On the evening of April 23, the Knicks trailed Atlanta 2-1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, after back-to-back one-point losses. Since then, the Knicks have won eleven playoff games in a row (home team listed first):
04/25: Atlanta 98 - 114 New York
04/28: New York 126 - 97 Atlanta
04/30: Atlanta 89 - 140 New York (Knicks win 4-2)
05/04: New York 137 - 98 Philadelphia
05/06: New York 108 - 102 Philadelphia
05/08: Philadelphia 94 - 108 New York
05/10: Philadelphia 114 - 144 New York (Knicks win 4-0)
05/19: New York 115 - 104 Cleveland (OT)
05/21: New York 109 - 93 Cleveland
05/23: Cleveland 108 - 121 New York
05/25: Cleveland 93 - 130 New York (Knicks win 4-0)
I don't remember a run like this since the 1983 Sixers, and that was 43 years ago.
The NBA Finals start on June 3, so this list means that the Knicks will have a perfect 8-0 record in the month of May, which is amazing.
Meanwhile, the Thunder/Spurs series is very much up for grabs:
05/18: Oklahoma City 115 - 122 San Antonio (Double OT)
05/20: Oklahoma City 122 - 113 San Antonio
05/22: San Antonio 108 - 123 Oklahoma City
05/24: San Antonio 103 - 82 Oklahoma City
Game Five is in OKC tonight, and it should be a cracker. In fact, the title is very much up for grabs. Here are the current odds to win the NBA Championship:
Oklahoma City: +110
New York: +210
San Antonio +270
OKC 69 - 58 SA (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteWemby: 11 points, 1 rebound, minus 4
SGA: 19 points, 3 assists, 5 turnovers, plus 7
OKC opens the second half with a 7-0 run, and they now lead 76-58.
ReplyDeleteAt one point, OKC was up 83-63, but the Spurs are coming back. OKC leads 87-76 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.
ReplyDeleteOKC 87 - 79 SA (5:39 left)
ReplyDeleteSpurs currently on a 16-4 run. Thunder call time.
Wemby: 14 points, 2 rebounds, minus 1
DeleteSGA: 24 points, 4 assists, 5 turnovers, plus 4
After 3 quarters, OKC leads 101-91.
ReplyDeleteWemby: 16 points, 3 rebounds, minus 4
SGA: 30 points, 6 assists, 6 turnovers, plus 9
After 40 minutes, OKC leads 107-95.
ReplyDeleteOKC 107 - 96 SA (7:25 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteSGA is plus 3 in this game. Isaiah Hartenstein is plus 20.
OKC 112 - 99 SA (6:11 left in 4th)
ReplyDeleteThe Thunder lead 118-103 with 3:42 left, and they will take a 3-2 lead to Game Six on Thursday night.
ReplyDeleteOKC wins 127-114 after going 14-32 from behind the arc.
ReplyDeleteWemby: 20 points, 6 rebounds, minus 8
SGA: 32 points, 9 assists, 6 turnovers, plus 8
I think the Spurs will win Game Six and then we'll be back in OKC for the decider on Saturday Night.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central on Channel 3. It's Spurs at Knicks, and New York leads the best-of-seven series, 2-0. I've had on most of both games so far on mute while I did other stuff, and here are three things that have struck me: Jalen Brunson never seems to miss a shot; Victor Wembanyama looks like he might some day be the best basketball player in the world, and Karl-Anthony Towns has suddenly aged into a grand old man of the game. It seems like Wembanyama should dominate Towns, and sometimes he has, but that matchup is at best (from the perspective of Spurs fans) a draw leaning in New York's favor. Towns has frustrated Wembanyama at both ends of the court (especially when San Antonio is on offense), and so we are where we are in the series.
ReplyDeleteI did turn up the volume to listen to ABC interview Towns after Game 2, and, if you want to feel better about the prospects of our country and species, take a listen to that 30-year-old dude. And now I want to see The Devil Wears Prada 2.
That last, about the finals, was mine. I just discovered a slew of my old comments to various Heath posts awaiting moderation, and I was thrilled to approve them all!
ReplyDelete