s where Detroit found themselves in a little bit of trouble cuz they were mostly able to contain Cat. They did the cross match showed help in a very specific way. But New York also wasn’t helping Cat on that front, but once they started sprinkling in more cross screens for him, once you got into more of the pops, um, you know, Steve and I talked about in the pod throughout the series, like the Brunson Cat twoman game was pretty good, you know, statistically at the very least. It was just a lot of Jaylen Brunson with how Tobias Harris was kind of staying attached to Cat. But once they started poking at that, it it just got tough and Detroit just didn’t have enough outside of Kad, at least consistently offensively, to kind of offset that. What’ you think, Steve? Uh, I thought Jaylen Brunson and Cat just started to win matchups and made it tough on Detroit to feel comfortable with what they wanted to do. Do you want to put Harris on? You want to put Darren on Cat? Okay, that kind of changes how we can open things up. Uh, I thought the adjustment to kind of move Josh Hart around a little bit and say, “Okay, cool. If you have a big on Josh Hart, let’s put him on the wing.” So, if you’re going to show this automatic help, we know where the outlet is. He doesn’t have to shoot it, but we at least can continue our flow and kind of keep playing that way. And so, I thought they were able to navigate what the Pistons were trying to do and flip it against them. And that’s what makes this series so tough because Boston is so good defensively that I don’t know where the where the point is that you can kind of flip the series. And so, it’s going to be on Cat and Brunson to kind of win matchups. That’s what I was gonna ask you guys off that too is just like taking that taking that success and bringing that to tonight and bringing that to this week. How do you feel that they can because you know to the point about you getting you’re getting uh male on the defensive front like you got you got cat offensively for this series too and you’re going to need he needs to be unlocked for them to win this and so what do you do basically with this defensive personnel to make that happen? Oh, I think to get Cat open offensively. Make sure I’m understanding correctly. Yeah, I think it’s maintaining like make life a little easier for Cat. Again, one of my early frustrations in the series against Detroit. It’s like this feels very static for Cat and all these catches are getting pushed out. So, now even if Cat wins on a post up or drive against Tobias Harris, it’s taking five or six seconds and three or four dribbles to do it. And so, I think Boston is going to be willing to switch quite a bit. Like, we might just see Drew Holiday take the cat assignment outright if Drew Holiday is going to be available for game one. I haven’t seen the status update on that front yet. I think he’s playing. Okay. So, if Drew is good to go, like we may just see Drew on Cat. Can you get Cat some early deep catches and put some strain on Boston’s defense force some rotations now you can try to neutralize some of the math game because I think you know Boston is going to take more threes than New York. You just don’t want it to be 12, 15, 16 more attempts. And so if you get Cat going early, play the foul trouble game again force some double teams. You’re going to need a smart passing series from Cat. Talent isn’t the question. He can get with some of the overhead stuff, etc. get those kick outs. I think that’s how you can generate some easy stuff because Jaylen Brunson can score in a vacuum pretty much whenever he wants to. So, get Cat going with some deeper catches, cross screens for him, token some matchups. If you do get Cat Chris stops on Cat at all, that’s where you get into your pick and pops if those are available. I think they have ways to move him

Trey Murphy (New Orleans Pelicans) and The Dunker Spot preview the NBA playoff second round series between the New York Knicks (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns) and Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown).

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Previously The Old Man and the Three w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter