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00:16Welcome back to New York Got Game.
00:18The New York Knicks, they continue to roll.
00:21They've won 16 of their last 22 games.
00:24They just opened up their West Coast road trip with a statement win
00:26over the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
00:29Then they lost to the Lakers on Sunday.
00:31So currently 1-1 on the road trip.
00:33The vibes seem to be pretty good.
00:34The defense is tightened up.
00:36The offense more balanced right now.
00:37Jalen Brunson, he's continuing to play at an all-NBA level.
00:41So the big question right now is simple.
00:43Are we watching the best version of the Knicks that we've seen all season?
00:47So to break it all down, I'm joined by Brittany Rosas of the Knick of Time show.
00:53Brittany, what's good?
00:54Great to have you back on New York Got Game.
00:55How's it going?
00:57The vibes are definitely still immaculate.
00:59They weren't so the last show.
01:01So I'm glad to get into it.
01:03Yeah.
01:03Glad to get into it.
01:04No, definitely.
01:05The last time I had you on, the vibes were, I won't say it was down.
01:08It was just really shaky.
01:10And now it's a lot better.
01:12Yeah, I see no 6-7.
01:14But I see you there with that.
01:16But Brittany, the Knicks, as I mentioned, they've won 16 of the last 22 games.
01:21They had that statement win in Denver the other night, beating down the Nuggets.
01:24Then they lose to the Lakers.
01:26But as I said, 16 out of 22.
01:28It's pretty, pretty good.
01:30The defense has been strong.
01:31So when you watch this team right now, do you feel like we're seeing the best version of the Knicks
01:36so far this season?
01:40I think the potential's there.
01:41I think the potential's there.
01:42I think we're starting to see the best version.
01:44I think we got a glimpse of it early November.
01:47The way we also started off at home, I believe we were undefeated at some point at home until we
01:51fell short a couple games there.
01:53MSG was, we were rocking and rolling there.
01:55We did kind of have some ruts in between.
01:58And I'm glad we got them out the way.
01:59Because then again, we got into our groove, which I stated in our last show.
02:03No need to panic.
02:04Everything's going to be okay.
02:05And as we can see, everything's all right, because like you stated, 16 out of 22 is great.
02:09That's way over 500.
02:11And we've beaten some great teams, not just mediocre teams, not just some below teams.
02:16We beat some great teams.
02:17And we got some nice comeback wins.
02:19And we show some grit.
02:20And we show some fight in some of those wins.
02:22So I think that it's not the best, I don't believe.
02:25But the potential is there.
02:26And I think we're headed in a direction, a great direction, especially with the postseason right around the corner.
02:31Okay.
02:32So you feel good about where the Knicks are and where they're headed.
02:35But you know this from watching basketball, as long as you have.
02:38Sometimes a team, they can win games without necessarily playing their best basketball.
02:42So when you watch the Knicks right now during this stretch, do they pass the eye test as a team
02:47that has really hit another level?
02:49Because it looks that way, at least defensively.
02:52So what are you seeing?
02:53What is the eye test telling you with this Knicks team?
02:55Have they hit another level?
02:57Most definitely.
02:59I think our biggest issue was the defense.
03:01I think even though we were winning those games, we were also allowing a lot of points being scored.
03:06And again, the biggest thing was some of the people that we acquired before and after the trade deadline.
03:11I think we had some people there where we weren't sure if we could win with them or we weren't
03:14sure if they continuously fit.
03:16So I'm glad that we made some of the changes because I think now with the group that we have,
03:19everybody's aware of their role, what they need to do to get to the glory.
03:23So, yeah, I'm liking where we're at right now.
03:25I don't think, again, we're at our full potential.
03:28But again, I like where we're headed, where we're going, and how the team has been coming together in these
03:32last few games.
03:33Yeah, team has been coming together for sure.
03:36And Jalen Brunson, his game has taken another turn recently, right?
03:40Because he's not shot the ball well.
03:42We could keep it a buck about that.
03:43He has not shot the ball well, but we're seeing more playmaking from him.
03:47We're seeing more control of the offense, better pace management.
03:50What has stood out to you about the way he's running this team during the stretch?
03:55Because you and I know, I know you've seen this on social media, some Knicks fans saying that he hogs
04:00the ball too much, shoots too much.
04:02But he's been dishing the ball really well despite the poor shooting.
04:05So what stood out to you about how JB has been running the team during the stretch?
04:11B, 40 assists in the last three games before today, and only five turnovers.
04:17How well is not only he's facilitating, but he's taking care of the ball.
04:20We already know Jalen Brunson can score.
