Steph Curry Authored His Magnum Opus In Game 7 On The Road

 

They say history is written by the winner. It might be time to start calling Steph Curry ‘The Author.’

The words to adequately describe what Curry accomplished on Sunday afternoon don’t exist. In a Game 7 on the road against a deeper, more youthful Sacramento Kings team that was bursting with confidence all series and clearly believed they had the ability oust the defending champion Golden State Warriors, Curry carried the Warriors on his undersized back to a 120-100 victory. 

 

 

Onward and upward the Warriors go, to play LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 2. But before turning your attention to the Western Conference Semifinals, make sure to bask in the glow of Curry’s brilliance.

He single-handedly catapulted Golden State forward in Game 7 against Sacramento, scoring 50 points — the most points by a single player in a Game 7 in NBA history — including 16 in the fourth quarter (he was 7-11 in the final frame, or 63.6%). In contrast, the Kings, in total, scored 19 points in the fourth. Only one other Warrior, Andrew Wiggins, scored more for the entire game (17 points) than Curry did in the final period alone. 

Curry’s final stat line belongs in a museum, actively patrolled by security 24/7 and protected by bulletproof glass: 50 points on 20-38 from the field (52.6%), including 7-18 from three (38.9%), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and, incredibly, only 1 turnover.

It doesn’t get more clutch than that. And it’s worth noting that his masterpiece came against De’Aaron Fox, winner of the NBA’s Kia Clutch Player of the Year Award for the 2022-23 season, who spoke glowingly about his opponent throughout the series, including these choice quotes in the aftermath of Curry cooking his Kings on Sunday:

“He’s one of the greatest players ever.”

“He did everything for them tonight.”

“When he gets it going, there’s pretty much nothing you can do.”

Never content to simply be great, Curry took the opportunity to drive a stake through Kings’ fans hearts by miming Sacramento’s ‘Light The Beam’ celebration late in the fourth, with the game already decided. His on-court antics are part of his legend: he’ll put you to sleep with his ‘night night’ routine; he’ll count up how many points the shot he just hit was worth (hint: it’s usually 3); he’ll point at his ring finger to remind you of his hardware — he seems to come up with new, novel celebrations to meet each moment.

Over and over, Curry has shown why he is one of the All-Time Greats. It’s an impossible task to actually rank the Best Players Of All Time, because there are so many of them, and there are so many variables depending on what era they played in, among other factors. 

But he’s in the group, no question. Anyone who disagrees is wrong. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson; Curry fits into that group seamlessly. In fact, he continues to inch himself toward the top of the list. He’s the most exhilarating player in the modern era, if not ever. Who else can bring the ball up the court, then shoot and score so quickly that the camera actually fails to capture the shot?

Between his four championship rings, two NBA MVP awards, nine All-Star appearances, four First Team All-NBA Selections and one NBA Finals MVP, Curry’s accomplishments are piling up higher than the mountain of three-pointers he’s made in his career (3390, which is 417 more than the player in second place, Ray Allen, and 636 more than James Harden, who is third all-time). Now, he’s poured in the most points ever in a Game 7. 

What will he do next?

The Knicks Ought To Offer A Package Featuring Julius Randle For Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen is reportedly disgruntled in Chicago, and the Knicks should immediately pick up the phone to inquire about his availability with plans to offer the Bulls a trade package involving Julius Randle.

This isn’t an attempt to swindle the franchise that brought New York so much pain back in the 1990s. Nay, a trade that sends Markkanen to the Knicks and Randle to the Bulls could be beneficial for both teams. Now, before you get all uppity about it, a straightforward Randle-for-Markkanen swap isn’t even possible. Firstly, the ESPN trade machine claims the salaries don’t match, and secondly, even if they did, the Knicks would likely have to sweeten the pot to convince the Bulls to part with a promising 22-year-old who is 7-feet-tall and can shoot threes. 

But again, Markkanen is supposedly unhappy, and the Bulls reportedly just hired a brand new executive vice president of basketball operations. Maybe he'll look at the Markkanen situation and decide it's best to cut ties and get the best available package. As for the Knicks, Leon Rose was brought in to be team president before the season went kaput, and he's reportedly planning to stick with Scott Perry as general manager until at least the draft, whenever that happens.

