We are two games into the playoffs, and the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are tied at one game apiece as the series shifts to Atlanta. After a dominant performance in their first game, the Knicks eased onthe gas pedal in the fourth quarter of game two, blowing a 14-point lead.
CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 32 points on 12-12 shooting. When guarded by Jalen Brunson, he was 6-9 from the field. The problem with the Knicks lies on the defensive end. Brunson is statistically one of the worst defenders in the league. The guard has been able to back this up with his scoring prowess, but during crunch time in game two, he was contained by the Hawks’ defenders and scored on the other end. Atlanta figured out Brunson’s late-game antics; the captain needs to realize that the entire Knicks team can win the game, not just him. In the first three quarters, the Knicks put on an offensive clinic — Brunson was passing to Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, which built a comfortable lead.
Once the fourth quarter began, head coach Mike Brown rolled out questionable substitutions. The lineup of Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson has played just eight minutes together in the regular season. The 15 points the Knicks scored in said quarter were the fewest they had scored in any fourth quarter for the entire season. How can both Brunson and Towns not be on the floor in a playoff game? Brown has to make up for this in games three and four.
Turning over to Citi Field, where streaks are meant to be broken, the New York Mets finally broke their 12-game losing streak on Wednesday night after defeating the Minnesota Twins 3-2. It was their longest losing streak since 2002.
The team averaged just 1.83 runs per game during the two-week stretch. No other team has averaged less than three runs for that long of a time. Going into Wednesday night, the Mets’ 7-16 record had placed them dead last despite being the team with the highest payroll in the MLB.
Yes, Juan Soto missed 15 straight games, but there is zero excuse. With stars like Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette playing like they should be sent down to the minor leagues, this showing from the Mets has been unacceptable.
During the losing streak, the Mets lost two to the Diamondbacks, were swept by the Athletics, Dodgers and Cubs, and finally weathered one more loss to the Twins. These are games they should have won, with Los Angeles being the one exception.
Perhaps this win will turn things around for the Mets; they currently sit at 40% odds to make the playoffs, yet no team that has lost a dozen straight games has ever made it to October baseball.
Going over to the Bronx, the New York Yankees have been on fire as of late, having won five straight games with their most recent two arriving in Boston against the Red Sox. Game one of the series saw the Yankees shut out the Sox 4-0 — the first time they’ve shut them out in Fenway since 2020. On Wednesday night, the Yankees were one strike away from repeating the 4-0 scoreline, but a late single broke up the shutout.
Pitching has been phenomenal for the Yankees, as they are second in team ERA of 3.16, behind the 3.13 Atlanta Braves. Max Fried and Cam Schlittler have led the starting rotation, and the bullpen has followed behind mightily. Keep in mind, the Yankees are doing this without their ace in Gerrit Cole, who is set to return from Tommy John surgery in May.