Repeating is such a huge hill to climb. With the team mostly in tact from last year and added depth I expect we are a playoff team at worst. I am hoping for ECF finals but who knows, it’s a long season and injury and trades happen.

I expect the team will stay mostly together although I’m not sure about Deuce or Dadiet. Deuce is just two small and doesn’t have that burst of craftiness that smaller guards have. Dadiet is too soft and passive to be a rotation player. I’m not question his skill just his fire and desire. I expect there will be rumors up until the trade deadline.

Rookie wrote:Firstly I expect we have atleast one new legitimate rivalry. In the last 2+ decades calling anything a rivalry didn’t seem to fit since we weren’t very good. There will always be friction between Miami and us due to history but has it really been a rivalry? Boston also won a championship, tanked, and then got good again and won another one while we sucked is sort of overblown. Indiana’s been crap until recent and I’m probably leaving out a few. The Nets owned us for years and then they became terrible post J Kidd so it was never competitive.

Repeating is such a huge hill to climb. With the team mostly in tact from last year and added depth I expect we are a playoff team at worst. I am hoping for ECF finals but who knows, it’s a long season and injury and trades happen.

I expect the team will stay mostly together although I’m not sure about Deuce or Dadiet. Deuce is just two small and doesn’t have that burst of craftiness that smaller guards have. Dadiet is too soft and passive to be a rotation player. I’m not question his skill just his fire and desire. I expect there will be rumors up until the trade deadline.

What do you mean man? Hoping for ECF? Nah bro. That's our team last year. Hoping for ECF. This team is Finals or bust. Hoping to repeat. We lost Mitch , who was both a liability and a problem for the other team. He is not the difference between ECF and Finals, I don't think.

Playoffs 16-2

NBA Finals trip again

Nalod wrote:
If its finals or bust, then where we bust. The Magic happend.
I can't tell you why, but it will be a different season. Injury, ego/money are the opposition. Team a year older, a short summer after long but magical season! This team did it. The bar is set. Kind of takes the fun out of it.
I don't expect a chip, pub I won't stop rooting for another.

58-24
Anything less than chip will not be fun. Hope they make a run at it as its fun as hell!

If there is going to be another chip, it will be due to one or two guys on the bench blowing our socks off. I think a healthy Shamet is our best weapon off the bench, but there's a bunch of guys who could emerge as major pieces this season.

That's where the drama will be leading into the playoffs. Who are the guys on the bench that played winning basketball and who plays well in the clutch?

I'm rooting for Kolek in particular. I think he can become a clutch player for us.

And I'm waiting to see if McCullar gets a shot and nails it, because he could be a Josh Hart 2.0 off the bench.

Even Drummond can be a big factor if he has a strong season.

I think they will try to keep Brown who really is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He could be a big bench piece in the playoffs.

Maybe somebody like Wiseman does stick and thrive.

Does Nickel get playing time and snipe his way into the rotation?

Diawara has a lot of eyes on him now. His length is incredible. He could end up being a very impactful sub if he keeps learning and develops situational acumen.

And I don't think we've heard the last of Jaden Akins. He might have to go back to Westchester, but he is a good player they seem to be keeping on their radar.

It's our bench that will dictate if we can go back to the finals. Our starters are proven, but it always takes a village to go the distance.

There's lot of stories on the bench to keep this season's narrative interesting.

BlueKnickers wrote:

Nalod wrote:
If its finals or bust, then where we bust. The Magic happend.
I can't tell you why, but it will be a different season. Injury, ego/money are the opposition. Team a year older, a short summer after long but magical season! This team did it. The bar is set. Kind of takes the fun out of it.
I don't expect a chip, pub I won't stop rooting for another.

58-24
Anything less than chip will not be fun. Hope they make a run at it as its fun as hell!

If there is going to be another chip, it will be due to one or two guys on the bench blowing our socks off. I think a healthy Shamet is our best weapon off the bench, but there's a bunch of guys who could emerge as major pieces this season.

That's where the drama will be leading into the playoffs. Who are the guys on the bench that played winning basketball and who plays well in the clutch?

