Good information on the New York Knicks is news Day and Barbara Barker writes for news Day and she's been writing on New York sports for well over twenty years. You can follow her on Twitter or x at mean Barb, which is a very interesting handle, and she joins us here for the first time looking forward to this conversation. Thanks Barbera. We appreciate it. How are you, hey, man, I'm great. How you doing, I'm doing fine. Thanks? Just out of curiosity, I probably get it all the time.
I doubt you're mean, But why mean bar for your Twitter handle?
I'm okay, Like I'm so old that that in the olden days when AOL was invented, I can remember this all right. I picked my friend told me about this cool new thing called AOL. Right, and her name. She has got to pick a name, and her name is Gene, and she picked mean Gene. So I picked mean Barb. And it is thought at this continuity, that's all. It is. Not bad.
Yeah, I doubt it reflects your personality. I'm glad you're with us. Appreciated very much. You wrote about Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter and how he saves his best for last. You've covered a lot of great athletes. I think he's a hell of a basketball player and I think he's a hell of a leader for that team. It's a fine line, though, between trying to get in the flow of a game early for a player like Brunson and then taking over down the stretch. What do
you think that that line is for him? And when do you think he first started asserting himself in this regard?
I mean, you know, he won Mister Klutch this year. The thing that's been around for a couple of years, right is he Adam expands all these awards into millions of territories, right, So he he won that, I really think, I mean he can't. He really has been a leader since he came to the Knicks, all right. But as far as the fourth quarters, I mean, his statistics in the fourth quarters are incredible and even I mean, I think Cad is just an unbelievable player and it is
going to be built upon for years to come. I mean, you guys have a great player, but you look at the two of them, and Brenston has a little bit more experience. I mean in the fourth quarter, kid who has incredible stats is you know also has you know, I will add to the points that Brnston has. Okay, I'll just say Brinston's fifty three points on sixty five percent shooting in the fourth quarter. Kate is twenty six on thirty five percent shooting. Brnston has eight is six
one turnover ten. You know, Kata's tennis is eight turnovers. Kate is a minus fifteen. Brnston is a plus twenty five. I think that's just I think it's I mean that's just experience, that's just playing, and that he just has the ability to turn that switch on and off. I mean we really saw it last year too. I mean the fact that he keeps doing it again and again. I mean, he is the most popular name, and I mean since I mean, he might even be more popular
than Patrick Ewing was, I'm trying to think. I mean, he's a very very popular Nick. I mean, you know, people, there's nobody that doesn't like it. People didn't like Carmelo all right, there were people that didn't like the Knick style of basketball when Patrick Ewing played people. I mean, he is beloved by the Nick san base.
Yeah, he's a very likable person. And I don't disagree with you. He's not well liked in Detroit right now because they see him as a flopper.
But he's not a flopper. I didn't say that. I well about that and people got mad. But you know, he draws falls and Ali does it whatever. He is a bit.
Yeah, there's a lot of players who do that. By the way, there's plenty of players who do that. Let's get to the elephant in the room, and that's the end of game four. The argument has been they let them play all game long. My argument back to that
was the whistle was blown. There were seventeen personal falls on each side, and in a game like that, when it is that blatant, and knowing that that had been called earlier in the series, what was your overall take on Tim Hardaway's corner jumper from three with contact from Josh Hart. Well, he was.
Definitely followed by jus Hart. I think dus Hart even said it too. But you can't argue a non call, all right, and it's something that happened. And also just Hart was shoved by Tobias, which was a fall right before that, and that wasn't called. So there were other things that weren't called. Do I think like Detroit has
a reason to be upset. Yeah, but if you look every time a team is lost in this I mean, I mean, you know, Tibodeau went on and on about Jalen not getting calls, and I'm not saying he was right in game. You know, in the game they lost, you know, So I mean, I just I just think there's been a lot of whining and the league has decided to let calls go. And I mean that that is a really tough way to lose, and it's a
really really tough way to lose. And you know, but I think there was a lot of stuff that wasn't called. I mean, that's more of the editude here. I totally understand how you guys feel in Detroit, but that's not the reason. You like, that's the reason that the game was lost at the end, But there's other reasons. You know that you lost that game too.
