00:00So, who are the five best players in the Eastern Conference Finals?
00:06I'm glad you asked. Let's rank them.
00:08The best player on the court is Jalen Brunson.
00:12And if you disagree, you're entitled to your wrong opinion.
00:17Jalen Brunson, I wouldn't trade him for anyone or anything.
00:22Oh, sure, there are better players in the NBA,
00:24but as a Knicks fan, you need someone who is mentally and physically tough,
00:31who's not afraid to take shots like this in the fourth quarter of a very competitive game.
00:36You need someone who has won championships, albeit for Brunson, on the collegiate level,
00:41but knows how to run a team and deal with success and handle prosperity and, simultaneously, adversity.
00:50And after wins, understand it's just one, and it's on to the next, and have that singular focus.
00:57His ability to make shots, his ability to know when to get everyone else involved,
01:01his ability to say, okay, if the team's better at having Carl Anthony Towns as a point center,
01:08that's going to be the best possible thing to win the next game, to win the next quarter,
01:13to win a championship in New York. He loves it, he embraces it, and I think if you're doubting this
01:20list
01:20and doubting where I'm putting Jalen Brunson, you're just a hater and a critic.
01:24Number two on my list is Donovan Mitchell. I think Donovan Mitchell is unbelievable.
01:29Donovan Mitchell, to me, became a truly great player based upon what he did in Game 7.
01:37He is a big baseball fan. He is a big Mets fan, grew up in Westchester County.
01:42His dad works for the Mets. He was talking to the press before Game 1, wearing a Mets hat.
01:47A lot of respect for doing that, obviously.
01:49And he went out and he pitched a perfect game in Game 7.
01:53I thought that was just incredible.
01:55And you look at what Mitchell did, this shot was incredible.
01:58But it was the point, it was the rebounds, it was the assists,
02:02it was the way he distributed early. When I say pitching the perfect game, zero turnovers.
02:08This entire postseason has been a referendum on Donovan Mitchell as an NBA player
02:14and where he is in terms of a ranking in his class.
02:17And I think he deserves the accolades. I loved him in Utah,
02:20won him on the Knicks in the worst possible way.
02:22He's been excellent in Cleveland.
02:24His one yeah, but on his great career has been how he's performed in the postseason.
02:28Getting to the conference finals for the first time in his career is a big deal.
02:33I expect him to carry it forward.
02:35And Donovan Mitchell, to me, is the second best player in the Knicks-Cavs series.
02:40Number three on my list is Karl-Anthony Towns.
02:43And frankly, I debated two and three.
02:46I think Cat is worthy of being in this spot.
02:49I think that Karl-Anthony Towns, it's kind of crazy and funny, right?
02:53And I hope we don't have to go back to this at any point for the rest of the postseason.
02:57Remember the conversation during the year about fitting in to Mike Brown's offense?
03:02Remember the conversation about Cats,
03:04where he's kind of just meandering during the course of a game?
03:08Remember when Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady made national headlines right here on Shine Time,
03:13when he questioned the effort and the energy of Karl-Anthony Towns?
03:17Those topics for conversation, gone.
03:21Credit Cats, credit Chris Gent, the assistant.
03:24They went to Mike Brown after game number three and said,
03:27we're going to change the offense around Karl-Anthony Towns.
03:31It's made the entire team better.
03:33He has been smart.
03:34He's been tough.
03:35He's been dominant.
03:36He's gotten his teammates involved.
03:38He's also been physical and tough down low.
03:41His offense, his defense, he's been smart in terms of foul trouble.
03:44And the way he has just played the game, he's always been a super smart player.
03:49Now he's smart and tough simultaneously.
03:52The shot is falling.
03:54I can't get enough of what I'm seeing here from Karl-Anthony Towns.
03:58Number four, OG Ananobi.
04:00For the sake of being fair, OG Ananobi, to me, has been the Knicks MVP throughout this postseason.
04:05Like, if you're asking who's been the best, most valuable, most important player for the Knicks,
04:10it's OG Ananobi.
04:11And the fact that Steph Bondi from the Post was all over this, OG practiced full on Friday
04:18and Saturday while the Cavs and Pistons were playing, this to me is everything and why
04:24I feel comfortable putting him on this list.
04:26OG Ananobi is a baller.
04:29He's a guy you want on your team.
04:31His offense has been unreal.
04:33I'm a little concerned about the layoff and how that's going to impact OG.
04:37I really hope he starts hot from the outside early tonight.
04:41I think that he will.
04:42His defense is just amazing.
04:44You have to be great in this series against Cleveland.
04:47Cleveland has a lot of guys who can score on the perimeter.
04:50A lot of guys who are great in terms of the dribble drive and, you know, having the three
04:54and D kind of guys like OG Ananobi.
04:57To why Leon Rose brought him in the R.J. Barrett deal in the first place.
05:01So I feel very comfortable knowing that he's healthy, putting OG Ananobi number four on this list.
05:06Number five, Evan Mobley.
05:09I'm a huge Evan Mobley fan.
05:11Evan Mobley has been the defensive player of the year.
05:14Evan Mobley, to me, is vastly underrated in league circles.
05:18Look, I know he's a little thin for some people.
05:22I don't care.
05:23Mobley's defense is terrific.
05:25His offense is outstanding.
05:26I love how tough and how clutch he is.
05:29I know how much Donovan Mitchell trusts him.
05:31He is always one of those players.
05:33Heck, I go back to USC with Mobley.
05:36He was terrific in college.
05:37High draft pick.
05:38Mitchell loves him.
05:40Kenny Atkinson loves him.
05:42And I think he is going to be outstanding in this series.
05:46If you're a Cavs fan or a Knicks hater, let's say you're, I don't know, a Nets fan and you'll
05:52be rooting for the Cavs during the course of this series.
05:55Mobley is one of those guys where you know it's going to be his time to shine.
05:59He always has the ability to deliver the goods.
06:02Now, obviously, when you look at this list, right, I want it crystal clear.
06:06And I acknowledge the three games he played well.
06:08Not game seven.
06:09James Harden is not on this list.
06:12I don't even consider him, frankly, close.
06:14I do think that Cleveland has more depth, frankly, than the Knicks in this series.
06:22Strews has been amazing.
06:23Merrill has been amazing.
06:24Jared Allen, who we'll get to in a second, has been amazing.
06:27But frankly, I don't believe in James Harden in this series at all.
06:32In fact, I trust Mikael Bridges much more than I trust James Harden.
06:37And look, Bridges quietly has been superb since he hit rock bottom against Atlanta.
06:46Look, we all know this about Bridges.
06:47His lows, you can't even see them.
06:49They're so low.
06:50His highs are outstanding, right?
06:52When Bridges shows up, he is an integral X factor and as important a player as any for
06:58the Knicks in this series.
06:59But I think when you go through a list like this, it's how I would rate him now.
07:04It's also, for me, when I put this list together, how I expect them to play in this series.
07:11No one in this Eastern Conference Finals will be better than Jalen Brunson.
07:16And he will deliver my New York Knicks to the NBA Finals and a real chance to win a championship.
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