00:00and then there were nine nine games left in the regular season will the Knicks lock up that two
00:06seed over the Boston Celtics it's almost playoffs folks let's talk some Knicks basketball with the
00:12host and creator of Knicks Film School Jonathan Macri my man uh I keep telling people I'm switching
00:18to decaf one of these days but I gotta get asked because we're getting towards the end of the
00:23season uh the Knicks as you know they're in control of their own destiny for that two seed
00:28nine games left like I mentioned including one against the Celtics that one's going to be at
00:34the Garden if you were a betting man what are you willing to wager that the Knicks are going to
00:41lock
00:42up that two seed how confident are you that they can do it I am I think better than 50
00:49percent uh not
00:50not much over 50 percent but I think if you ask me is it more likely than not I would
00:54say yes and I
00:55think we're going to know a lot more in the next 48 hours uh Boston has arguably their toughest game
01:02left in the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder uh coming up on Wednesday night and then
01:07on Thursday as I know we're going to talk about in a minute the Knicks have a really tough game
01:11against the Charlotte Hornets I do ultimately think it's going to come down to that game in New York
01:17on Thursday April 9th it's the third to last game of the regular season for both teams but Boston has
01:22some other tough matchups on their schedule a couple against Atlanta a couple against the Hornets
01:26themselves but I think uh if the Knicks could take care of business um in one of their games left
01:32against Charlotte and beat Boston on that Thursday April 9th game I think they're going to get the two
01:37seed all right let's go straight into the Charlotte Hornets situation because they have been one of the
01:43hottest and one of the best teams in the league since January 1st I'm not saying anybody within the east
01:51is going to try and duck that smoke if they make it to the playoffs but could Charlotte be this
01:58year's
01:58Cinderella story a little March Madness uh reference there in the Eastern Conference uh playoffs
02:05so just to put some numbers to your statement about since January 1st not only do the Hornets have the
02:12best net rating in the league since January 1st it's the best net rating by two full points per 100
02:19possessions over the second place San Antonio Spurs that is a ridiculous rise from the ashes because
02:25they were you know the same kind of fun lovable loser to start the season um they're doing it in
02:30some interesting ways uh they have the best offense in the league over that stretch but their defense
02:35is squarely in the top 10 now that's almost a three-month sample very hard to um you know fake
02:41that
02:41and I think the reason is because even though they don't have maybe a ton of high-level defenders
02:46in their starting lineup they are big you know at every position they don't really put anybody small
02:52on the floor with the exception of Kobe White off the bench and even he's not like a little guy's
02:56bigger than Colin Sexton who they traded him for and they're also kind of a grittier team than I think
03:01they get um credit for again since January 1st they are the top rebounding team in the league uh they
03:08clean it up on both the offensive and the defensive glass so I think they are absolutely a real threat
03:14um there's still enough season left for them to sneak into the playoffs get out of that play in
03:19picture and I just think for a Knicks team that is you know uh kind of small always playing Jalen
03:26Brunson a lot of minutes I know we're going to talk about Clarkson some other small guys in their
03:29lineup when you face a big team like the Hornets I think that's a a tough matchup for them so
03:35all
03:35things being equal it's a team I'd like to avoid if they can sneak into the playoffs and they get
03:41or
03:41draw Detroit in that first round not knowing what Cade Cunningham's collapsed lung is going to be
03:47like that could be a series that goes to six or seven six seven the way that uh this Charlotte
03:54team
03:54has been playing I'm I'm just throwing the jokes this morning man here we go I love it I'm rolling
04:00uh you mentioned Jordan Clarkson and you know our Steph Bondy had put out his potential eight-man
04:06rotation that Mike Brown could go with in the playoffs Jordan Clarkson's name was left off of
04:12it I think he's been left off a lot of people's eight-man rotation but a lot of but recently
04:17the
04:17man's been balling do you feel like he's worked his way back into a potential playoff rotation for Mike
04:24Brown I think he has to uh be considered one of the rotation players look I agree with Steph that
04:30there
04:31is a solid top eight when fully healthy obviously with Mitchell Robinson as the backup center and then
04:39Deuce McBride and Landry Schammett I know both of those guys are injured right now I think when
04:43they're healthy they uh should both be considered rotation locks I think Jordan Clarkson is more of a
04:50solid ninth man as opposed to kind of like if you're looking at like an eight and a half man
04:54rotation
04:55for a couple of reasons number one I think they absolutely need his offense especially during
05:01those stints when Jalen Brunson is not on the floor he could create his own shot he could get into
05:06the
05:06pain he's been really good from floor to range all year long but more importantly the defense that
05:11he's been bringing and the energy that he's been bringing off the bench since he's been back in the
05:15rotation it seems like a guy who realized look what I was bringing early on that's not what this team
05:21needed um and he is really picking up the slack on that end I just and look I know they
05:27got Jose
05:28Alvarado at the trade deadline that was a big acquisition for them I don't think Jose has played
05:33well enough um especially kind of running that second unit to justify an automatic rotation spot moving
05:40forward so if I'm doing a power ranking after those top eight I have Clarkson in and I probably as
05:46of right
05:46now would have Jose out okay GTA getting the BTA uh all right let's do a little role play here
05:54you
05:54are no longer Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School you are the head lead attorney at JC Macri and
06:04Associates I need you to make a case for your clients Carl Anthony Towns making the all NBA team
06:11and OG's case for all defensive team well I think the OG case is a little bit easier um and
06:19it's not
06:19because you know he's having a better season than cat or anything but just all defense you look at it
06:24I think there are only really three you know maybe four players that are locks for that team you look
06:30at
06:31the three top defensive centers in the league Wemby obviously and then Chet Holmgren and Rudy Gobert
06:36after that you know give or take maybe a Derek White I think the rest of those spots are open
06:41I think OG has a great case not only to make all defense but the all defense first team he's
06:47clearly
06:47the best defender on the Knicks or at least the best perimeter defender on the Knicks and you see
06:52he is able to change games defensively in ways that nobody else can come close to on New York and
07:00that
07:00includes Mitchell Robinson who has had some very good defensive moments but even he I don't think
07:04rises to OG's level defensively for cat I think it's a little bit more of an uphill climb just
07:09because as of right now there are still a lot of guys you know other than Giannis Antetokounmpo
07:15who qualify for that 65 game requirement for all NBA Cade may fall short Anthony Edwards may fall
07:23short I think those two names in particular you know obviously we wish we don't wish ill health on
07:28anyone but if both of those guys don't meet the 65 game requirement I think that opens the door
07:35for Carl Anthony Towns to sneak on to the third team he's been that good over the last month and
07:40a half
07:41but it's also going to be some tough competition you look at a guy like Jamal Murray in Denver he's
07:45never made an all NBA team I think he has a good argument to say nothing of guys you know
07:50like a guy
07:50like Bam Adebayo obviously on everybody's mind since the 83 but he's had a very nice season too
07:55it's going to be a tough competition this is a good year in the NBA a lot of superstars are
07:59having big time years so um no I would make the case for him though as maybe the last third
08:04team
08:04entrant you forgot to say the defense rests but you know it's just it's all good there I like the
08:08case
08:09I like the case well his his defense has not rested this year which is part of his case so
08:13there you
08:14go okay there you have it there you have it that's why they pay you the big bucks my man
08:17I appreciate you hopping on with us this morning Matt
08:25you
08:25you
08:26you
08:26you
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