04:22That was a thing since he came to New York City.
04:25He's a guy that can score in bunches and at a very high rate, very efficiently.
04:30But we have not seen this type of facilitation from him.
04:34We get glimpse of it.
04:35So where I always get the ball hog narratives, I'm also unclear.
04:38Because we've seen a glimpse of it.
04:40It's just the thing with it is the inconsistency of it.
04:42We have games where he is in the low department and the assists.
04:45And I think that's kind of what separates him from other MVP talks.
04:48Because he only does get a high rate in points and he doesn't get a lot of rebounds or assists.
04:52And I think that if he was a point guard who got the 8, 9, 10 assists, he would easily
04:56be in MVP conversations.
04:57But we do sometimes struggle with that.
05:00So I think what stands out to me the most is just how involved he's getting the other players.
05:04Because we do need these other guys, again, to get to the glory.
05:07So I like that he's getting everybody else involved.
05:09He's also getting facilitation within his game, but also while taking care of the ball.
05:13No, he has been doing that.
05:15I know Sunday against the Lakers, he had six turnovers.
05:18But he really done a good job of taking care of the ball.
05:21And you talked about getting other guys involved.
05:24But for most of the season, the Knicks, they've relied heavily on Brunson and his offense.
05:28But lately, we've seen big contributions from guys like O.J.
05:31And Inobi, who killed Denver on Friday night.
05:34Carl T. Towns has been really solid since the All-Star break.
05:37Mikkel Bridges, who we saw even have arguably his best game of the season against the Spurs last Sunday.
05:41How important has that offensive balance been to this recent run that we've seen from the Knicks?
05:48It's extremely important.
05:52My favorite quote that I always like to continuously say over and over is,
05:56Teams win a championship, not players.
05:58We're glad that we have a player that could put us in conversations to win a championship in Jalen Brunson.
06:02But Jalen Brunson can't do it alone.
06:04He's going to need Corey Anthony Towns.
06:06Wingstop in general is important.
06:07Because our two stars lack the defense ability.
06:10That's why we brought these two guys in for the defense.
06:13So we're not across the board bad defensively.
06:16So I'm glad that we are just getting them involved.
06:18This is why we made the trades.
06:20This is why we gave up the picks.
06:21This is why we paid what we paid.
06:22Because I think when we get them involved, we can win.
06:26We can win it all.
06:26Especially if we get, again, a Denver OG.
06:29We get a Spurbs Mikkel.
06:30We get an Austin's All-Star break, Carl.
06:32We get a facilitator in Jalen Brunson.
06:34This team is going to be very hard to put down in seven games.
06:36They can be really strong.
06:37Like you said, it's going to be hard to beat the Knicks when all those guys are clicking on all
06:41cylinders right there.
06:42So the one thing I think when I look at this stretch, Brittany, that's really stood out to me, and
06:47I'm sure you might agree, it's the defense.
06:49The Knicks, they've been able to win games even when their offense isn't perfect.
06:53And we know how good the Knicks have been.
06:54They've been the top three offense for most of this season.
06:57But do you think this team has finally found this defensive identity?
07:02Because the last time you and I spoke, they were sort of still searching for that defensive identity, right?
07:08They still hadn't really fully figured it out.
07:11But do you think they've fully found their defensive identity right now?
07:18Do you think they've figured that out?
07:21You know what's so crazy is that I did see a fun fact that the last, I believe, 10 or
07:2712 championships, they were top 10 in defensive rating.
07:31You have to be a defensive team to win a championship.
07:34So that was one of the things that I was concerned about because I saw that the offense, we were
07:38kind of, even through the slumps, we were high.
07:40The offense was running.
07:41It was clicking.
07:42We were staying top 10.
07:43But we were very low in the defensive ratings.
07:45And that was something that alarmed me because they don't say defense wins championships for no reason.
07:49It's very clear that defense is needed.
07:51So when I saw that we went from 17th to 10 to then 7, and I don't know where we
07:56stand today specifically, but when I saw us climbing up, I started to see that this team is actually serious
08:01about winning a championship again.
08:03It was kind of a concern throughout the season because the talent has always been there.
08:08What we always discuss, it was the mentality and it was the physicality.
08:11And a part of physicality is defense.
08:13So to see that come together finally and us enter and start to have these conversations that, wait, we could
08:19win, it's pretty cool.
08:20And I think that if we continue to stay at this rate, especially if we get into the top five,
08:25crack top five, it's going to be, again, hard to bring this team down.
08:29And, again, I don't see how, if we're playing defense well, even if the offenses are clicking, how we can't
08:33win games, let alone series.
