The New York Knicks will enter the NBA Playoffs as the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference, thanks to a truly incredible season by Jalen Brunson that will likely get him on many voter’s top-5 for the league’s MVP. Despite injuries to Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, the former being out for the year with shoulder surgery, the Knicks have just continued to rattle off wins.
Brunson leads the way but they’ve gotten big contributions from the likes of Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Isaiah Hartenstein to keep themselves afloat and take hold of the 2-seed. The question for the Knicks is how they’ll matchup with the top teams when they’re playing at full capacity, but it’s hard not to believe this Knicks team is at least ready for a playoff style of basketball.
That said, not everyone is a believer. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have both said they think the Knicks will be an early out in the playoffs, which unsurprisingly doesn’t sit well with Knicks fans — and is great fodder for New York sports radio. During an appearance this week on The Michael Kay Show, Kendrick Perkins was asked why Shaq and Chuck aren’t Knicks believers, and he gave a blunt answer about the TNT commentators.
“Obviously they don’t watch basketball,” Perkins said. “I’m serious. They can’t watch basketball on a consistent basis. The only time they actually probably watch the Knicks are when they’re covering the Knicks on their game nights. If you’re watching the Knicks, it’s no way in hell you can downplay the way they’ve been playing the game of basketball. If you’re watching the New York Knicks, it’s no way in hell you can downplay that Jalen Brunson has been the best player in the Eastern Conference.”
Perk is certainly playing to his audience here, but it’s a quote that does draw considerable attention. I don’t think either Shaq or Chuck (the latter especially) would try to convince you they’re grinding film nightly, and it’s probably fair to say TNT games are when those two are watching teams most closely. That said, phrasing it the way he did is almost a sure-fire way for Perk to get jabbed back by one or both during a TNT broadcast soon, and Perk better not have any slip-ups himself or else this will come back in his face.