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New York Post
02-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Jalen Brunson ‘overconfident' Knicks can take next step
This was not about a moral victory. It wasn't about taking solace in anything after a hard-fought series. Advertisement Jalen Brunson wanted to make that clear. He didn't view the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years as any sort of achievement. The Knicks captain, however, felt it was appropriate to acknowledge what went right this year for the Knicks, even if they fell six wins short of their ultimate goal. 'I'm not sure 'accomplished' is the word I would use here, but I think the way this team progressed this year, for me it was fun,' Brunson said after the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers in six games Saturday night. 'There were a lot of people saying we couldn't do a lot of things. A lot of negativity around what we were trying to accomplish and the way we put blinders on and went to work, that's something I was proud of with this team. I'm proud of how we stayed the course.' Advertisement Jalen Brunson reacts during the fourth quarter of the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31. Charles Wenzelberg The Knicks had a strong regular season, winning 51 games, their most since the 2012-13 season. Despite that, they entered the playoffs mostly an afterthought as far as contenders go, largely due to their 0-8 record against the top two seeds in the East, the defending champion Celtics and Cavaliers. Advertisement 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. But the Knicks stunned Boston in the second round, rallying from 20-point deficits at TD Garden in each of the first two games. They played deeper into the spring than expected. In the losing locker room, there was frustration and disappointment, but also optimism for the future. Advertisement Jalen Brunson drives with the ball during the Knicks' Game 6 loss to the Pacers on May 31. Charles Wenzelberg A belief that there is more to come from this group. It was their first year together, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges joining the Brunson-led core that also included Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Miles McBride. That entire group is under contract next season, and Brunson believes it can take the next step together. 'The most confident. Overconfident. Seriously,' Brunson said. 'There's not an ounce of any type of doubt that I'm not confident with this group. 'We have a lot of guys who are on this team, and I feel like you guys always ask, 'what do you work on whenever you come back?' and stuff like that,' he added. 'And from what I've seen, no one's really out there posting themselves about the things that they do. 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.'
New York Post
01-06-2025
- 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
31-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Pacers staring down critical free agency decision with staple Myles Turner
INDIANAPOLIS — None of the Knicks' starters are headed for free agency this summer, but the Pacers will have to make a decision on whether to retain one of their longtime staples: starting center Myles Turner. The 10-year career Pacer will become an unrestricted free agent once Indiana's playoff run ends and his $19.9 million-per-year contract expires. Advertisement The Pacers hope to keep Turner, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported last week that 'ownership has indicated a willingness to increase spending next season and potentially reenter the luxury tax to keep this core together.' The 29-year-old Turner was held to five points and two rebounds Thursday in Indiana's Game 5 loss to the Knicks after he'd averaged 15.5 points on 53.7 percent shooting over the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals, with Game 6 slated for Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Myles Turner dunks the ball during the Pacers' game against the Knicks on May 23. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Advertisement Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 boards and two blocked shots per game in 72 appearances this season, while shooting a career-high 39.6 percent from 3-point range. All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is signed through 2029 after landing an extension worth up to $260 million in 2023. 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. Myles Turner grabs a rebound during the Pacers' game against the Knicks on May 21. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Advertisement Fellow starters Pascal Siakam (2028), Andrew Nembhard (2028) and Aaron Nesmith (2027) all are under contract for multiple seasons, according to Spotrac. As for exceeding the luxury tax to re-sign the 6-foot-11 Turner, Windhorst also reported earlier in the series that 'rival teams remain skeptical at this point, having for generations seen the Pacers make decisions to avoid the tax penalty, as they monitor the Turner situation. But internally, the Pacers are hoping to be able to keep him without sacrificing their outstanding depth.' Advertisement Veteran guard T.J. McConnell and former Knicks forward Obi Toppin also are signed through 2028, and former lottery pick Bennedict Mathurin is eligible for an extension this summer after the team picked up his $9.18 million option for next season. Turner's current backup, Thomas Bryant, also will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the team holds a $2.9 million option on reserve big man Tony Bradley.
