The New York Knicks are in the midst of a fine 2023-24 season, but Paul Pierce doesn’t seem to think they’re all that good. On the latest episode of the Ticket and The Truth podcast, Pierce wildly compared the Knicks to an Instagram model.
“The Knicks is like a Instagram model,” Pierce said. “I be on Instagram and I be like, ‘Damn, she fine.’ Then you catch ‘em in person and you like… ‘this you?’ It’s too many filters.”
"I be on Instagram and I be like, ‘damn she fine.’ Then you catch ‘em in person and you’re like… ‘this you?’” – Paul Pierce @PaulPierce34 isn’t a believer in the Knicks this year and thinks they’re like an IG model 👀 Man, P a fool I swear. Can’t take him nowhere 🤷🏾♂️🤣
While… pic.twitter.com/ER22aGF0k8
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) March 4, 2024
Pierce clearly believes the Knicks, who are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 36-25 record, aren’t as good as they appear to be. Kevin Garnett disagreed with his take, but the Boston Celtics icon wasn’t interested in changing his stance on the matter.
The Knicks started to be touted as a serious contender when they went on a remarkable run after trading for OG Anunoby. They won 12 of their 14 games with Anunoby in the lineup and looked like a juggernaut.
The Knicks even beat the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers (with Joel Embiid), Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat during that stretch, so they weren’t just facing cannon fodder. Unfortunately for New York, the injury bug then struck.
Anunoby and Julius Randle have both missed the last 15 games and the Knicks have struggled as a result. They are just 7-8 in that time and if Pierce is talking down on them based on this stretch, then that’s not really fair.
Take out two of the top three players on any team, and they would struggle. When you also factor in that Mitchell Robinson has been on the sidelines, you get why the Knicks haven’t looked great off late. If they get healthy by the time the playoffs roll around, I think they will make a deep run.
Paul Pierce Previously Stated The Knicks Could Reach The ECF If They Avoided The Celtics
Pierce has completely changed his tune regarding the Knicks in a few months. Just back in January, Pierce had said the Knicks could reach the conference finals if they avoided the Celtics.
“They could be in the Eastern Conference finals. I’m looking at the East. It’s the Celtics and everybody else a couple of tiers below. Even Milwaukee is a tier below the Celtics. If the Knicks could find a way to avoid the Celtics in the second round, they can be in the conference finals.”
I actually agreed with this take of his. The Celtics are the only team in the East that I would definitively say the Knicks can’t beat. I would give them a shot at getting the better of anyone else in the Conference if they are healthy, including the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stephen A. Smith also predicted a Knicks-Celtics showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals and it is far from an outlandish take. When everyone is healthy, their defense is one of the best in the NBA.
Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, has shown that he can perform at a high level in the playoffs as the primary scoring option. He has plenty of help on offense in Randle, Anunoby, and Bojan Bogdanovic as well. As presently constructed, the Knicks aren’t good enough to get over the line and win it all, but a trip to the Conference Finals isn’t beyond reach.
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