NBA Countdown | The Knicks are proving to be a real, legit threat in the East – Richard explains

NBA Countdown | The Knicks are proving to be a real, legit threat in the East – Richard explains

Welcome to NBA Countdown from our Los Angeles Studio she is Chan AUM he is our senior Insider Adrien wowski he is Richard RZ Jefferson Kendrick leale Perkins I’m Malika Andrews we have an action-packed Monday night in the association when it’s action-packed we like to use Kendrick Perkins middle name

The heat they’re in the City of Brotherly Love to take on the 76ers and then in our night cap of course we have a little East Coast West Coast showdown between the Knicks and the Warriors that is where we are going to begin our show because the Knicks they have held

Opponents below 100 points in five straight games that is the longest streak by any team this season a team hasn’t had a six-game streak like that since the Spurs in December of 2018 now the Golden State Warriors they’re four and four in March they’ve lost three of

Their last five games but remember they were without Steph Curry in three straight contests he was working his way back from an ankle injury before he returned against the Lakers that was on Saturday and oh my goodness what do you call him perk big body Brunson yeah

Jaylen Brunson has been on a tear as of late dro with 40 points in each of his last two contests he became the fourth player with consecutive 40o games in Nick’s history and take a look at this overall Brunson has seven 40-point games this season that’s the most by a knck

Player since Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13 it is tied for the fifth most 40-point games in a season in Nicks history and I know you’re all taking notes because this is a lot it is tied for the most in a season by a Nicks guard All Time Kendrick Perkins we were talking in

January when New York was the third seed in the Eastern Conference at that point you said that a successful postseason Run for the Knicks would be what the NBA Finals okay the NBA finals and and since then they’ve had a couple of injuries things go arai they’ve dropped to Fourth

Now what would you say it is I would say the Conference Finals that’s that’s all it’s dropped yeah that’s it you know why why we are in March Madness right sorry about that W my apologies okay we’re in March Madness and and I would like to

Bring up a guy who loves the month of March okay two time NCA champ big body Bronson that’s why because of what he’s doing on both ends of the floor we could talk about his play offensively and we know that he’s a certified bucket and the way he controls the game offensively

For as getting his teammates involved it’s a mixture of the new and the old for us how he’s able to distribute and make guys around him better but he’s a leader right you watch him defensively him and tibs have this connection and guess what if you don’t believe me I’m

Not the only person that’s saying this about jayen Bronson okay yeah the guy he dropped 40 a 40 piece on the team they coach has something to say about it too you got to give a lot of credit um to Jaylen man he he’s he’s a hell of

A player I I don’t know if Steph maybe I don’t know if we blitzed anybody as much as we did jayen tonight tried to send two Adam and he still scor 42 points be damn that’s it we nope he said he mentioned his name was stti he like

They you know most coaches don’t show their hand yeah this early in the in the season when it comes to Blitz coverages and things of that nature Jaylen Brunson make you show your hand perk you’re right Jaylen Brunson has been a great March player all those Villanova guys on

The Knicks the difference the difference between this tournament and that one is these are best of seven this isn’t single elimination but Jaylen Brunson what he has done for this Nick organization outside of LeBron James moving in free agency outside of Kevin Durant moving in free agency he has been the most

Impactful free agent uh certainly maybe of the last decade in the NBA what he has done for this Knicks organization yes getting in the playoffs last year advancing but he has pulled this entire organization that had been rudderless for years together and every falls in

The place around him he is as good of a leader he is as good of a locker room character guy as there is in the NBA and he has taken his game the places that I don’t even think the Knicks expected that he would and they listen they had

His assist Rick Brunson on the coaching staff his dad lean Rose their president used to be his agent they knew this player obviously very well but what he has done is REM question’s going to be for this Nicks team can they get healthy well and and that’s what it is no one’s

Questioning whether or not Brunson is that dude we saw him in the postseason multiple times we’ve seen him throughout this season last year we’ve seen him be that dude but ultimately it’s about health in the postseason if he doesn’t have that Supporting Cast and the Boston Celtics do or the Milwaukee Bucks who

Have been playing pretty good basketball since the All-Star break if they’re healthy and locked in Brunson can be great and we saw him be great last year in the Miami series he was one of the few guys that was consistent RJ Barrett wasn’t we were struggling to get so much

Work from the rest of the I think Jos Hart is having his best season of his career so I think they have help but ultimately they are going to be C based off their help because they are always going to be looking up at those teams

Talent-wise right and it’s going to be a little bit tricky to make it to the Conference Finals if they stay where they are right now because they’d have to beat the Magic in the 4 Five series and then they’d have to beat the Boston Celtics in a 1 14 series and that’s an

Incredibly tall task one that I know you do not put past Jaylen Brunson but really it’s not just Brunson that’s something else that you have your eye on sh yeah I know you talked about okay they’re looking up the Knicks right now are not a championship team right we all

Know that but they are close they are knocking on the door championship teams have two things they have defense and they have star power and they’re getting pretty great at both of those things particularly the defense this is one of the most elite defensive teams that

We’ve seen this NBA season I just want you guys to see how committed they are to rotations here they’re Hawking the ball handler the ball moves players fly second line of defenses there there’s rotation and this is an elite level defensive play from OG and an Obi he

Stunts but then he still recovers the Knicks they really want to contest everything and then most importantly they want to secure the rebound and it’s not just that they build walls on defense that’s why they’re able to win they may not throw up those 130 Point

Nights but look at the wall in which they Rim protect they have each other’s back and the head of the snake is OG anobi he is by the numbers one of if not the best perimeter defensive player in the NBA he holds his opponents that are near him amongst qualified players to

41% defensively shoot you know offensively shooting and then look at these numbers again second in holding opponents in points per game fourth in paint points per game they get defensive rebounds where people think that you have to rely on one player or two have this tremendous Center the Knicks have

The defense now they’re trying to round out their star power and they’re going to be great to come not to mention you know the way that we have seen games started the referees have started to call less fouls that plays directly into the physical nature of a Tom Tibido

Coach team but you mentioned OG and anobi OG is out with that right injury management that right elbow management rather W he missed 18 games with that injury what more can you tell us about how long he could be out here look I’m told that OG an anobi is going to be out

More than just tonight that that right elbow has flared up again they need it to calm down how long he is out is unclear but it’s certainly a concern for this next team they do not know the status of Julius Randall moving forward and right now they will miss ogan noi

More than just this game against the Warriors tonight I’m health is going to be such a key factor for the New York Knicks moving down the stretch here the Knicks the Warriors that is the second game of our double header here on ESPN but you know it’s a big game when Allan

Iverson is in the oh my goodness and look at that chain that he came talk about Coach wow coach the locks true definition of I like that coat guys it’s also that time of the year it’s bracket time CH have you filled yours out for the women’s sign

Well look at all the brackets already that are being created with the ESPN Tournament Challenge so now ch’s done her women’s bracket it’s your turn download the Tournament Challenge app fill out up to 25 men’s and women’s brackets rich is going to fill out 25

That seems like I only need fill out one I only need to fill out one it’s easy it’s fun you can create groups to play with your friends your family your co-workers your enemies like you know we do with Richard Rich all NBA Countdown I’ll be right back for Foree Fore spee speech foreign fore speee Heree for Speech fore speee speech speee Spe For spee spee fore foreign speech foree spee spee speech spe speee fore spee Fore have play make you Speee man me for spee fore foreign foreign foreign fore speech spee you not nice turn for you how foreign spee speech fore speech foree speeech foreign spee fore you [Applause] That Fore

NBA Countdown | The Knicks are proving to be a real, legit threat in the East – Richard explains