SPANISH HARLEM – The NBA Playoffs Play-In is underway and concludes on Friday but the New York Knicks know who they will play, in the Detroit Pistons. Nothing is more important than making a statement on game 1 against a young club looking to play the villain, while spoiling the-recently-no-rotten in NY.
After years of awful basket, the Pistons are finally headed in the right direction under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He has done a tremendous job with this group and wants nothing more than to show that this season was not an aberration. Wnning this playoffs series would do that. They were 3-1 against the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference and want to prove that they are better team.
The Knickerbockers s know this situation very well, as they weren’t given much respect last season as well, going into the playoffs. They definitely didn’t play their best ball down the stretch this season, with some fans nervous to see what NYK team will show up against Detroit. Many in the media don’t believe that they are capable of winning a 2nd round series against Boston or Cleveland, so seeing this group go out in their 1st round series will have fans fuming.
I fully expect the best from Jalen Brunson and company, as they look to show the world what they are capable of when everyone is buying in. They are not the same lovable team that they were last year and definitely not as deep, but they are explosive on offense and with Thibs getting this opportunity to show that he is as capable on the defensive side of the ball when crafting a game plan for a 7-game series.
I predict the Knicks in 6… you know what… Knicks in 5.
That’s it for now, please come back tomorrow for more great content from Action Jackson Sternberg.
