NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Redz]

The Knicks winning the title is kind of crazy. Its only the second time in like the last 40 years that the NBA champ didn't have a MVP or DPOY on the roster. They were only a +6.4 and a 3 seed in the regular season which is low for a champion. They didn't hit the 40/20 rule.

So why did they win? They shot 39.1% from three and allowed only 31.4% from three in the playoffs. That's a +7.7% net. This is the shooting variance the Celtic were hoping for. The Knicks had massive shooting luck. Now credit to them they also came up clutch a number of times, but if the Spurs do make dumb mistakes late in two games this might be 3-2 Spurs now right.

To put that 39.1% in perspective the last 8 NBA champs in the playoffs:

Knicks: 39.1%
Thunder: 33.8%
Celtics: 36%
Nuggets: 37.5%
Warrior: 37.5%
Bucks: 32.1%
Lakers: 35.4%
Raptors: 34.6%

The Knicks are an outlier, even out shooting the 2022 Warriors and 2023 Nuggets each of which employed one of the best offensive engines of all time in Curry an Jokic.

Just a crazy heater.

Crazy stats indeed.

Confidence breeds hot shooting and hot shooting breeds confidence.  I just think they were a supremely confident group, who knew, from experience, that they could come back on anyone if they just stuck to it.

[Vermont Green]

Break this down a little further, by half (3P%):

            1st Half     2nd Half
NYK       37.5%         35.9%
SAS       39.4%         26.8%

I think this is partially due to NYK being more veteran and able to handle the pressure better.  But I also think that SAS wore down with the way they played defense.  They pressured NYK all game and it takes a toll.  Overall, every team I checked shot a little worse in the 2nd half.  Players get tired, shots don't fall quite as much.  If I find time, I may do a deeper dive into 1st half vs. 2nd half 3-point shooting.

[jambr380]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

[Phantom255x]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

Championship hangover. It's also not a surprise, most big market fanbases when their team wins it all will downvote anything disgracing their team or players lol.

Brunson could be Top-10 right now when you factor in the recent run, but Tatum and Giannis should still be ahead of him assuming health.

[Celtics2021]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

Championship hangover, with a side of value in that he makes like $20 million less.

[keevsnick]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

Championship hangover, with a side of value in that he makes like $20 million less.

I wouldn't call it crazy to have Brunson ahead of Tatum RIGHT NOW given the title run and Tatum's injury recovery. It's the kind of thing where I would 100% expect Tatum to be back in front by the middle of next season assuming he's healthy. Tatum is clearly the better player but I think it's okay to live with the moment on some of these lists, especially the ones that update frequently.
 

[Who]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

Championship hangover. It's also not a surprise, most big market fanbases when their team wins it all will downvote anything disgracing their team or players lol.

Brunson could be Top-10 right now when you factor in the recent run, but Tatum and Giannis should still be ahead of him assuming health.

A lot of people had Brunson top 10 before this run. Perhaps the majority of people.

This "Brunson is top 5" is only part of the talk. He is also being talked as the "Greatest Knick Ever" ahead of Pat Ewing, Willis Reed & Walt Frazier. Bill Simmons was updating his basketball rankings and he has moved Brunson ahead of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd in his all-time rankings. So Brunson as a top 5 player is pretty mild compared to some of the other stuff being said.

Here is a quick clip (13sec) of Bill Simmons

https://streamable.com/c1xmwl

He is putting Brunson ahead of Nash, Kidd, Sam Jones, Gervin, Harden, and Luka Doncic.

After leading his Knicks to an NBA championship and being crowned Finals MVP, Jalen Brunson has received yet another accolade: being called the "greatest Knick of all-time" by Kendrick Perkins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSiMpQI7pQo

Perk segment is 2:50 in to 6:00 mark. Top Knick of All-Time and Top 75 player of All-Time.

[Who]

I feel like I?m going crazy. I was just on Reddit and there was a discussion about how Brunson was ranked #5. I said that I would have Giannis and Tatum ahead of him and I got totally downvoted (remember the days of negative Tommy Points?) and basically told I was an idiot.

