Game 19: New York Knicks (10-7) vs. Dallas Mavericks (10-8) | 6:30pm CST

[SleepingHero]

Tbh I’m not even surprised. Just so many good two way players with size and athleticism on the team it’s seriously impressive. Loosing Luka obviously hurts as he can just bury EVERY single opponent any moment but there’s still 

- Kyrie playing allstar / maybe even all nba level of basketball

- Lively is a highly impactful player

- PJ is a STUDDDD. Like to the point where it’s absurd that he isn’t viewed in the same mold as guys like OG or Mikal. He’s actually been a gigantic reason for why we’ve been to the finals last year and also again helped turn the season around this year after he came back from injury.

- Marshall was an impactful player already early in the season despite being ice cold from three. Now he even makes those, on top of strong defense, a great driving game and unselfish playmaking. I don’t follow other teams much but he should seriously be in the 6MOY conversation.

- Grimes is a genuinely good SG with very strong defense and shooting who is also not incompetent off the bounce or unathletic. Another guy who I expect to impact the game in a positive way whenever he steps on the court

- Klay is a healthy presence for the team so far with good defense and smart plays, just not completely there shooting-wise

- Powell has played a VERY good season so far. Not a ton of minutes but just reliable when you need him

- Dinwiddie with a HUGE performance tonight again. Giving reasonable hope that we might be able to fix the backup guard spot.

- Gafford: I get frustrated a lot but he’s a physical & athletic force and a blessing to have on the roster. If you look at the starting Centers we had since 2011 he’s probably easily in the top 5 despite being often used off the bench.

The next two games are against Utah who might play without Markkanen and Portland. If we can pull those two out we’re right back to a 50 win pace despite the early season struggles and lineup turmoil. 

The results are solid at best right now but this looks like a much better team to me than the record shows right now. Completely different from last year where we had a good record early but te squad was full of holes. I dont think that’s the case now. Backup guard is my biggest worry but Dinwiddie has really shown something now.

Absolutely beautiful recap. Took basically all the words out of my mouth.

It was surprising to me still seeing the Mavs just snatch NYK's soul last night. Holding that NYK team to sub 40 point half is an incredible accomplishment.

Kyrie's level of play right now is otherworldly. I don't say this lightly but he really has reminded me of a 6'3 Kobe Bryant that is shooting 50/40/90 this season. Just methodical, inevitable, and cutthroat. His leadership every night brings a tear to my eye. 

Dinwiddie had a helluva game. When he gets hot like this he's impossible to defend. I think the more Kidd plays him in that shooting guard role, the better he looks. Reminiscent to that 2022 run where Dinwiddie just played off our lead guards. It makes me excited for when Exum finally returns. 

On the other side of the pendulum, Hardy couldn't have looked worse in a blowout. Couldn't get anything going offensively. Seemed to just want to play his game instead of the team game. Defensively he looked lackluster (although that could just be a product of sharing the floor with Grimes+Naji, who raise the bar defensively so much). Not much to take away other than Hardy is still learning and growing, and that is usually not a linear process. 

Once again, this team's ceiling is so high. This was without Luka+Klay+Gafford. This team has weathered the storm of injuries and haven't missed a beat. A lot of that is due to Kyrie and Naji, but every game someone else steps up too. Whether that be Grimes, Dinwiddie, Lively, Gafford, etc. Just a fantastic win sheesh.