The New York Knicks, In This Their 80th Season, Are Ahead (2-0) In The Final Round For The First Time

Start with the above, as the rest will inform that the New York Knicks with 13 straight wins (12-1) by “enough margin,” are up (2-0) in the NBA Final (ought to be called Final not Finals), and are big “faves” to win their third title, but first in 53 years.

They are (14-2) in these ‘offs, both losses by 1 point and last night in probably the game, it was (106-105) Knicks, despite trailing, after building a 14 point fourth quarter lead.

Karl-Anthony Towns, he of a cameo role in a recent, I suppose, hit movie, led the Knicks with 21 points while so many others contributed mightily, for this deep team.

No team has ever come back to win an NBA final round series after losing the first two games at home (Only the ’93 Suns with Barkley, a “never title winner,” who led the criticism of Wembayana and the ’95 Magic with O’Neal also criticizing and in the end 7 foot 4 inch “Wemby” deserved some, but when an Ernie Johnson Jr. (believe me the Jr. is relevant, leave it at that) piles on ….. lost the first two of a final at home).

Those other “mighty contributors” for the New York Knicks include Myk Bridges (18 points), who was on a Phoenix Suns team that led the Bucks (2-0) in the ’21 final, but lost in 6 games. It is one of 5 times a team came back from losing the first two games of an NBA final round to win the crown.

One of those times, aided by Adam Silver’s disgraceful suspension of DRay Green for #5 when James was equally at fault and while we are at it, in this year in which the great Robert Duvall died, I did not like Brunson’s father evoking “The Great Santini” memories, nowhere near as unacceptable as those in that excellent movie, however, sadly present in so many little league type games, running down the court when his son, truly a great, fearless, clutch and even lucky (he did only “split” the pair tied with 7 seconds left, but the “make” was the game’s last point, had a no big deal “chat,”– it was the current Knicks coach Mike Brown’s Cavs who did so vs the Warriors ten years Ago. (The other three, the last Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10) Celts title team vs the Lakers in ’69, Bill Walton, Mo Lucas, each deceased before their time, and Portland vs Erving (first of 6, he wore that # in Philly– he and the team “owed” that many before they bought Moses Malone and he, sans a burning bush was present and led them to the “promised land” aka the ’83 crown) in ’77, and in C.S. Breen’s first final as lead broadcaster, (in this his 21st, “his” Knicks are in command with Breen, while nowhere as obvious as Joe Davis and “his” Dodgers, fairly clearly and until now and maybe, but doubtfully, after using the “never worked” repeat slogan indicating rooting for the Knicks), in ’06, Miami under once Knicks coach Pat Riley (oh what it cost me to stop them and if the Knicks do win, unlike the ’96 Yankees, it will not “balance the books,” came back vs Dallas (5 years later Dallas beat “Mia” in James’ first year there after the first of his three jump teams c-ap) Wade a la Rum Robinson (The Knicks Mitch played well last night), sent to the line, from where he delivered victory.

That is Karl-Anthony Towns as a “one and done” Kentucky player, pictured above.