Is this just championship hangover stuff that will pass or would GMs honestly trade Giannis or Tatum for Brunson?

Tatum > Brunson
Tatum > Giannis

I would prefer Brunson over Giannis due to Giannis' age & injury troubles. Brunson is also easier to play with. Giannis is difficult to play with offensively.

Giannis is still better than Brunson in the here and now but his injuries would make me chose Brunson over Giannis in a trade.

[Who]

Interesting comment

It?s an interesting debate, but it?s not just the ring with Brunson.

He?s just an insane playoff riser and clutch scorer.

Since he got to the Knicks in 2022-2023, he has scored more playoff points and waaay more 4th quarter playoff points than anyone else in the league. And he has a series winning shot and a Finals MVP. I just think this speaks for itself.

That is pretty cool. Most playoff points & Q4 points over the last 4 years. Not easy to do.

[jambr380]

Alright, you guys have made me feel a little better. I didn?t know if I was just delusional or not. Nobody likes to see their comments heavily downvoted when they aren?t trying to be a troll.

FWIW, I absolutely respect Brunson and it?s impressive what he has been able to accomplish as a small guard.

[Who]

Yaron Weitzman

So there's this idea floating around that one reason the Knicks turned things around was because James Dolan was so consumed by the Sphere that he stopped meddling with the basketball operation. Easy narrative. Also false. A few examples:

1. Dolan regularly met with Thibs and Mike Brown in his office after games ? and not briefly. Ask any reporter who covered games at MSG. Postgame press conferences started late all the time because the coach was in with Dolan.

2. Did everyone forget that Dolan was in player exit meetings last year? Or that he was the driving force behind the decision to replace Thibs? That, obviously, turned out to be the correct call. But firing your head coach after the team's best season in 25 years is not the move of a hands-off owner.

3. His son Quentin doesn't just work for the team. He's the Senior Vice President of Player Performance/Science Leader. That's not a title-only role. There are plenty of other examples. These are just three public ones. None of this is a criticism of Dolan. But the idea that he faded into the background in recent years isn't accurate.

[Who]

Roland Beech:

One under-discussed roster-building trait: PHYSICALITY VERSATILITY. By tracking direct H2H physicality matchups - drives, screens, post-ups, box-outs, rim contests, ball pressure, bumps, grabs, and more - we can see which players consistently win physical battles against different opponent types.

Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns gave New York a rare three-man foundation of near matchup-proof physical wins. And all five starters were positive. That is a championship-level team-building edge.

Down the bottom of the picture. All 5 starters were positive. Overall they won 2/3rds of their physical battles.

Is this the same thing that 82games has been doing for the last year? I think is. Looks similar. Ah yes, google search says Roland Beech was the founder of 82games. Okay.

[Goldstar88]

During the interview on WFAN, Dolan was asked if he wanted to bring back the entire team, which would be one of the favorites to get back to the Finals if intact.

"I don't know if we'll be able to.

"We're willing to stretch, but there's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron," he told the WFAN.

Dolan said he'll put the personnel decisions in the hands of Knicks president Leon Rose.

"I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check into the second apron," Dolan told the WFAN.

[Celtics2021]

During the interview on WFAN, Dolan was asked if he wanted to bring back the entire team, which would be one of the favorites to get back to the Finals if intact.

"I don't know if we'll be able to.

"We're willing to stretch, but there's certain things in the NBA that you'd have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron," he told the WFAN.

Dolan said he'll put the personnel decisions in the hands of Knicks president Leon Rose.

"I'll write as big of a check as possible, but I can't write a check into the second apron," Dolan told the WFAN.

For perspective, the Knicks are $16 million from the second apron with only 9 players.  If they follow through with that, they could largely only fill their roster with minimum salary players and maybe a taxpayer MLE.  They would not be able to retain Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet, barring one taking a very significant discount, or if one of their top 5 is traded.  Jose Alvarado also has a $4.5 million player option which he is probably 50/50 to pick up.