08:35Look, I've said it all season long on the show.
08:37I've said if the Knicks can somehow, with the way their offense is and the way they're able to, especially
08:42right now, I know they've had some rough shooting nights,
08:45but when this offense is clicking, they seem to be able to do whatever they want.
08:49Could they become a top eight to 10 defense?
08:51Now, we've seen them get up high to seven.
08:52You just mentioned top five.
08:54If they get into the top five, that's really, really elite company, and they really can look like a championship
08:58contender.
08:59But right now, the way they're playing defense, you know, even in the loss to the Lakers, right?
09:05They had that stretch where the Lakers in the fourth quarter didn't hit a shot for over six and a
09:09half minutes.
09:10Now, unfortunately, the Knicks couldn't make any shots, but it showed you their defense can play for good stretches
09:15and give them a chance to come back even when their offense isn't clicking.
09:19So I'm really impressed with this defense right now.
09:21So we talked about OG Ananobi.
09:23He just had a massive performance in Denver.
09:25He continues to be one of the most important two-way players on this team, Brittany.
09:29How much does his health, for one, and his defensive presence raise the ceiling of this Knicks group?
09:36How impactful is OG Ananobi to this Knicks group?
09:40Very important.
09:41Very important.
09:42And it's funny that you stated two ways to this team.
09:44He's actually one of the best two-way players in the game, I believe, which makes him extremely important.
09:50Without OG, I don't know how far we can go, which is why one of the years where he went
09:54down,
09:54it was hard for us to contend right after he went down.
09:58OG is just as important right after Carr-Anthony Townsend with Jalen Brunson.
10:01I think that he's the third most important player for the Knicks.
10:04And sometimes he could be the second most important.
10:06Because, again, when we see Jalen Brunson not able to pick up his offensive game,
10:11but we still get Carr-Anthony Townsend's contribution,
10:14if we get OG to fill in what Jalen Brunson could do offensively,
10:17I think sky's the limit.
10:18And I made a joke about when OG plays like Denver, Knicks in four.
10:22Knicks in four.
10:23It's going to be hard to beat that type of team with that type of contribution.
10:26So I think he's extremely important.
10:28His health, we're going to need him.
10:29And I'm glad that he has been healthy the majority of the season for us
10:32because we typically see him go down, and sometimes it's for a very long time.
10:35But the times that he went down this season, just for a little glimpse,
10:38but he came right back and he's been playing very strong.
10:40He has been playing very strong.
10:41The defense has been really strong lately.
10:43Even when he first came back from his latest injury, the offense wasn't there,
10:46but the defense has really been there lately.
10:49We got to talk about, it's a guy who we talked about the last time you came on this show,
10:53and we were in this space where we were like, we don't know what to do with this player.
10:57But you recently, on this episode, you just gave him his flowers.
11:02That is Carl Anthony Towns.
11:03He's continued to adjust his role in this offense.
11:06So, my question to you, Brittany, is when he's playing with, I would say, the force,
11:11the controlled force, I want to see, that he's been playing with.
11:14Because a lot of times we saw him, he was, you know, offensive fouls, out of control.
11:18But the controlled force, and then the spacing the floor,
11:21what does that do for the Knicks' offensive ceiling?
11:25Again, it makes us contenders.
11:27Him and OG are very important, and I think Towns is more important than OG and Anobi,
11:30which is why, again, I would give him his flowers.
11:33Because when he plays like an all-star, like he plays the 50-plus million-dollar contract,
11:38there's no complaints, zero complaints.
11:39And I think that we have to highlight the fact that, yes, he fouled out recently,
11:43but his fouls has been under control, mostly the hook.
11:46We haven't been seeing him hook a lot.
11:47We see him playing with more control, especially in the paint.
11:50And I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that mentally,
11:53I think because of the, I, me personally believe, he knows I'm here to stay.
11:58I don't have to worry about where I'm going to be playing.
12:01And now that he knows his role, he's playing it well.
12:03This is why, again, it was hard for me to continuously shut the door on him
12:06and talk bad on him.
12:09He's talented, very talented.
12:10And he's a guy that I don't know how many centers can play his game,
12:14where they can rebound at a high rate, give you a space to floor out,
12:18and also dominate in the paint.
12:20And I like the fact that he's taking advantage of some of his mismatches,
12:23most specifically recently against Jokic.
12:26Jokic is not known to play defense very well.
12:28Got to take advantage of that.
12:29Tonight, also, I understand that Aiton is up and down with his play,
12:34but got to take advantage of that.
12:36So I like that he's taking advantage because he is one of the best centers in the league
12:39when he plays as such.
