- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,207,800
- Reaction score
- 59
For most of the postseason, the Knicks repeated the same approach going into games after wins: go into the next matchup with a 0-0 mentality.
The motto has afforded them a 13-game postseason win streak as the NBA Finals swings to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4. It’s been the mindset since the team shifted all momentum in the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Everyone but the Knicks themselves has acknowledged the win streak, and the mentality has them two wins away from securing the franchise’s first title in 53 years.
“Just us being together, being down 2-1 [in the first round], I think that understanding where we were and what the situation was and I think in a way just having that kind of understanding and desperation that comes with being in the playoffs and trying to win at the highest level,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of what caused the spark.
“I think also, too, we always talk about the unity and camaraderie of this team. We don’t ever want to put ourselves in that position again. So just every single day coming to the court, coming to the game with that kind of desperation, that kind of will to not be in a 2-1 situation again and not put ourselves in a bad spot, maybe I think that’s what’s led us to this point of, like you said, being on a heater. But just not looking forward in the future at all and not looking at the past. Just staying in the present. We talk about 0-0 mentality, that’s a real thing in our locker room and that’s how we approach every game.”
The win streak has been historic.
It’s the second-longest streak in NBA postseason history, just two games shy of the 15-game win streak the Golden State Warriors achieved on their way to the 2017 title.
In those 13 consecutive wins, eight of them came on the road, which is tied for first with the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers title-winning squad.
The Knicks turned into a different team after going down 2-1 to the Hawks with a pivotal Game 4 awaiting in Atlanta. They responded with a 16-point Game 4 win to even the series.
They’ve been sizzling hot ever since: a plus-257 point differential in the last 10 games.
“It starts in our film, our practice, what we talk about with coaches,” OG Anunoby said. “Everyone is on the same page, locked in, dialed in, focused on the same goal, and just take it day by day.”
The 0-0 mentality continues at home with the Madison Square Garden crowd witnessing NBA Finals action for the first time since 1999.
And with the Spurs fighting for their postseason lives, the Knicks expect San Antonio’s “best.”
“Every single game you expect their best,” Towns said. “That’s how you don’t get caught in a way lacking. You go out there and you expect their best, so you want to bring your best. This is the NBA Finals. There’s no time to take any game easy or to take any game lightly.”
Continue reading...
The motto has afforded them a 13-game postseason win streak as the NBA Finals swings to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4. It’s been the mindset since the team shifted all momentum in the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Everyone but the Knicks themselves has acknowledged the win streak, and the mentality has them two wins away from securing the franchise’s first title in 53 years.
“Just us being together, being down 2-1 [in the first round], I think that understanding where we were and what the situation was and I think in a way just having that kind of understanding and desperation that comes with being in the playoffs and trying to win at the highest level,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of what caused the spark.
“I think also, too, we always talk about the unity and camaraderie of this team. We don’t ever want to put ourselves in that position again. So just every single day coming to the court, coming to the game with that kind of desperation, that kind of will to not be in a 2-1 situation again and not put ourselves in a bad spot, maybe I think that’s what’s led us to this point of, like you said, being on a heater. But just not looking forward in the future at all and not looking at the past. Just staying in the present. We talk about 0-0 mentality, that’s a real thing in our locker room and that’s how we approach every game.”
The win streak has been historic.
It’s the second-longest streak in NBA postseason history, just two games shy of the 15-game win streak the Golden State Warriors achieved on their way to the 2017 title.
In those 13 consecutive wins, eight of them came on the road, which is tied for first with the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers title-winning squad.
The Knicks turned into a different team after going down 2-1 to the Hawks with a pivotal Game 4 awaiting in Atlanta. They responded with a 16-point Game 4 win to even the series.
They’ve been sizzling hot ever since: a plus-257 point differential in the last 10 games.
“It starts in our film, our practice, what we talk about with coaches,” OG Anunoby said. “Everyone is on the same page, locked in, dialed in, focused on the same goal, and just take it day by day.”
The 0-0 mentality continues at home with the Madison Square Garden crowd witnessing NBA Finals action for the first time since 1999.
And with the Spurs fighting for their postseason lives, the Knicks expect San Antonio’s “best.”
“Every single game you expect their best,” Towns said. “That’s how you don’t get caught in a way lacking. You go out there and you expect their best, so you want to bring your best. This is the NBA Finals. There’s no time to take any game easy or to take any game lightly.”
Continue reading...