You know why front office executives get paid handsomely? To make bold, creative moves that can change the course of a franchise. If the Rose regime could pull off a trade that sends Randle to Chicago and brings Markkanen to Madison Square Garden without unloading the entire stockpile of assets New York has been building, the team would feature an insanely young and talented core who could grow together, and in a few years the Knicks might be one of the feistiest franchises in the league. As always, that’s a big if.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Markkanen has already displayed abilities that could make the Bulls think they have an upper hand in deal discussions. Although his numbers dipped slightly this year, over almost three seasons in the NBA he’s averaging roughly 16 points and almost 8 rebounds per game, with shooting averages of 43 percent from the field, 36 percent from three and 85 percent from the free throw line.

Before we go on, let’s get reacquainted with what Markkanen can do. You may remember this game from January 2018, when he put up 33 and 10 at the Garden. In particular, pay attention to the pass at 1:18 and the dunk at 2:06.

There’s no question Markkanen is a talented man, but the Knicks have plenty to offer, beginning with Randle, who is a starting-caliber player that posted almost 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists per game this year. He definitely dribbles too much — as evidenced by this report stating that a bunch of Knicks got annoyed by his tendency to overdribble — and you typically know when he’s about to turn it over because he’s trying to do that dribble spin move he hasn’t exactly perfected.

Nonetheless, 20 and 10 guys don’t just grow on trees. Meanwhile, Randle is 25 years of age. You know who else is 25? Zach LaVine, the best player on the Bulls right now. Two supremely athletic 25-year-old men gallivanting around Chicago, running the pick-and-roll in the United Center? Sounds like a recipe for fun!

Still, the Bulls aren’t going to be completely wooed by Randle, and as we discussed earlier, it’s literally not possible to deal him for Markkanen straight up. So what type of trade package should the Knicks consider?

The following should be off limits in a deal for Markkanen: Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Frank Ntilikina, and the Knicks’ upcoming first round draft pick (obviously, depending who you ask, the bucket of people who are off limits will vary). Everyone else, including perhaps one of the first rounders the Knicks received from the Dallas Mavericks in the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Kristaps Porzingis trade, ought to be on the table. If you have to throw in a second pick, choose wisely, or walk away from the deal and say the price tag has gone too high.

Some will want the Knicks to hang onto their war chest of draft picks for when someone like Karl-Anthony Towns becomes available, but there’s no guarantee that a bonafide superstar like him is going to be up for grabs any time soon, and the whole point of collecting picks is to give yourself flexibility. And Markkanen is just the type of good young player that could be gettable without giving up the whole farm.

The Knicks currently own the rights to seven first-round picks over the next four years, and parting with one or two of them in order to land a recent top-10 draftee who has already proven he can be pretty darn good isn’t crazy (Markkanen was taken 7th overall in 2017).

As merely one example, maybe something like Randle, Kevin Knox and a pick could bring back Markkanen and Thaddeus Young, the latter of whom is on a three-year deal, meaning the Knicks could claim they are doing the Bulls a favor by taking on an unseemly salary. It would be better if Dennis Smith Jr. replaced Knox in the above scenario, but his stock is regrettably at an all-time low right now.

A Randle-LaVine pairing could be intriguing with the proper sales pitch. And such a deal would give the Bulls a chance to rebuild without completely bottoming out, which is important since the new lottery rules don’t incentivize tanking, something the Knicks know all too well.

This is the type of trade the Knicks should be focused on. Each member of the core would be in their early 20s for a few more years. Barrett could be your go-to bucket getter of the future, and he’d be surrounded by a premier defender and elite lobsman in Mitch, a versatile, defense-first team player in Frank, and a 7-foot sharpshooter whose hometown is across the ocean. Why does that last one sound so familiar? Oh well, can’t remember.