12:41And if he is playing as one of the best centers in the league,
12:45it's a big, big, big, big factor on how we could win it all this year.
12:50To that point, there's some, and just as a follow-up,
12:53there's been some Knicks fans that have talked about
12:55the team should play a little bit more through him.
12:58And we have seen Mike Brown give him some more post-op opportunities
13:02in the last couple of weeks.
13:03Do you think the Knicks need to give Cap more touches on offense?
13:06Do you think he can do even more?
13:07Do you like kind of the balance of where he is right now on the team?
13:12That's why, again, I'm really happy that Jalen Brunson is now facilitating
13:15because I think he should be the number one option.
13:18I know a lot of people may not agree with that.
13:20But I think if we get Carl Towns going first, then Jalen into his groove
13:25to then lead off OG and Mikel and Hart and everybody else,
13:28they're just icing on the cake.
13:29But if we get Carl to play well, again, he spaces out the court so much,
13:34I think the offense will go easily through Jalen Brunson
13:36more than him dribbling so much and having to force or look for his shot.
13:39I think they will now focus on him because he is amazing.
13:42When he gets going, you have to focus on him because he can get that three flying.
13:45He can also dominate the paint.
13:47And he hits free throws pretty well for a big man.
13:49So I know a lot of people don't agree, but I think yes, yes.
13:52I like that he is more into the offense.
13:55Again, we don't see him being the number one option just yet, if we may ever.
13:59But I think he should become the number one option
14:02or we should continuously feature him in the offense at this high level.
14:06All right.
14:06Well, we have to see if Cat can keep up the good play.
14:08He's been really good over this stretch.
14:10The last 22 games have been really efficient offensively.
14:13Now, we talk about the stretch.
14:14A lot of these recent wins that we've seen for the Knicks,
14:17they've had a playoff style feel, right?
14:20Whether even it's parts of the game, slower pace, defensive battles,
14:24grinded out possessions.
14:25Do you think this style of play for the Knicks, particularly on defense,
14:29is going to translate well into the postseason for them
14:32as we're only 17 games away for the Knicks?
14:37One would like to hope so.
14:38I would like to hope so.
14:39Because one of the biggest issues with the Knicks has been consistency.
14:43Again, we keep getting glimpse of really good basketball.
14:46We keep going on really good runs.
14:47And then we bump into certain teams.
14:49And it just seems like we forgot all about the things that we did
14:51to help us win or to get into those grooves.
14:56So that's just my biggest concern to consistency.
14:58I think it's very clear that we are a playoff team.
15:02It's very clear that we also are one of the favorites.
15:04So that, to me, I'm not concerned about getting out of the first
15:08or second round, even with the slumps.
15:10But it's about when we get to that Eastern Conference Finals
15:13and trying to make that finals run that I do seem to a little bit be concerned
15:17because playoff is a whole different ballpark.
15:20That's a whole different animal in itself.
15:21You can't really take so much of what somebody does in a regular season
15:25because a lot of teams prepare you for seven games, not just one game.
15:28So I would like to see the changes that we make during that time frame.
15:35But I think that my only concern with it is the consistency.
15:39Aside from that, I think that we're clearly contenders.
15:42Might be favorites for some, especially us.
15:46But I would just love to see the consistency.
15:48Yeah, I think that's still what Dix fans want to see.
15:50Seen it consistently pretty much through the stretch.
15:52But can they now close the season strong with 17 games to go?
15:57So three games left on this five-game road trip, Brittany,
16:00with the second of a back-to-back Monday night against the Clippers,
16:03then Wednesday at the Jazz, then in Naptown to take on the Pacers on Friday night.
16:08What are you going to be keeping your eye on as the Knicks look to continue
16:11to improve their road record on this trip?
16:14What are you watching?
16:16Well, I want to get my leg back on Pacers.
16:19Not for last year, but even that recent loss that we took for the Pacers.
16:22So I'm definitely looking forward to see how we come out against them specifically.
16:27My main focus has always been the East.
16:29I know we want to win every game, especially any road game,
16:33because that's been our struggle.
16:34We, again, have a really good record in Madison Square Garden,
16:37but it seems like when we get on the road, we seem to have some troubles.
16:40And if we're going to keep slipping into standings or stay where we are,
16:42we want to have home court advantage.
16:44So if that's not the case, you're going to have to play more games away than at home.
16:48So that's always been my main concern on getting some away wins,
16:51because you do have to play some games away during series.
16:54So I would like to us to see how we come out against the Pacers.
16:59It seems like we always bump into teams that are hot.
