This is Jalen Brunson's moment to cook
Some truths are self-evident. Thomas Jefferson, writing on deadline, noted one hot Philadelphia night in 1776: 'All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'
Those were big ones.
There are others: the inarguable pleasure of a hot-fudge sundae (or a cold beer) on a stifling summer day; the genius of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;' the four-sided brilliance of 'Exile on Main Street;' Jonathan Groff channeling Bobby Darin in 'Just in Time.'
As it pertains to the Knicks, the self-evident truth is the simplest one of all:
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Leon Rose's daughter shares ‘special' look at Knicks' playoff run in new video
As far as Brooke Rose is concerned, the journey is still unwritten for this Knicks team following their heartbreaking playoff ouster. One day after the Knicks fell to the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday, the daughter of Knicks president Leon Rose recapped the 'special' run in an Instagram video that highlighted different moments throughout the postseason. Advertisement 'This chapter might have ended, but the story is far from over.. beyond proud of this team. truly something special,' she captioned Sunday's post. '🔒. forever.' The video captured wild celebrations at Madison Square Garden, along with scenes from the Knicks knocking off the Pistons and Celtics en route to their first conference finals appearance since 2000. 6 Knicks president Leon Rose with his daughter, Brooke Rose. Brooke Rose/Instagram Advertisement The Knicks opened the series against the Pacers at home by choking away a Game 1 lead within the final moments of regulation, paving the way for Indiana's 138-135 overtime win at MSG in May. 6 Scenes from Brooke Rose's Knicks recap video shared on Instagram. Brooke Rose/Instagram 6 The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Brooke Rose/Instagram Advertisement The Knicks then found themselves in a two-game hole entering Game 3 in Indiana, but rallied back in the second half to claim their first victory of the best-of-seven series, 106-100. Although they rebounded from a Game 4 defeat with a resounding 111-94 win at MSG in Game 5, the Knicks fell flat in the second half of Game 6 Saturday, ending their season with a 125-108 loss. 6 Leon Rose during the Knicks' playoff run in April 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 6 He high-fived Karl-Anthony Towns during the first round of the NBA playoffs in April 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Advertisement 'There were stretches where we played very good defense and stretches where we didn't,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'Once we dig into it and look at: Was it our defense, or was it our turnovers? Probably both.' Although it's going to take a beat to digest the loss, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson is 'overconfident' the team — which added Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges this season — can take the next step. 6 Brooke Rose said she's 'beyond proud' of the team. Brooke Rose/Instagram 'There's not an ounce of any type of doubt that I'm not confident with this group,' Brunson said. '… We have a lot of guys that just genuinely want to work hard to be better, and I like that, and I appreciate my teammates and everything they do and everything they believe in.' Towns, who drew the ire of local sports personalities in the wake of Saturday's season-ending loss, arrived in New York in October following a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bridges joined former Villanova teammates Hart and Brunson following a trade with the Nets in June 2024 — a move Brooke hinted at on social media at the time.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Former NBA star defends Karl-Anthony Towns after Knicks loss as criticism mounts
Sweet Lou wants no more KAT attacks. Social media has been ablaze with controversy as Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns has received loads of criticism for his uneven performance during the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers. Towns, whom the Knicks acquired shortly before training camp, has been the center of potential trade rumors as fans clamor for a big move to put the team over the top. But former three-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams wants fans to ease up. 'They gotta get off KAT back,' Williams said on 'Run it Back' recently. 'We also gotta stop allowing X and Instagram to be our GMs. Ain't a lot of KATs laying around where you can just get rid of him and feel like you're going to have a better opportunity to win basketball games. 'If you got an opportunity to go get a Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or somebody, sure, you take a look at everything. But other than that, that was his first season as a New York Knick and they got to the Eastern Conference finals. There's a lot of room for adjustments to be made … If it wasn't for KAT, y'all would've been sent home 72 hours earlier anyways.' 3 Karl-Anthony Towns walks off the court after being eliminated. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Towns averaged 21.4 points per game and 11.6 rebounds in the playoffs, a steady increase from the year prior when he was a member of the Timberwolves and tallied 19.1 points and nine rebounds per game. However, this series highlighted his defensive deficiencies and some have questioned whether he and Jalen Brunson he is the co-star to work alongside Jalen Brunson. Some are calling for Towns, a 29-year-old who just made third team All-NBA, to be traded for pennies on the dollar. 3 Lou Williams says there's too much chaos surrounding the Knicks. X, @RunItBackFDTV The same can be said for coach Tom Thibodeau, who may be looking for a new job despite bringing the team to their first conference finals appearance since 2000. There had been some speculation that Towns could be included in a trade for Antetokounmpo, although it is unclear if the Bucks' star will be traded this offseason. Williams seems to believe in this group of Knicks. 'So give these guys credit and give them an opportunity to get better and grow,' Williams said. 'When you get to the Eastern Conference finals, and you feel really confident about the group you've put together and the coaching staff you have, you don't rattle the fence because it didn't go your way. You rebuild, you make adjustments and you give yourself another shot next season.' 3 Karl-Anthony Towns could be on the trade block this offseason. NBAE via Getty Images The Post's Stefan Bondy points out that if the Knicks wanted to control this situation, they could have by having media availability like every other team in the league when their seasons ends. However, the lack of comments from a front office executive opens the door for chatter about Towns' future in New York. 'This would be a good time for Leon Rose to reemerge and publicly accentuate the positives of the season while backing Towns, his former client when Rose was a power agent,' Bondy wrote. 'It'd be an opportunity to take back a narrative that's gone too far negative after a spirited run. Unfortunately, the Garden policy is no media availability when it's not mandated by the NBA.'
