Knicks fans have one clear beef with the The Post's Mount Postmore selections
The Post kicked off its 15-part Most Postmore series Wednesday, starting with our selections for the Knicks.
And as you'd expect with one of the most passionate fan bases in sports, the list elicited a range of reactions.
The biggest gripe in response to the list — which featured Patrick Ewing, Jalen Brunson, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed — was the inclusion of Brunson.
Despite his tremendous output since arriving at MSG, Brunson has only spent three seasons in New York and hasn't reached the Finals, which appears to be the most common argument against No. 11.
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San Francisco Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pacers guard T.J. McConnell could play key role on whether NBA Finals go to Game 7
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell just keeps doing the unthinkable. At 6-foot-1, he repeatedly backs his way into the paint and outmaneuvers the NBA's giants for scores. At age 33, he still runs the court with a speed opponents struggle to contend with. And defensively, he often harasses some of the league's top stars into miscues. Now, though, McConnell faces his biggest challenge: Potentially replacing two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton on Thursday night as the Pacers try to extend their season against Oklahoma City in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton said Wednesday he will try to play through the strained right calf because of the stakes. Coach Rick Carlisle called his catalyst a game-time decision, an indication that at the very least, McConnell could log more minutes than usual. Either way, McConnell promises he'll be ready. 'I've just got to inject energy, like I always do,' McConnell said after Wednesday's practice. 'Our starters have willed us here and we've just kind of got to go in there and, like I said, inject energy where it's needed and do our jobs.' So far, he has thrived in the spotlight. While McConnell's averages of 9.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds in 16.7 minutes look ordinary, his presence has been extraordinary. He became the first bench player in Finals history to record five assists and five steals in one game, and he helped the Pacers cut a 16-point second-half deficit to two while Haliburton struggled in Monday's 120-109 loss that gave the Thunder a 3-2 lead. But it's the way he plays the game that has made McConnell such a fan favorite in a basketball-loving state that prefers toughness and defense to stars or point totals. The truth is, this is how he learned the game from his father, Tim, a longtime prep coach from suburban Pittsburgh who has become a regular in the crowd during this playoff run. 'Everyone knows what they've got to do when they're on the floor with T.J.,' Pacers forward Obi Toppin said. 'We expect him to get in the paint. We expect him to move the ball. We know what he's doing when we're out there, so it makes our job easier.' Toppin, McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin have formed a tight bond on the court despite their differing backgrounds and styles. Toppin, the 2019-20 College Basketball Player of the Year, and Mathurin, the first Canadian-born player to attend the NBA's Latin America Academy, were lottery picks. Toppin also won the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk title, while Mathurin was a 2023 all-rookie selection. McConnell, meanwhile, went undrafted out of Arizona — the same school Mathurin attended — and has had to repeatedly reprove himself. The critics at Duquesne thought he was too scrawny to make a difference even at a non-power conference school only to watch the Pittsburgh-tough guy transfer to Arizona and help the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight in his two seasons in Tucson. McConnell's strong preseason in 2015 prompted the Philadelphia 76ers to keep him for the next four seasons before letting him test free agency and land with the Pacers. Then early last season, it appeared McConnell's career might be teetering. Carlisle told McConnell early last season he wouldn't be in the regular rotation, a discussion Carlisle described as one of the toughest he's ever had. But McConnell wasn't discouraged. "I think coaches in the league have a tough job because you can't please everybody, so sometimes you're the odd man out," he said. 'So you can put your head down and sulk about it and make excuses or you can put your head down and go to work. I chose the latter." The Pacers couldn't be happier with the results. McConnell played so well during last year's breakout playoff run that Indiana gave him a four-year, $45 million contract extension and played even better during this year's run to the Eastern Conference title. Can he help save their season Thursday night? Perhaps. Just don't count him out. 'We've been in this position before,' McConnell said. 'So we just, you know, we can't flinch. We've got to be ready for the challenge because they're going to come out ready and, like I said, we just have more work to do.' ___
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Adam Silver: NBA ‘should be exploring' expansion
Commissioner Adam Silver offered hope to cities looking to land an NBA franchise, saying Thursday that the league "should be exploring" expansion. Silver addressed the media in his annual state-of-the-league talk ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the host Oklahoma City Thunder. Regarding the addition of teams, Silver said, "I don't think it's automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the future of the league. As I've said before, expansion in a way is selling equity in the league. If you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. "On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States and elsewhere -- I think markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve." In terms of potential expansion locations, Silver said, "There's been no lack of interest. I essentially have said to people from several different cities, 'We're just not engaging in that process right now.' "I want to be fair to everyone. So I don't want to have meetings with some and not others. So if we were to say yes, we're now going to move into a more formal exploratory phase. We would take those meetings, and in addition likely we would engage with outside advisers who would look at markets, look at economic opportunities and media opportunities, etc." The NBA hasn't expanded since the then-Charlotte Bobcats joined ahead of the 2004-05 season. Las Vegas and Seattle are widely viewed as the top targets for future teams, with Mexico City potentially in the mix, too. Silver addressed several other topics: --While a spate of regular-season injuries prompted speculation about the NBA cutting down the 82-game regular season, Silver dismissed the notion of a lighter schedule. "Money's part of it, there's no question about it," Silver said. "We're a business. Having said that, I don't really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it will lead to a reduction in a number of injuries. We have absolutely no data to suggest that. ... "Injuries are considered down