**For more discussion on whether or not the Knicks should go after Markkanen, click on this link and go read an in-depth discussion featuring two of Posting and Toasting's finest: The Ghost of Kristaps Past and Jonathan Schulman. And lest we forget Drew Steele, who put together some lovely graphics for their piece.**

David Fizdale, we hardly knew ye

There was never much emotional attachment to David Fizdale. He seemed like a nice guy, but ultimately became the latest in a carousel of coaches who failed to turn around a franchise that has been flailing for decades. Fizdale left New York with the worst winning percentage in team history (.202), and some of his decisions were such head-scratchers that your scalp is probably still bleeding. Still, he deserves a proper goodbye.

The Knicks, you may have noticed, are quite bad. Since Steve Mills and Scott Perry relieved Fizdale of his duties and installed Mike Miller as interim head coach, the team is 1-2, including a 28-point shellacking at the hands of Carmelo Anthony and the Portland Trail Blazers and an overtime victory over the also terrible Golden State Warriors.

Depending on who you ask, Fizdale’s firing was either completely egregious or entirely overdue. The true answer lies somewhere in between. Let’s explore Fizdale’s time at the helm and see what his tenure has taught us, if anything.

When Fizdale arrived, the Knicks had grand delusions

The hiring of Fizdale came after an exhaustive search by the Knicks; the team interviewed 11 total candidates and ultimately selected the bespectacled former Memphis Grizzlies head coach over fellow finalists Mike Budenholzer and David Blatt. The mere fact that the Knicks interviewed multiple candidates was welcome news, and although Kristaps Porzingis was out with a torn ACL, expectations were that Fizdale would keep the team ready for his eventual return.

At first, it looked like the Fizdale-Porzingis relationship might blossom. Fiz even famously traveled to Latvia to spend time with KP and his family over the summer. 

Kristaps Porzingis on Twitter

Just had a great conversation on the phone with Coach Fiz. Man im excited!!!!! Lets gooo!!! 🔶🔷

But then the 2018-19 season began.

Though Fizdale praised Porzingis as a “monster waiting in the wings,” by early November 2018 there were subtle signs that the relationship wasn’t as spectacular as the Knicks would have liked us to believe. That’s when Fizdale said KP wasn’t sprinting yet. Only he was sprinting. The coach and star not being on the same page was concerning, as was all the losing that was going on, but, you know, Rome wasn’t built in a day or whatever.

By January 21st, the Knicks were 10-29, and people were already starting to question whether Fizdale knew what he was doing. Still, optimists saw upstarts like undrafted Allonzo Trier and 9th overall draft pick Kevin Knox, not to mention second round selection Mitchell Robinson, and thought that an eventual Porzingis return might enable Fizdale to be the coach who set things right.

The Knicks trade KP, the tank hits high gear and free agent fantasies abound 

In February, the Knicks abruptly traded their franchise cornerstone to the Dallas Mavericks, and it became clear that New York’s plan all along was to sign major free agents. Specifically, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Oh, okay.

The efficiency with which Fizdale was tanking served to obscure that he was actually not a very good coach. Emmanual Mudiay got minutes over Frank Ntilikina all season long, and then Dennis Smith Jr. immediately jumped ahead of Ntilikina in the pecking order. Fizdale failed to properly handle his decision to bench Enes Kanter, which may have been the right move but should have gone more smoothly.

Robinson, who started 12 straight games early in the season and was quite clearly the best thing the Knicks had going for them, was benched for guys like Kanter and Luke Kornet, and then eventually DeAndre Jordan, who the Knicks thought was going to help them land KD and Kyrie.

Fizdale’s Knicks tied the franchise record for futility. Then this season they got worse

The catastrophe that has been this season should not fall entirely on Fizdale, as the front office gave him a completely new cast of characters, most of whom aren’t exactly the most talented players in the league. Still, Fizdale failed to install a solid enough system to eke out more than four victories in the first 22 games of the 2019-20 season, so he was canned. That’s business.

Fizdale’s Knicks were never good, at all. Last year, the Knicks were second to last in offensive rating and fifth worst in defensive rating. This year, the Knicks are last in the league in offensive rating and seventh worst in defensive rating. That serves to illustrate what was obvious to those watching: the Knicks never seemed to have much of an offensive or defensive identity under Fizdale. 

