Latest news with #Knicks'
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Jalen Brunson incredulous over Tom Thibodeau job security question: ‘Come on'
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson did not appreciate the question. But it had to be asked. And Brunson didn't leave any gray area in his response. Is Tom Thibodeau the right coach to take this Knicks team to the next level? 'Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he's the right guy,' Brunson said after the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6, season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 'Yes. Come on.' Thibodeau completed his fifth season with the Knicks, which also marked his most successful with the team. He took over a perennial bottom-feeding franchise and reached the postseason four of his five seasons. Tom Thibodeau reacts during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. AP There has been year-over-year improvement nearly every season. This year, he got the Knicks within two wins of the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson reacts during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg But he also has never reached the Finals in his long career as a head coach. It's led some to wonder whether there might be someone better to elevate the Knicks to that stature. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. For his own part, Thibodeau believes that next step is within reach. 'There's disappointment because you fall short of what your goal is,' Thibodeau said. 'And in the end there's only going to be one team that achieves the goal. So I think the challenge for us is to look at it for what it is. We finished in the top three. But we're falling short of the ultimate goal. 'For us, it's to use that as motivation and determination to work all summer to prepare ourselves to make the final step to keep improving so we can achieve our goal. I think that's the way we have to approach it and that's the way we have to look at it. It's improvement from last year, but it's ultimately not what our ultimate goal is.'
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Pacers troll Knicks fans using New York Post back pages
The Knicks' season ended in painful fashion on Saturday night, and the Pacers showed no mercy. The team's X account even used some New York Post back pages to mercilessly troll the Knicks and their beleaguered fanbase after the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals with a 125-108 Game 6 win. The celebratory account created a heavily photoshopped image of a half-sliced rotten apple with the words 'Pacers in 6' above the apple with New York Post back pages strewn about in the background with the message of, 'start spreading the news.' Advertisement The one most prominently shown in the image was the CHOKE 2.0 headline The Post ran after the Knicks — who have now gone 52 years without an NBA title — gagged away a big lead late in their brutal Game 1 loss, which turned out to set the tone for the entire series. The team's account wasn't done trolling the Knicks. Advertisement It also posted photos of Tyrese Haliburton and Reggie Miller performing the choke signs in another photoshop image, calling back the times the two Pacers' stars broke the Knicks' hearts with late heroics.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Knicks refuse to ‘doubt' core's ability to make next NBA Finals leap
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson made his sentiment crystal clear. After falling in the Eastern Conference finals, how confident is he that this core has enough to take the next step into the NBA Finals and win a championship? Advertisement 'The most confidence,' Brunson said after the Knicks' 125-108 Game 6, season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 'Overconfident. Seriously, there's not an ounce of any type of doubt that I'm not confident with this group.' The Knicks made three major moves last offseason to build a championship contender. They sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. They parted with five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Nets. Advertisement 3 Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs after their 125-108 Game 6 Eastern Conference finals loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg They brought back OG Anunoby on the biggest contract in franchise history. Those moves, this time around, were not enough. Advertisement 'You make moves to win,' Towns said. 'It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship. We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.' Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. The Knicks, to a man, were adamant they wanted to bring back the same core next year. But they also know that there is often inevitable reality when a group falls short of its goals. Advertisement 3 Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Josh Hart reacts in frustration during the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 'You're always going to hear me say, 'Run it back,' ' Josh Hart said. 'I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I'd like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. 'But it's a business. And when you don't get to where you feel like you could've or should've, changes are made. This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I've had six or seven coaches. It's tough, we're going to have to see. Don't think you can ever be too comfortable.' What's happening on and off the Garden court Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Brunson's reasons to believe in this group lie behind the scenes. 'I've got a lot of faith in this group,' Brunson said. 'No one sees the things that me and [KAT] see every day. No one sees the type of people that we have, the workers that we have. That's what gives me the confidence, and I'm OK with that. I don't care what people think about us on the outside. I know what we've got.'
