As a kid delivering Newsday, I’d see Pitino, Mullin, Berry & Jackson on the back cover. 40 years later, Roger Rubin of Newsday writes about my St. John’s experience. Surreal. Beyond grateful to Coach Pitino for the opportunity to be a part of this team.

There is no doubt that if Brunson’s 3 went in we would have had the world’s first triple “BANG” from the GOAT Mike Breen.

Usage Rate is the percentage of times a player finishes a possession through a field goal attempt, visit to the free throw line or turnover while that player is on the court. Brunson's Usage Rate has climbed above 40% in 2 of the 3 Spurs games. Here are Brunson's and KAT's usage rate and points for each playoff game.

What a Knicks win!!!! That was one of the most physical games I've seen that didn't take place in the 1990's. Yet in the 2nd half, the refs didn't call a single on-floor shooting foul on the Spurs. NYK shot 5 free throws after halftime. 3 by OG on the overturned challenge. 2 by Brunson after the Spurs' late turnover.

Sweet 16 for BOTH the basketball and baseball teams!!! Go Johnnies!!!!!

A few things to note from Rutgers last season: - Ace Bailey shot 43.4% on 159 mid-range attempts (2nd most attempts from players in P5 schools): D-I avg FG% on all 2PT shots was 51.0%. - Dylan Harper shot 29.4% on 51 mid-range attempts - In the 15 games that Dylan played and Rutgers lost, he shot 22.4% from 3 on 4.5 attempts per game All that said, Dylan Harper is a stud! Please take it easy on the Knicks.

First and foremost, I want to thank God for always giving me the strength, courage, and faith to persevere through every challenge and moment of adversity. I also want to thank my family for standing by my side through thick and thin, especially throughout this process and this important decision. I usually don’t speak publicly about things like this, but I feel it’s important to address a few things. Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to play in the NBA, and that dream has never changed. At the same time, I’ve always believed in myself and have always been self-aware enough to understand what I need to do to put myself in the best position to succeed. I’ve seen and heard the rumors and speculation surrounding my decision. The truth is, none of that affects me. My entire life, I’ve been criticized, doubted, and questioned, and I’ve learned to stay focused on what matters. I want to make one thing very clear: my decision to attend St. John’s has nothing to do with money. My decision was based on basketball, development, and winning. I love what Coach Rick Pitino has built at St. John’s. His experience, leadership, and résumé speak for themselves, but what stood out most to me was the belief he has in his players, his relentless work ethic, and his ability to help good players become great players while also helping them grow as men. At every level I’ve played, my goal has always been to compete for championships. I made this decision based on where I believe I can best develop as a player, grow as a leader, and put myself in the strongest position to achieve my ultimate goals. This was a basketball decision. This was a development decision. This was a winning decision. That’s the truth. #redstorm

It sounds cliche at times when coaches talk about “sacrifice” on a podium holding a trophy. Sacrifice is absolutely real in the Knicks case and specifically KAT. Usage rate is the % of a team's offensive possessions a player ends while on the court through a shot attempt, turnover or trip to the FT line. In 11 NBA regular seasons, KAT's usage rate is 26.8%. In NYK's 11 recent wins, KAT hit that usage rate once. He was under 20% usage in 6 of the wins. KAT's usage rate in the 11 wins: ATL G4: 24.2% G5: 17.0% G6: 18.1% PHI G1: 30.9% (the one time) G2: 25.4% G3: 17.6% G4: 24.4% CLE G1: 22.8% G2: 17.4% G3: 13.7% G4: 19.7%

Knicks KenPom rating is ridiculous right now...

Here’s a semi-realistic hypothetical for you: @Mervis7 is Trilly Donovan. @CJMooreHoops of The Athletic interviewed Trilly a little over a year ago on August 15, 2023. I am going to take Trilly at his word when he told Moore in the interview, "I'm the most honest burner account you're ever gonna find." Chad Mervis checks every box of the brief biography that Trilly provided AT THE TIME of the interview: · He’s 32 years old · He’s not Billy Donovan · He grew up a Donovan-era Florida fan · He’s not an agent, he’s not a reporter, he’s not a coach and works in college basketball · He lives somewhere out East · He’s married with no kids Here is how Chad Mervis checks the box for each one: FYI - all the information I obtained below is on the internet. He’s 32 years old: Chad was a basketball manager for the University of Florida and graduated in May 2015. Billy Donovan left Florida for the OKC job in April 2015. Chad’s age of 32 at the time of the article lines up with someone who graduated college in 2015. He’s not Billy Donovan: This should not be earth-shattering news: Billy Donovan is not Trilly Donovan. He grew up a Donovan-era Florida fan: Chad's older brother Stephen is Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Evaluation for the Orlando Magic. Stephen was featured in a recent article by Mike Vorkunov in The Athletic on Aug 21, 2024: The 2024 NBA 40 under 40 list: Top young coaches, executives, managers and influencers. Stephen’s age of 36 is in the article. Like Chad, Stephen also graduated from the University of Florida. It's reasonable to assume that Chad was rooting for Billy Donovan's Florida basketball teams when his older brother attended there. In addition, Stephen and Chad grew up in central Florida so Chad could have started rooting for Billy Donovan when he joined Florida in 1996. Chad was a teenager when the Gators won back to back national championships in 2006 and 2007. He’s NOT an agent, he’s NOT a reporter, he’s NOT a coach and works in college basketball. According to his LinkedIn page, Chad was a Sports Analyst at Roc Nation at the time of the article. A sports analyst working in college basketball is NOT an agent, NOT a reporter, and NOT a coach. He’s married with no kids I didn’t see anything on the internet if Chad is married or has kids. I was exaggerating that I have info on Chad checking EVERY box in Trilly’s bio. That’s all I got. FYI – I am a basketball analytics guy (some might say Sports Analyst) and not a journalist. If Chad is, in fact, Trilly I think it would be very on brand that this is how Trilly was revealed. Go Johnnies!!!!!

Trilly's brother😀

Alternative headline: Karl-Anthony Towns is the only player making $53 million or more this season that is in the conference finals. He was left off this list and makes the same exact amount as Booker and Brown.

Bomb Squad 2 today. Rick Pitino was coach of the Knicks the last time the Knicks swept the Sixers in the playoffs. In 1989, the Knicks shatttered the then record for most 3P attempts in a season. The Bomb Squad featured Mark Jackson, Rod Strickland, Trent Tucker, Gerald Wilkins and Johnny Newman. The Knicks today tied the playoff records of most 3P made in a qtr and a half with 11 in the 1st qtr and 18 in the 1st half. As I type this at the end of the 3rd qtr the Knicks made 23 three pointers and are shooting 62%.

The Knicks on Sunday will go for the sweep against the 76ers. The last time the Knicks swept the Sixers in the playoffs? I was a freshman in 1989 attending UPenn in Philadelphia. Rick Pitino coached the Knicks. I had serious bragging rights in my dorm...