Instead, his finest quality was that he was a friendly guy who the players liked. Likability is nice, but it isn’t the most important quality in a head coach. Coaches need to be competent at implementing offensive and defensive schemes. They should be able to tweak their systems to suit their players. They should be adept at drawing up plays in a pinch for the various late-game situations teams will find themselves in.

Fizdale didn’t excel at any of those things. Is that because he was handed a laughable roster? Is it because he’s a straight up bad coach? As noted earlier, the answer is probably somewhere in between.

One thing is for certain, however. Fizdale failed to attract the free agents coveted by James Dolan. That fact, combined with the reality of the Knicks’ overall 21-83 record under Fiz, led to Mills and Perry sacking him like a quarterback. He may no longer be employed by New York, but there’s nothing more Knicksy than being a scapegoat.

Farewell, Fiz. Enjoy getting paid to not work for the next two and a half years.

Iman Shumpert Ladies and Gentlemen!

Attention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNfYdk0kuKk&feature=youtu.be

That is all.

FINAL: Knicks 87, Celtics 71. Knicks up 2-0!

The Knicks are up 2-0!


Box Score from tonight's wonderful game

Some quick thoughts:

- According to the committee in my brain that determines my thoughts, Carmelo Anthony CAN be the best player on a championship-caliber team. **Note the use of the word "caliber" there.**

Paul Pierce without his headband

-The Celtics are like old, slow turtles right now, what with their green uniforms and inability to run very fast. Paul Pierce really accentuated this look during a brief time period in the third quarter when he wasn't wearing a headband.

-Tyson Chandler can be all the "this is the best I've felt in a long time"'s that he wants (I've enlarged the apostrophe because at regular size that was a puzzling punctuation to read), but he's not quite there. I'm suspicious that he's going to have surgery this off-season which will be awkwardly explained away as unimportant by the Knicks.

And on that night, pipe was laid

- MSG needs to show J.R. some lovin' in the form of "J.R. Smith, J.R. Smith!" chants for two reasons: one, to congratulate the man on his 6th man of the year and thus-far playoff dominance, and two, to make sure he's not going anywhere next year when people can start offering him POISON PILL contracts. (Cue tears about Jeremy Lin. Then, cue video of the OKC vs. Rockets game one which subsequently cues tears to cease.)

- Felton is living up to his potential as someone who can seriously affect this series. If he keeps successfully driving through pick and rolls and getting lay-ups to fall then the Knicks will be tough to beat.

Rollin', much like like Limp Bizkit

- Kenyon Martin affects every play when he is on the court. Whether he's boxing out KG to keep him away from the play, or setting an off-the-ball screen that ends in a ferocious dunk/backboard slap, he makes a major impact at all times. He was a HUGE pickup and his ankle best stay healthy.

- Medical Suggestion for Kenyon Martin: RICE = Rest, Ice Compression, Elevation. So much RICE is in order.

- Amar'e was looking good with his purple tie. Keep looking good, Amar'e!

The Celtics aren't dead, not yet. But they are showing their age and could really use a true point guard. They'll win one in Boston, for America, but the Knicks will wrap the series up in five rather easily.

Time for the Playoffs! Knicks vs. Celtics Breakdown.

For the first time in a long, LONG, LONG, LONG, LONG  time, the Knicks are favored to win a playoff series! (edit: I originally had the following sentence: "They haven't won a playoff game since Vince Carter wasn't old and fat and was on the Raptors." Which is totally wrong, since they won the post-fire extinguisher game against the Heat last year. Conclusion? I'm an idiot).  They play the Boston Celtics, and game one is tomorrow, Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. Let's break this series down.

Part of a well-balanced breakfast

Point Guard: The Celtics will play this series without Rajon Rondo, who suffered an ACL tear earlier this season, so it comes down to Raymond Felton against Avery Bradley. Both players have the capability to make huge differences for their respective teams in this series. If Felton can play up to his season averages (14 ppg, 5.5 assists on 41% from the field) then he will be a huge help to the Knicks. He's only played nine career playoff games (none with the Knicks), and has been adequate, averaging around 11 points and 5 assists, slightly below his regular season career averages. 