New York Post
30-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mitchell Robinson gave Knicks spark they needed in Game 5
The applause was thunderous when Mitchell Robinson was announced as a starter to the Garden crowd for the first time in this year's playoffs. With Karl-Anthony Towns scoring 24 points after coming into Thursday night's game listed as questionable due to a knee contusion suffered late in Game 4 two nights earlier, Robinson also contributed a handful of key plays at both ends of the floor to help the Knicks keep their season alive with a 111-94 victory in Game 5 at MSG. Advertisement Robinson, who replaced Josh Hart in the starting lineup to play alongside Towns in the middle two games in Indiana, finished with six points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal in 20 minutes. 3 Myles Turner and Mitchell Robinson battle for a rebound during the first quarter of the Knicks' 111-94 Game 5 win over Pacers on May 29, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post Those defensive stats all occurred within a few Indiana possessions in the middle of the third quarter — a rejection of a Tyrese Haliburton drive, another block against Thomas Bryant and a steal off a bad pass by Andrew Nembhard that helped key a 10-0 run that led to a 72-52 lead. Advertisement Robinson also scooped up an offensive rebound for a put-back during that sequence. Asked before the game about sticking with the same lineup for a third straight game, coach Tom Thibodeau replied, 'It's just matchups and what's going on in the game. Sometimes it's impacted by foul trouble as well.' 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. To wit, Towns netted 13 points in the second quarter to register 17 and 10 boards by halftime, but KAT picked up his fourth foul with the Knicks up 72-52 with 6:24 left in the third. Advertisement Pacers coach Rick Carlisle attempted to take advantage by intentionally fouling Robinson with the Hack-a-Mitch strategy employed by the Pistons and the Celtics in the first two rounds. Robinson has shot just 22-for-56 (39.3 percent) from the stripe in 17 postseason appearances this spring. 3 Miles McBride greets Mitchell Robinson during the first quarter of the Knicks' Game 5 win over the Pacers. Jason Szenes / New York Post Robinson missed two free throws with 4:17 left in the quarter, and he was replaced by Precious Achiuwa due to Towns' foul trouble. Advertisement Achiuwa chipped in a bucket in traffic during a 12-0 run that helped stretch the lead to 17 entering the final period. 3 Mitchell Robinson celebrates during the third quarter of the Knicks' Game 5 win over the Pacers. AP Robinson has logged fewer minutes than Hart in each of the three games since the switch by a sizable average of 12 minutes.
New York Post
30-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Knicks' stifling defense makes Tyrese Haliburton all but disappear
At first, the box score didn't look right. Tyrese Haliburton's numbers were so dramatically different from what they were two nights prior. Advertisement He entered halftime of the Pacers' 111-94 Game 5 loss to the Knicks without a made field goal and just four points off free throws. Haliburton didn't make his first shot until there was 9:40 left in the third quarter. He finished with just eight points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field along with six assists and two rebounds. Advertisement The Knicks' defensive effort against him was night-and-day compared to Game 4, when he erupted for a triple double. 3 Tyrese Haliburton, who was held to just eight points, is closely defended by Jalen Brunson during the Knicks' 111-94 Game 6 win over the Pacers on May 29, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Mikal Bridges, who primarily guarded him again, noticeably picked him up much further up the court, similar to how Pacers defenders have pressured Jalen Brunson. It prevented Haliburton from getting a running start to set up the Pacers offense and got him out of rhythm. Advertisement 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. Bridges also did a much better job navigating the countless screens the Pacers set to try and get Haliburton favorable matchups. Delon Wright and Landry Shamet contributed valuable minutes again, particularly in the second quarter. They aggressively pressured Pacers ball-handlers, and their relentless energy was contagious and set a tone for the rest of the defense. Advertisement 3 Tyrese Haliburton shoots over Karl-Anthony Towns during the Knicks' Game 5 win over the Pacers. Getty Images When Shamet forced T.J. McConnell out of bounds for a turnover in the fourth quarter, the Madison Square Garden crowd loudly chanted his name. When he went to the bench earlier in the game, he received booming applause. The Knicks also completely neutralized Aaron Nesmith, who finished with three points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. 3 New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson defends against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Pascal Siakam, who had been brilliant most of the series, was quiet with 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field. In total, Pacers starters were 12-for-38 from the field, good for a brutal 31.6 percent. Mitchell Robinson, after a rough Game 4, was a big part of it. Advertisement He flew around on the defensive end and finished with two blocks and a steal. Even Karl-Anthony Towns, on a balky knee, showed an improved defensive effort. If the Knicks are to continue their comeback in the series, this is the blueprint. Advertisement As the Mandalorian say, this is the way.
