BY MARK HALPERN
Throughout my 40 years of being a Knick fan I can recall memorable moments from Knick legends like Carmelo Anthony, Ewing, Starks, LJ, Stoudamire, Camby and Houston. Of course I can also recall fond memories from opponents such as Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, LeBron and Steph Curry. However, what I witnessed Monday night will go down as one of the most memorable games I have ever watched.
For those of you who don’t know, let me explain. The rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics runs deep. The fanbases are two of the most passionate in the game. The Celtics have won 17 championships in their career and have had some HOF players such as Bird, Russell, Cousy, McHale and Robert Parish so the fans there are used to winning and come to expect it from their team. The New York Knicks well it’s New York they love you when you’re winning and hate you when you’re losing but, in the case of the Knicks, the Garden usually sells out when they take the floor even in an off year but the Knicks have two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973 and since then there have been teams that have made it there but, with no such luck. Last year the Knicks went to the second round of the playoffs, and this year fans are hoping to see their team advance.
Game 4 took place at MSG Monday night and through out the entire game the Celtics as a team shot close to 40% from the 3pt mark and Jayson Tatum had 7 of them. Tatum is one of the top ten players I have had the pleasure to watch him play a game. He is deadly accurate, very competitive and is the face of the organization. From the moment the ball was tipped he was everywhere and anywhere finding ways to weave in and out of the Knick defense and find ways to score. He also had a game high 8 rebounds and 4 assists and 4 steals. Late in the fourth quarter Tatum was going for a lose ball (that was scooped up by OG Annouby and dunked) but, in the process hurt his lower right part of his leg and was in considerable pain. Once the Garden saw what was going on after the dunk, fans witnessed something that was very scary. Jayson Tatum was down on the court in a lot of pain.
Tatum left the Garden in an Ambulance to go and have an MRI on the lower leg to see what the Celtics are dealing with. The Celtics worst fears came true as Tatum tore his right Achilles. Our best wishes go out to Tatum but, clearly, he was UNSTOPPABLE.
On the other side of the ball, we have Jalen Brunson. Burnson and Tatum attended camp together as kids. They are very close but, the fierce rivals. Brunson was brought in a few years ago to lead this team to greatness and with what has he has been given talent around him to help support him and this team is in sync. Brunson tried to match Tatum bucket for bucket. It was kind of watching a game of 1 on 1 at times as they pushed each other to higher limits. Brunson didn’t hit as many 3’s as Tatum (as he only hit 4) but, the 4 he hit were in clutch times to take the lead and to further the lead. Brunson himself had 5 rebounds, 12 assists and no steals. This is why Brunson is so valuable. He finds ways not only to score himself but to create opportunities to help keep pace with opposing teams. Brunson’s night will go down as one of the most UNFORGETTABLE moments in New York Knicks History.
There series heads back to Boston for Game five and a potential game seven All analysts are waiting for the word on Jayson Tatum because he makes the Celtics better and without him, they need a new game plan. Our best wishes go out to Jayson Tatum as no one ever likes to see a player get injured ever.
The Sports Insanity Network 