Neither will play, but it's a cool pic

Unfortunately for Raymond, he's going up against one of the most annoying players to ever play the game in Avery Bradley. Bradley is a high school coach's dream and an opponent's nightmare (cliche alert), with his relentless press from the opening tip. Defense is where he can help propel the Celtics, as he is a below average/forgettable offensive player, likely due to the fact that he expends all his energy hounding players on the defensive side of the ball for 90 feet. 

Metaphor time: Picture a seesaw with two children of the same weight on either side, teetering back and forth, unsure of which way it will tip. That's this matchup at the moment; it could go either way.

Edge: Even

Shooting Guard: With Pablo Prigioni most likely out for at least game one due to a sprained ankle, it looks like this matchup will be Paul Pierce against Iman Shumpert. While it may feel like the 35-year-old Pierce is on his last legs, he has actually had a very solid season (18.6 ppg, 6 rebounds, 45% from the field), with little to no regression compared to the last few years. He's been your basic Paul Pierce this year against the Knicks, averaging 21 ppg on about 46% shooting. It doesn't matter how old Pierce gets, you can never count him out against the Knicks; he seems to really take pride in ripping the beating heart from my chest, eating it in front of me and then hopping onto his unnecessary wheelchair and wheeling away while laughing gleefully. 

Back in the game seconds later

He'll be dealing with Shumpert, who started off slowly this year when he came back from that torn ACL, but has gotten progressively better as the season has gone on. And even better, Shump has made a huge jump (I'd like to thank Walt Clyde for inspiring me to rhyme) this year in his three point shooting (40% this year, up from 30% last year). With the way the Knicks play offense (give the ball to Melo or J.R. and then spread out for potential open three pointers), Shumpert's ascension to above average three point shooter has been a huge plus for the Knicks. And, lately he's looked pretty darn spry on defense, with his knee appearing strong enough to withstand the quick footedness he displayed throughout his rookie season. 

Pierce gets the edge here, but only because he's one of the best players ever and Shump is still just a rook (even though he really isn't). 

Edge: Celtics

Small Forward: Chris Copeland has really weaseled his way into the Knicks rotation this year, with his real time slow motion offense. Seriously, he looks like he's moving in slow motion every time he drives and yet the man knows how to put a basketball inside of a basketball hoop -- in this season's last three regular season games, he scored 20, 32 and 33 points respectively. Meanwhile, the Celtics have Jeff Green, who, despite averaging only 13 points a game this season, is potentially their most deadly weapon on offense in this series -- he scored 43 points in a two-point loss to the Heat this year, and my general rule is that anyone who scores more than 40 points against LeBron James has the potential to do similar things to the Knicks. Cope has the edge in the "who looks more like Brittney Griner" competition, but unfortunately this is a basketball game.

Edge: Celtics

True Love

Power Forward: Brandon Bass is a pretty solid NBA player. But the Knicks have Carmelo Anthony. 

Edge: Knicks

Center: This is a little uncertain. Tyson has been saying all the right things: "I'm 100%," "I feel great and ready to go," "This is the best I've felt in a long time," "It was a blessing in disguise that I was able to get that time off. I'm going to have fresh legs throughout the playoffs and I'm excited about this long run we're about to endure."

It sounds AWESOME. But Tyson didn't look quite "Tyson" enough when he came back for that brief period recently, wearing a black muscle shirt underneath his jersey. Hopefully he doesn't need that muscle shirt anymore, because his bare shoulders are so much more intimidating than fabric. One the other end, Garnett is ALSO coming back from injuries. Garnett, like Pierce, is an all-time great who cannot be underestimated. He still has the potential to be a really solid offensive player -- both in the post and from mid-range. Both are ridiculously physical players, so they should bring back a little of that classic toughness that the NBA has fought so hard to eradicate. Which may, of course, lead to one of them getting re-innjured. Not to be a homer, but PLEASE GOD LET IT BE GARNETT AND NOT TYSON.

Edge: Even/Uncertain at the moment.