Under Barbara Barker joining us from Newsday. You can follow her on actual Twitter. Mean, bar but very kind to join us here this morning. What has surprised you most about this series so far?
I mean that the Knicks have countered your guys toughness. I mean, this is a team that was known as tough. Oh absolutely absolutely so going in you know, it's not like I grew up in the Do you guys support your teams back there in New York? Because things are so expensive. I mean the cheapest Nick ticket tonight is three hundred and eighteen dollars. All right, Because things people sit back and wait and say, what are you going to do for me? All right? This, this team and
last team's, last year's teams was really well liked. This year's team because they you know, retooled. You know, they brought in some guys. They're not seen as like guys that left. Like people love Dante DiVincenzo and what he brought to this team. All right, certainly you know, uh, the Cowbridges skill set is better than his, all right, but people just were waiting. People just were waiting to see call Anthony Towns for better or worse. Has this
reputation as a beamed off. I think it's because he has a quiet voice maybe or something. But he doesn't have that tough guy reputation. And he has been tough, I mean in game three, in game four, so I think people people want to work worried. This is a shared thing is there's an actual one in three against you guys in the regular season, so people were worried about this matchup. Some people wanted them to drop down out of three so they didn't have to play you guys.
So I think the physicality of the series and the fact that the Knicks have been able to, you know, play with the Pistons, I think that has been a big surprise to people here. I mean that they really like.
It's interesting that you bring up the toughness, but also earlier in the conversation the experience. And I think people view Detroit as this young team, and I'm not saying they're not because Kate Cunningham and Jalen Duran, for example, and obviously guys you know, like you know Ron Holland the third and Asar Thompson, but you know, Tim Hardaway has plenty of experience. Tobias Harris has plenty of playoff experience. Dennis Shrewder's got plenty of experience, Milie Beasley has a
ton of playoff experience. Why do we focus on Detroit being so young when in their eight nine man rotation, nearly half has a ton of postseason experience under their belt.
Well, because they're really good players, don't I mean, I mean, you know, their best player does it. Okay, that's why their best player does it. They don't have experience as a team, all right. I mean I mean people love your team. Look what you did from last year. Look you know, look look what JB did or what they all did together. I think you guys as a team have an identity. But I mean you look at Tobias
who he's a super good guy. You know, last year in the final game against the Knicks, he scored zero points, all right, So I mean when he played for Philadelphia, I mean Tim Hardaway junior, he's not beloved here because he played for Knicks teams that weren't very good, all right, So when he played this so I mean you know, yeah, you have experience, but I mean it's not seeing it seemed that you're your best play your best player, and he is so good. I mean he's he's he's going
to be a great player. I mean if he isn't you know he's a superstar already. Your best player doesn't have the playoff.
Experience, Okay, I get it. I still think when you've got guys who are making big shots and need to make big shots, and they are are part of that rotation. I think sometimes it gets a little overblown. Your team a year ago, won one more game, had a better seating, and yet the expectations we all know, I mean a lot of it is self induced, right, but they're high for your team. Do people think they can get further than just past Round one in New York if they close out the Pistons here tonight.
I don't like the Celtics. I don't think the ether team can so I mean, you know, all the prizes whatever, But the thing is, I think for the Knicks, they were built to beat the Celtics, all right. They're all went four against the Celtics this year, so I think, you know, I mean they were I mean before their first day, the first game of the year was between the Celtics and the Knicks, and Jill Mizoola said to his team, this team is built to be and then
they came out and destroyed the next all right. So I mean I just think and also, you know, Celtics Nicks is a big rivalry. I mean, you know, Nix to Troight has its rivalry moments over the years. But I mean that's a big rival, so I think players really want to see, you know, get there. But when the Knicks drew Detroit, people are like, I don't know they're going to get I mean they thought, I mean everyone thought there's just going to be a really tough series,
which it really has. I mean that, you know, the Pistons easily could be up three one, you know, I mean, everything has come down to the end. It's been a really exciting series.
What will be key tonight? We were talking with Rick Mahorne yesterday. He said he put right on the noseman in game four. He said, you know, turnovers are so important. Detroit turns it over nineteen times twice in the series, they have turned it over nineteen times. Credit to the Knicks for that, but some of it sloppily play on the part of the Pistons. What do you think will be most important in game five.