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Court Sense: The small-market NBA Finals
I joked a few months ago, in the aftermath of a Celtics-Lakers primetime showdown at TD Garden, that Adam Silver might be dreaming of a Boston-Los Angeles NBA Finals, a surefire ratings bonanza renewing the league's biggest rivalry in the Finals for a 13th time. Well, Adam, get ready to learn America's heartland, buddy! The NBA Finals are set, Does it matter? Not really. Ratings are important, but they're not exactly a direct revenue driver for the league, which is paid a fixed amount in its rights deals. It helps that a shiny new deal was inked last summer (roughly $76 billion over 11 years — I think the league will be OK). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Most expected the Thunder to be here after Oklahoma City won an NBA-best 68 games during the regular season, the highest win total since the Warriors' record-setting 73-win campaign in 2015-16. Behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the league's best defense, the Thunder swept aside the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals with relative ease. Advertisement But the Pacers? Who were set as 50-to-1 longshots to win the title before the season and finished 14 games off the pace in the Eastern Conference? Not so much. Indiana's been on some run this postseason, taking care of the Bucks in the opening round, burying the top-seeded Cavaliers in the second round, and closing out the Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference finals. Advertisement They've caught a couple of breaks: Bucks star Damian Lillard tore his Achilles' in the first round; Indiana didn't have to go through the Celtics after Boston's incredibly cursed second round series against New York; and the Knicks are, after all, still the Knicks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) and Tyrese Haliburton will do battle in the NBA Finals. Kyle Phillips/Associated Press The Thunder are big favorites and for good reason. They suffocate the NBA's best offenses while their own is driven by the MVP, a combination that has resulted in a team that looks ready for a coronation. But at this point, how can you count out these Pacers? Indiana, 12-4 in the postseason, has swept aside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, smoked the 64-win Cavaliers, The Pacers will need to be pretty much perfect to take down the Thunder. Or they need to keep casting whatever spells they've been using to get this far. Either works. (Anyway: Thunder in five.) Let's get into it. ICYMI 🗞️ Tyrese Haliburton will lead the Pacers into their first Finals since 2000. Michael Conroy/Associated Press You may not know much about the Pacers and Thunder, but you'll enjoy the show they put on in the NBA Finals By Gary Washburn Celtics faithful are still in their mourning period, despite the pleasure taken from the Knicks losing to the Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference finals. Similar to two years ago, the Celtics watched a conference foe they feel they're better than advance to the NBA Finals. The Pacers earned their way to this matchup with the Thunder, learning from their conference finals sweep at the hands of the Celtics last year and bringing back a more experienced and savvy roster. Advertisement Although this is not an NBA Finals featuring any of the league's darling markets, it is the best team in each conference, which makes for a compelling matchup. The Pacers and Thunder are a lot alike, their cornerstone players each acquired through trade. Other top stories we're watching ... Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge is leaving for new role as Jazz president of basketball operations. You know who really loved the Knicks' playoff exit at the hands of the Pacers? The NBA offseason hasn't really kicked into gear, but the potential moves of stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant could shift the landscape in the Celtics' favor. Trivia Tuesday 🧠 Congratulations to Nathan Weinberger of Cambridge, the first person to correctly answer last week's question. As a refresher, we asked you to name the two single-digit uniform numbers that have never been worn by a Celtics player. The answer is Nos. 1 and 2 . The former was retired in honor of Celtics founder Walter Brown in 1964 and the latter in honor of legendary coach and executive Red Auerbach in 1985. Neither number had been officially issued to a player in the years before they were raised to the rafters at the Boston Garden. Walter Brown (left) and Red Auerbach (right) have numbers retired in the Garden rafters, despite never having suited up for the team as players. Paul Connell/Globe Staff Here's this week's question: When the Celtics won the 1986 NBA Finals, which Celtic finished the series with a perfect 3 for 3 shooting from the field? (Hint: He's got some important basketball games coming up!) Know the answer? Send us an email at The Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week Congratulations to TNT's Charles Barkley, a first-time winner of the Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week. In their final series covering the NBA for TNT, the 'Inside the NBA' crew was high — and I mean high — above the court at Madison Square Garden, Advertisement 'We up in the clouds, I could touch God right now,' Barkley said. 'That's the only chance I'm ever going to get to see him. I'm going to hell.'But I'll see a lot of y'all with me. A lot of y'all laughing at home — I'm [going to] see you!' As this show moves to TNT, I'm already ready to riot if ESPN tries to sanitize the 'Inside the NBA' guys. Don't you do it, Disney! This story first appeared in Court Sense, a biweekly Celtics newsletter from Boston Globe Sports. Amin Touri can be reached at