17:01Clippers are playing well again.
17:02The Jazz is always a team you don't want to take light.
17:04Any team in the NBA, you don't want to take light on any night.
17:06You can lose.
17:07So I'm just looking at us to see how we keep bouncing back,
17:09because I think that's been our biggest plus.
17:12It seems that every time we get punched in the mouth,
17:13we have finally bounced back the next game.
17:15So I'm just going to see if we can continuously have that type of game.
17:19Got lost to the Lakers, cool.
17:20But can we come out against the Clippers and respond after a bad loss?
17:24Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how they can respond on the second night of a back-to-back.
17:28And can they continue?
17:29The Knicks need to get that road record a little bit better.
17:33They've started to play better on the road lately.
17:34We'll see if they can finish out the season strong.
17:36Speaking of finishing out, we're going to finish out with this.
17:40Here's the thing for me, Brittany.
17:41Even with this hot stretch for the Knicks,
17:43they've won 16 out of their last 22 games.
17:45We know this.
17:46Every team has got their flaws.
17:49So what are the biggest questions you still have about this Knicks team
17:54as they have 17 games to go before they head into the playoffs?
17:57What's the biggest question for Brittany Rosas with this Knicks team right now?
18:03That's a great question.
18:05My biggest, when the three isn't falling, what are we going to do?
18:10When the three isn't falling, what are we going to do?
18:11For the sole fact that we relied on it very heavily this season.
18:14And it seems like every time we have a poor shooting night at the three line,
18:18we have a poor game where we come out with a loss.
18:20It's very rare that we shot the three ball horribly and we came out with the win this season.
18:24So I just want to see what we do at the half when the three isn't falling.
18:30Because it's clear that we can play defense.
18:31It's clear that we can even get the offense rolling for even Carl or OG, Mikel,
18:36even after bad nights.
18:38But can the three ball fall?
18:40So I just want to know what we're going to do if that isn't the case,
18:43especially in a league where the three ball is so dominant.
18:46And it's going to be probably a key factor in a playoff series.
18:50Yeah, no, that's a good one.
18:51That's a fair concern.
18:52We saw the three ball not fall well for the Knicks against the Thunder last week.
18:56Also saw it against the Lakers.
18:57So they have struggled in those games.
19:00They've got to figure that out.
19:01How do you win?
19:02And those are games that could be ugly.
19:03You're going to see games like that in the postseason.
19:05So can the Knickerbockers figure it out?
19:07But still, look, the vibes are good.
19:09Much better than the last time we talked, Brittany.
19:1116-6.
19:12Don't need to panic, Dex.
19:13I told you.
19:14I told you.
19:14Listen, to be fair, you did say that.
19:17I'm not the person that hits the panic button.
19:19There were a lot of Knicks nation that hit the panic button during that 2-9 stretch.
19:23Hey, some people are going to hit the panic button after they lost.
19:26Even now, yeah.
19:27You know it's going to happen.
19:28Yeah, even now.
19:28It's going to happen.
19:29Even now.
19:30But I think the Knicks are in really good shape.
19:32We'll see how they close out the season strong.
19:34Everybody, that is Brittany Rosas.
19:36Check her out with the Nick of Time show.
19:39Does a great job there.
19:40Shout out to J. Ellis Lee and the Attire crew.
19:43Ebony, everybody else on that show.
19:47Brittany, I appreciate you.
19:49The second time, better vibes than the first time.
19:51Hopefully the next time we'll be talking will be even better times.
19:54We'll definitely have you again here on New York Got Game.
19:57Especially when we make the finals.
19:58You better have them back, Dex.
19:59Wow.
20:00Is that a prediction?
20:01Are we going with that as well?
20:02No, that is, that is, I told you, I don't see any team in the East still.
20:05We're going to close out with that.
20:07I don't know any team in the East still that can beat the Knicks in seven.
20:11Not healthy.
20:12So, let me just be clear.
20:13I want to be clear for the people.
20:15Despite the fact that they've lost to the Pistons three times this year,
20:19you're saying the Knicks are going to the finals,
20:21and I have to have you back on when the Knicks are in the finals.
20:24That's what we're saying.
20:25Yes, especially when we eliminate the Detroit Pistons.
20:28After we eliminate the Detroit Pistons, and then we make the finals.
20:30Yes.
20:31Have you back for both?
20:32All right.
20:32I like it.
20:33You said it with your chest.
20:34I like it.
20:35Brittany Rosas, everybody.
20:37Dexter Henry, we'll catch you another edition of New York Got Game.
20:43And thanks for watching New York Got Game.
20:46Boom shakalaka.
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