Tonight, Well, they got to get rid of the sloppy play. I don't make that big of a deal about the Pistons, I mean, because I've already wonted Medicine Square Guarden being able to deal with Madicine Square Guarden quite frankly, I thought, you know, since Game three not so much. For maybe you had younger people, and maybe because it was during day, people hadn't been drinking. You know. Game three was like
Game three was so loud. I couldn't like the next morning, it's still hurt for me to talk on the phone. My ears hurt. I wish, I mean, and I bought earplugs for Game four. I mean, it was I've never seen it. I haven't seen a crowd like that in years. So I don't think. I mean, you know, the Knicks, you'll get a super loud, pumped up crowd, but I don't think. I don't think it's going to equal that. So I think I think the distance is so naked deal.
You know, if it comes down to the fourth quarter, it's just going to sort of be execution, somebody not making a mistake. I mean, if it's that close, let's hope it's not the officials, because that would be bad, you know, to have redo. I think, and that finally, I don't think it will be How do you.
Think the Giants and jetted it in their draft.
I'm not the football people, all right, I can just stay away from that. Giants. You know, every every year people get excited about some quarterback or this or that and and yeah, you know so, I mean, well, we'll see the Giants head. They both have a long way to go. But you know, having been a Lions, you know, you know, you guys fought the Lions for years, finally getting a good team, all right, So I mean it's a contro.
We'll enjoy it. We'll enjoy it. One final thing from from Barbara Barker from Newsday, Joining is here on X and and Bros. Throughout the Great State of Michigan. Follower on X AT mean, Barb, when you look at this series as a whole and eventually when the run ends for both these teams, because neither one is good as Cleveland, neither one is as good as Boston, and I would argue I think Indiana is really good. I think they're
an underrated team. What do you see the weakness? Where does Detroit lack?
In?
What area does New York lack? Do you think to try and get in that same conversation, I.
Think Detroit, as much as you mentioned the experience around them, they they need a few more. They have a superstar and they need like a few more. I mean, you know stars, Oh, Tim Hardaway going to be there next year? Isn't this last year was toxic? I'm not sure.
Yeah, it's the last year. It is a good question him and Beasley would be up. Yeah, I mean that's a good question.
Yeah, yeah, So I think you just need some more stars around Kate or if they don't have to be superstars, but I mean you have a foundation there. That's what I think. The Knicks, I mean, they have to. I was looking at because what they did in Detroit? Did they come together as I mean, the Knicks have the pieces. If you look at the pieces and the stars they have, they should be. They have to learn together to play together as a team. I think, you know, I was
wondering Troit. Did they must wrote something like they you know, some people go to an you know, to yoga retreat to find themselves. Did the Nicks find themselves in Detroit? Because I think that's as well as I've seen them play as a team. The problem is they haven't. You know, a lot of times it's been Jalen Brunson in iso offense that's not working. You know, they haven't really you know,
they've needed Cat to step up, which he did. You mean, big time in Game four, they've needed other players to step on on a more consistent basis, and they needed
to I think trust one another enough. And I'm not saying Jalen wasn't trusting these guys, but you know, he was out for a month, I mean, and came back with, like you know, with an injury with five games left, and I think there was just some you know, I think they get we'll see, we'll see what happens, because I mean if they you know, Tambadeau would almost one hundred percent lose his job if they don't get out of the series, all right, So I think you know
that's you know, that's one thing. I mean, who knows you can't predict the knixt you can under predict what's going to go on.
I will s interesting because I think he's a really good coach. Reaching players is one thing, though, but he sure seems like a really good coach. You do a great job, Barbara. We really appreciate a great insight from you and Newsday. Keep up the great work, and I'm glad you enjoyed our town here for a short period of time, and I hope you're back for Thursday as well. Have a great day.
Okay, thanks man. I don't know if I want to get back on that plane, but yeah, all right, take care.
I'm with you. Yeah, the travel could be a little bit much. Barbara Barker joining us here from Newsday Here on ex'es and bros. On this Tuesday morning