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mitchell Robinson left feeling ‘like s–t' after long road back ends with Knicks playoff heartbreak
INDIANAPOLIS — A long and arduous road back for Mitchell Robinson led him all the way back to the Knicks' starting lineup in the Eastern Conference finals. It made the way it all ended Saturday that much more painful. 'S–tty, bro. Like s–t,' Robinson described his feelings at his locker following the Knicks' season-ending 125-108 loss to the Pacers in Game 6. 'I don't even got words, to be honest with you. 'Obviously, I didn't play the full year, came back in, what, late February, March and grinded the whole time all the way up to this point. 'I'm happy that we got this far, but I don't know, man. We gave away two [games] at home early, then we were playing out of a hole, and you can't do that.' 3 Mitchell Robinson dunks the ball during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg Robinson missed the first four months of the regular season following surgery to repair an ankle injury suffered in last year's playoffs. The longest-tenured Knick returned to the starting lineup in Memphis on Feb. 28, and he appeared in 17 regular-season games and all 18 in three rounds of the playoffs. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. With the starting unit struggling defensively at the start of games, Robinson finally was inserted into the starting lineup alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 3 against the Pacers, with Josh Hart moving to a reserve role. The 7-foot Robinson provided eight points on 4-for-4 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocked shots in Game 6, with five of those boards coming on the offensive end, all in the first half. 3 Mitchell Robinson attempts to pull down a rebound during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Mitchell Robinson greets Tyrese Haliburton after the Knicks' Game 6 loss. Charles Wenzelberg He didn't have as much of a two-way impact in the second half, however, and admitted he 'should've kept my energy up, but I feel like I didn't play to my full potential.' Still, Robinson's unique ability to provide extra possessions for the Knicks on the offensive end helped keep them within four points at halftime despite slow starts by Towns and Jalen Brunson. What's happening on and off the Garden court Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Asked before the game if he still considers himself the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, Robinson replied 'of course' and '[I] still am.' The 27-year-old Robinson, who was drafted by the Knicks in the second round in 2018, has one year remaining on the four-year, $60 million extension he signed in 2022.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Josh Hart knows Knicks could be heading for ‘changes' after playoff run falls short
INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Hart is preparing for changes. The Knicks likely will not be the same next season, as much as Hart would like to see the same roster return. 'You're always going to hear me say, 'Run it back,' ' Hart said after the Knicks' season ended in dismal fashion with a 125-108, Game 6 loss to the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 'I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I'd like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. But it's a business. And when you don't get to where you feel like you could've or should've, changes are made.' It will be interesting to see how the Knicks proceed after reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. The entire core of Hart, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride are under contract for next season. 3 Josh Hart defends Tyrese Haliburton during the Knicks' 125-108 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31, 2025.. Charles Wenzelberg Coach Tom Thibodeau called it a 'big offseason' coming up. Brunson said he was 'the most confident' the current group can take the next step. But Hart has seen enough in his time in the NBA to know that things can change. 3 OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are pictured on the Knicks' bench during their Game 6 loss. Charles Wenzelberg 3 Josh Hart (l.) reacts in frustration during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers. Charles Wenzelberg 'This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I've had six or seven coaches,' Hart said. 'It's tough, we're going to have to see. Don't think you can ever be too comfortable. I'll open [the X app] one day and I'm somewhere else. That's what's disappointing the most, knowing there's a good chance this team might not be back in totality.' Former Knick Obi Toppin saved his best moments of the series for the final game. Toppin hammered the Knicks off the bench, scoring 18 points and adding six rebounds in 25 minutes. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. He was part of a monster effort by the Indiana reserves. They had 38 points. Forward Thomas Bryant scored 11 points and hit three 3-pointers. He logged a total of nine minutes in the previous four games. Thibodeau said he went to Delon Wright over the final four games of the series instead of Cam Payne because he wanted more size against Pacers backup guard T.J. McConnell. As for Landry Shamet, Thibodeau said he didn't play much in the Celtics series because Boston was only going eight deep and the idea was to match up Bridges and Anunoby against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