I'm rooting for Kolek in particular. I think he can become a clutch player for us.

And I'm waiting to see if McCullar gets a shot and nails it, because he could be a Josh Hart 2.0 off the bench.

Even Drummond can be a big factor if he has a strong season.

I think they will try to keep Brown who really is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He could be a big bench piece in the playoffs.

Maybe somebody like Wiseman does stick and thrive.

Does Nickel get playing time and snipe his way into the rotation?

Diawara has a lot of eyes on him now. His length is incredible. He could end up being a very impactful sub if he keeps learning and develops situational acumen.

And I don't think we've heard the last of Jaden Akins. He might have to go back to Westchester, but he is a good player they seem to be keeping on their radar.

It's our bench that will dictate if we can go back to the finals. Our starters are proven, but it always takes a village to go the distance.

There's lot of stories on the bench to keep this season's narrative interesting.

We need to keep Brown. If that means we need to jettison another non rotation player then so be it. I think Wiseman is a lock and the last spot is a Dolan judgement call2nd apron be damned. BTW **** the apron. I only watched a few minutes of Boston but Mitch is just one of those guys who doesn’t seek the spotlight but makes a team better.

ramtour420 wrote:

Rookie wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

Nalod wrote:
If its finals or bust, then where we bust. The Magic happend.
I can't tell you why, but it will be a different season. Injury, ego/money are the opposition. Team a year older, a short summer after long but magical season! This team did it. The bar is set. Kind of takes the fun out of it.
I don't expect a chip, pub I won't stop rooting for another.

58-24
Anything less than chip will not be fun. Hope they make a run at it as its fun as hell!

If there is going to be another chip, it will be due to one or two guys on the bench blowing our socks off. I think a healthy Shamet is our best weapon off the bench, but there's a bunch of guys who could emerge as major pieces this season.

That's where the drama will be leading into the playoffs. Who are the guys on the bench that played winning basketball and who plays well in the clutch?

I'm rooting for Kolek in particular. I think he can become a clutch player for us.

And I'm waiting to see if McCullar gets a shot and nails it, because he could be a Josh Hart 2.0 off the bench.

Even Drummond can be a big factor if he has a strong season.

I think they will try to keep Brown who really is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He could be a big bench piece in the playoffs.

Maybe somebody like Wiseman does stick and thrive.

Does Nickel get playing time and snipe his way into the rotation?

Diawara has a lot of eyes on him now. His length is incredible. He could end up being a very impactful sub if he keeps learning and develops situational acumen.

And I don't think we've heard the last of Jaden Akins. He might have to go back to Westchester, but he is a good player they seem to be keeping on their radar.

It's our bench that will dictate if we can go back to the finals. Our starters are proven, but it always takes a village to go the distance.

There's lot of stories on the bench to keep this season's narrative interesting.

We need to keep Brown. If that means we need to jettison another non rotation player then so be it. I think Wiseman is a lock and the last spot is a Dolan judgement call2nd apron be damned. BTW **** the apron. I only watched a few minutes of Boston but Mitch is just one of those guys who doesn’t seek the spotlight but makes a team better.

Yep.All day everyday .And then Game 5 of ECF comes and the coach has to pull him because Mitch is building a brick house at the line. BTW, what does Mitch say about it? "They are scared of my impact, that's why they are trying to get me out of the game" No Mitch, that's not how it works. You are at the line because that's the weak link on the floor.

Hard to deny Mitch’s affect on the plus minus for our second unit last year. Curious to see if that can be replaced. Add his ability to stop high scoring bigs especially With guys like Embid and Greek healthy this year, Mitch will be missed.

The realist in me sees a much improved East this year. Miami will be tougher, Celts are deep, Detroit another year of maturity, Sixers improved. And the bottom tier got better as well. See the Knicks around the 40-45 number. With playoffs more competitive. The optimist in me sees the Knicks with another chip and blowing out all the above mentioned bums.

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Nalod wrote:

ToddTT wrote:I don’t know. It looks like we may have lost our edge.

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