The downtime between the Knicks playing out the regular season and their first-round playoff meeting with Cleveland, gives pontificators more time to set expectation levels while turning Donovan Mitchell into the Garden’s Public Enemy No. 1.
How exactly did that work out for the Knicks when fans, and Valley of the Stupid Gasbags, targeted Atlanta’s Trae Young two years ago in the playoffs, turning him into Knicks Kryptonite?
Cats, like Stephen A. Smith, who is still moaning over the Knicks’ inability to bring Mitchell to the Drecka last summer, view the Cleveland series as a referendum on the “wisdom” of not pulling off a deal with Utah, leaving the door open for the Cavs to finalize a blockbuster trade to acquire the star guard.
As if he needed more motivation to succeed in the playoffs, media focus on Mitchell will only serve to sharpen his edge. Yet, unfortunately, unlike Knicks prez Leon Rose, there is no place for Mitchell to hide.
Mitchell will be under the high-beam spotlight for all to see. Rose can bunker underneath his own acquisitions and the media going gaga over the Knicks making the playoffs. Quite an accomplishment, right? Especially in a league where it is not all that difficult to make the playoffs?
Unlike Mitchell, Rose won’t have to face the blowback.
His strategy of keeping it on the down-low has succeeded. Rose’s media “opposition,” including the outlets scribes work for, has offered minimal resistance. No matter how the Knicks fare, win or lose, Rose will always maintain his right to remain silent. Or agree to engage in a Twinkie Munch with MSG Network’s Mike Breen.
Rose also has a perception thing working for him. According to VOS bloviators, all it will take is winning the Cleveland series for the Knicks season to be declared successful. This is known as setting the bar low. It takes us back to the 1991-92 season, after the Knicks just won a first round, best-of-five, series against Detroit 3-2.
On the WFAN radiocast, the late play-by-play voice Jim Karvellas was whooping it up while giving the Knicks major credit for the series win and advancing. The analyst, someone named Walt (Clyde) Frazier, was not waving the pom-poms.
“They [the Knicks] have done nothing yet,” Frazier, much to the chagrin of Karvellas, said. They still have something to prove.” The two went back and forth, with Karvellas trying to convince Frazier: “Walt give them some credit.” Frazier wouldn’t budge. The Knicks went on to lose to Michael Jordan and the Bulls 4-games-to-3 in the Eastern Conference semis.
The moral of this tale should be applied to this edition of the Knicks, and those who run their mouths the loudest: Winning one series, even if it validates the trade you did not make, is nothing to cheer about.
The afternoon-drive race for ESPN-98.7′s “The Michael Kay Show” to make up substantial ground on WFAN’s “Carton and Roberts” program has at least one of the Gasbags acting out of character.
That would be Don La Greca. While he is known for his rants, DLG, who in his role as one of MSG’s voices of the Rangers also represents that organization, has never flashed a mean-spirited side.
Until last week. DLG said a caller who agitated/aggravated him “must have a metal plate in his head.” Sorry, but that characterization is not something to just throw out there. It could be someone’s harsh reality.
And it’s not funny.
The Bristol Clown Community College Faculty has reason to whoop it up.
Not only did the Women’s Final Four produce big-time ratings, but it also provided plenty of poor sportsmanship video (featuring marquee players like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese), which, until further notice, will be used in promos to hype the 2023-24 season.
Not a great message to send.
Evan Roberts might want to replay audio of his WFAN comments following the Mets’ 7-6 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon.
Roberts (at least three times): “I’m not panicking!”
Sure could’ve fooled us.
Didn’t matter that the Mets, involved in a close one Wednesday afternoon and were on the verge of getting swept by Milwaukee. SNY still had time for a shot of Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez in the broadcast booth.
There was a reason — sort of — for the gratuitous picture. The Free World must have stopped because Hernandez got a FaceTime call on his iPhone. It was from someone in the production compound so it had to be important, right?
Just wondering if using this time to air meaningless drivel resulted in missing a play, would the SNY crew even been embarrassed?
When it comes to the video history of NFL Films THE standard-bearer is “Inside The NFL,” which started in 1977 on HBO. Now streaming service Paramount+ is dumping the show, which for a few years also aired on Showtime. While “ITNFL” might be slow for the times we live in, no high-speed substitute can match the artistry, ingenuity, and mixture of personalities, especially on HBO, that made “ITNFL” so great for so long. Rumor has it there is still time left on the Paramount+ contract with the NFL, which either means the NFL already has a new “ITNFL” network deal or is confident that it will get one. …
This just in: Michael Kay and David Cone were cold working Phillies-Yankees Wednesday on YES. We know this because they mentioned it numerous times. Pity Party? …
The WWE/UFC merger sounds like a real image builder for both brands, right? …
Kay has found some new ground to cover — reading betting lines during Yankees games on YES. On SNY, the booth voices let Steve Gelbs do the gambling reads…
Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo must have a thing for Gene Steratore. Doggie can’t stop bashing the CBS rules analyst.
DUDE OF THE WEEK: DANNY HURLEY
The UConn basketball coach deserves all the accolades after winning a title. He built his career from the ground up. No silver spoon handouts or copouts. It all paid off in one shining moment.
DWEEB OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY RENDON
When assessing his silly altercation with a heckler, it becomes clear: This is what happens when you watch truTV’s “Impractical Jokers” all day.
DOUBLE TALK
What Aaron Hicks said: “Right now, I’m focusing on myself and trying to get off to a hot start and just play baseball and have fun.
What Aaron Hicks meant to say: “I’m used to getting booed at the Stadium.”
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