this playoffs from what has been historically our second-lowest in 10 years. So we have pretty healthy teams coming into the Finals now." --After the success of the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA is likely to switch to nationality-based format for the 2026 All-Star Game in Inglewood, Calif. "I don't think a straight-up USA versus World makes sense," Silver said. "That's not what they did in the NHL, either. There probably will be some different teams we form." Noting that the 2026 game will be played amid the Winter Olympics in Italy, Silver said, "I think we can play off that nationalism. ... I think there's a real opportunity to create enhanced interest and enhanced competition from the players." --Silver lauded the fact that the NBA is about to crown its seventh different champion in seven years. "We set out to create a system that allowed for more competition around the league, the goal being to have 30 teams all in a position, if well-managed, to be competing for championships," he said. "And that's what we're seeing here. ... "The goal isn't necessarily to have a different champion every year. It's to have, as we said before, parity of opportunity." --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Thunder one win from title, expect ‘best punch' from Pacers in Game 6
One win away from the first NBA title in franchise history, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault believes preparation for Game 6 of the Finals on Thursday night at Indianapolis boils down to how the other sneaker fits. 'We're always trying to put ourselves in our opponent's shoes,' Daigneault said of Oklahoma City's focus with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series ahead of the first elimination game of the NBA Finals. 'Zero and zero mindset. We're not introducing any new concepts right now, we're just relying on the psychological habits we've built over time.' Perspective might be more challenging for Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle as his squad faces the task of attempting to win two consecutive games against the Thunder with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton at less than full strength. Carlise said Wednesday it will be late afternoon or early evening Thursday before the Pacers have a realistic feel for what Haliburton can contribute as Indiana attempts to send the series back to Oklahoma City for Game 7 on Sunday night. He participated in walkthrough Wednesday, but the 30-minute session involved no 'real running' by Carlisle's assessment. 'I think it depends on who you ask. I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions,' Haliburton said of how he'll decide to play. 'But I'm a competitor. I want to play. I'm going to do everything in my power to play.' Haliburton scored 22 points and was one rebound shy of a triple-double in Indiana's Game 3 victory on June 11. Since that win, a calf strain has hampered his performance, which followed a tweaked ankle in Game 2. As Oklahoma City turned a 2-1 series deficit to a 3-2 advantage, Haliburton has struggled from the field, hitting just 7 of 21 shots from the field over the past two games, including a 1-for-11 clip from 3-point range. He has totaled just 22 points in 70 minutes. 'You don't underestimate great players. In the case that he plays, we're expecting his best punch,' Daigneault said. 'You don't underestimate great teams. In the event he doesn't play, we're expecting Indiana's best.' Heroes of the series emerged from almost every segment of the rotation. Haliburton's near-triple-double in Game 3 was underscored by Indiana's 49 bench points, 27 from Bennedict Mathurin and five steals from T.J. McConnell. Andrew Nembhard shifted to point guard in Haliburton's place in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, when the Pacers overcame a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Knicks in Games 6 and 7. 'I think obviously Tyrese is a big part of what we do. Whether he plays or not, I think it's going to be a team thing,' Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. 'We have to together all step up. The importance of the game, we just all have to take a step forward. It's going to be down the line. 'I don't think any one of us should feel like one person is going to have to do it. It's going to be collective.' Siakam put up 28 points and stepped up in the fourth quarter of Game 5 without Haliburton. More of the same is in order if the Pacers wish to keep up with OKC's 1-2 punch. Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a combined 66 points in Games 4 and 5. But the national spotlight has been shared with Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams, who tallied 67 points over the same span, including a 40-point outburst in Game 5 with the Pacers setting a defense determined to help and force the ball out of SGA's hands. 'It makes me sound like a jerk,' Williams said of not answering his phone the past week to keep the focus on winning a title. 'A big thing for us -- we've done a really good job of focusing on us.' Gilgeous-Alexander said being 'on the cusp of winning is not winning, and the way I see it, winning is all that matters.' He credited the organization for building the culture and environment to make the Thunder a marvel of a turnaround story. He said he's buoyed at this point in the season by the closeness of the locker room and how much fun the entire team is having. 'Focusing on Game 6,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'Focusing on just being the best version of myself for this basketball team for whatever it takes -- however many games it is, however many possessions are needed, however many moments. Stay in the moment, and just try to stick to that script.' Oklahoma City led 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals and lost Game 6 to Denver before a dramatic effort to take Game 7. Williams said Oklahoma City didn't 'come out ready to play' in that Game 6. Carlisle said the Pacers are leaning on the experience of trailing the Knicks 3-2 last summer, when Gainbridge Fieldhouse turned into an energy-feeding advantage for Game 6. 'Buckle down, stand strong,' Carlisle said of his message to the team. But with SGA and Williams both averaging over 30 points per game the last three games, Oklahoma City expects nothing less than greatness on Thursday. 'Most of the great players are art. They're unbelievably unique,' Daigneault said. 'That's every great player. Siakam is like that. Haliburton is like that. They're one of one. All the great players are. ... They're great players, but they do it inside the team (concept) and don't suffocate the team.' Daigneault isn't yet talking specifically about the spoils at stake Thursday night. 'We've tried to take a stack mindset to everything we've done. Even when the team was rebuilding. You can't skip steps in the process,' Daigneault said. 'We want to win the game tomorrow. 'But the most important thing we can do is prepare today, prepare tomorrow. Play the first possession really well. And then the next possession. Win today. The minute you start to drift mentally into the future and into the past, it impacts your ability to stack the next thing.' Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
