Originally Posted by
Billy Dat
FDD - it doesn't take much for this Knicks fan to spew the enthusiasm considering that I only have legit reasons to do so about as often as RJ hits a 3.
I don't mean to slag RJ who, before last night, was leading the NBA in minutes and has been the same player for the Knicks that he was for Duke, a clearly fearless warrior who truly believes that he is the best offensive player on the court and should be taking all the big shots. While his play doesn't quite back up his mentality, the gap between the two is closing and he's just such a workhorse in his effort, the minutes he plays, etc. I think we all know that he is a great kid with his head screwed on right and that moxie and belief in himself is far more of a strength than a weakness. He needs to shoot better, but he also needs a team with more shooting around him (like he needed on Duke), so that he can attack the open space off the bounce.
Austin has been incredible. He was hurt for the first half of the games played so far but since he's come back, he anchors the second unit and has been part of the closing unit these past few games hitting big shot after big shot. If you think about it, he and RJ have the exact same mentality about themselves but Austin has the veterans experience and has been humbled enough to understand that he is not the marquee dude but accepts his role and, as coach K would say, stars in it. Both guys are such fierce competitors. Austin also gets a lot of opportunities to drive the ball on the second unit and he still is quick as a cat and can get by almost anyone, plus his defense is very strong.
While I had to break down our Duke guys first, Julius Randle has been the primary storyline for the Knicks. The dude is averaging nearly a triple double, which is only happening because his passing and playmaking has gone to a completely higher level. Last year, I said that his go-to move was a spin move into the lane for a waiting double team and a turnover. Now, the Knicks are spaced and when he attacks off the dribble and knows where the shooters are spotting up, he's making the passes and the offense clicks. It doesn't look pretty while he's doing it, but it's effective - kind of like my fave Duke player of all time, Coach Carrawell.
These wins have also been coming against good teams - Jazz, Hawks, Pacers, Bucks, etc.
Gotta crow while the sun is up...it's fun and we'll see how long it goes.