Bench: The edge goes to the Knicks here, heavily. They have J.R. "I'm about to make so much fucking money this offseason" Smith, who has been OUTSTANDING this season -- especially in the last few months, as he's begun driving to the hoop instead of settling for classic J.R. Smith long two-pointers. Jason Kidd is the Knicks other coach. Steve Novak has potential to be a game-changer every single game if he can just get a few good, open looks. If Kenyon Martin's ankle holds up then he should be just as fantastic as he was when he first got here last month. Marcus Camby probably won't play, but he brings that 1999 finals run nostalgia. The Celtics, meanwhile, have Jason "I suck now" Terry and a bunch of other guys that probably won't have much of an impact. 

Edge: Knicks, by a wide margin.

Dreamy

Coach: Coaching in the NBA is a funny thing. For years, Celtics fans yearned for Doc Rivers to be fired -- then, the original big three happened, and they won a championship. Now, he's one of the most respected coaches in the league. One thing I've noticed is that Rivers is tremendous at drawing up plays for one specific possession near the ends of games. Almost every time he picks up that clipboard in the huddle, the ensuing possession ends in a basket. So let's try not to stop play late in close games, guys. 

Mike Woodson has already taken his place as one of the top coaches in Knicks history by coaching them out of their 10-year funk. He somehow got through to J.R. Smith, and let's be honest, that's all that really matters. Both of these guys are solid coaches.

Edge: Even

Prediction: Knicks in 5. 

Even though the "edge" count is pretty damn even, the Knicks get the most important edge, and that is the "who will win the series?" edge. Melo has officially entered his prime, and is so hungry he could eat at Arby's (if you don't' get it then you don't watch enough Simpsons). He may also potentially eat Honey Nut Cheerios on a given night if La La is in the right mood. The Knicks depth far outweighs the Celtics depth, too. The Knicks will win, but the Celtics won't wilt and die for two reasons: 1) they aren't a fucking flower. 2) They are a team of pride, and Garnett and Pierce alone will will (two wills in a row, awesome) them to at least one victory, and possibly two. But most likely one.

Let's go Knicks!

Welcome Back! Recap!

Welcome back! It's been OVER TWO YEARS since I've posted, whoops. So, for those of you who literally only get their Knicks news from this blog, here's a quick recap of what has transpired since I last posted.

To be read as a run-on sentence:

The 2011 season ended with the Knicks being swept by the Celtics in first round and the Knicks went into the next season with Toney Douglas as their new starting point guard but he failed miserably as Amar'e and Melo struggled to co-exist but the newly acquired Tyson Chandler was outstanding and in February, Mike D'Antoni brought a no-name point guard off the end of bench during a meaningless game against the Nets, who miraculously schooled Deron Williams and suddenly took the NBA by storm (he was a no-name in figurative terms only -- he does have a name, it's Jeremy Lin), and soon after, the Knicks signed J.R. Smith who had been playing in China, but before the playoffs Lin hurt his knee and was unable to play, meanwhile Mike Woodson took over as head coach for the fired D'Antoni and the Knicks surged into the playoffs but then Amar'e angrily punched a fire extinguisher and had to miss game three but came back in game four as the Knicks won their first postseason game since 2000-01, setting off a plethora of confetti streaming from the rafters of Madison Square Garden even though they ultimately lost to the Heat in five and then last offseason the Knicks inexplicably decided not to bring back Lin and instead acquired a whole bunch of former Knicks (Raymond Felton, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby) along with a couple of other really old dudes (Jason Kidd and the 35-year-old rookie hailing from Argentina, Pablo Prigioni) as part of their attempt to create the oldest NBA team ever, at which they were extremely successful, but then Amar'e had surgery and was out for the start of the season yet the the Knicks still started 8-0 and then 18-5, including two blowout victories against the Heat and New York rejoiced, but then the Knicks struggled, playing the middle of the season as basically a .500 team and New York bemoaned but then late in the season they once again surged, claiming the number two seed in the East, their highest seeding since 1993-94 (when they lost in the Finals to the Houston Rockets), where they will play the Boston Celtics starting tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

And here's that same basic story, but in picture form: 

 D'Antoni's default emotion

BFFs? Sadly, no. 

Let's have a good, clean fight.

Will he wear this shirt on the sideline for game 1? Stay tuned.

Would beat me in a fight.