Knicks, Celtics, and Shane Gillis!
It was an eventful night in the Big Apple. Starting with ESPN on ABC in The Garden for the Celtics, Knicks game and ending with SNL at 30 Rock. Understaffed yet prepared, the Knicks got ran out of the gym by Jaylen Brown and the Celtics. Today, I provide my thoughts on the game and whether the Celtics have what it takes to win it all. Also, could Shane Gillis restore world peace?
Knicks, Celtics:
This game wasn’t what I wanted it to be but it was what I expected. The Boston Celtics have the best starting five in the NBA (Tatum, White, Brown, Porzingis, and my favorite player Jrue Holiday). The New York Knicks have a great lineup as well and we were all reminded several times of the three starters who were out (Randle, Anunoby, and Robinson).
As expected most of the scoring pressure was on Jalen Brunson. That’s a lot to ask from a guy on a nightly basis. Brunson dropped 34 pts. but it wasn't enough as the Celtics walked away with a 116-102 victory leading by 20 points most of the second half.
My player of the 1st half was Jaylen brown. He had 20 pts. and looked flawless. He even dribbled left for a couple of baseline jumpers. My player of the game was Jayson Tatum. Tatum played more like LeBron. Leaning into the talent and trying to make the “right play”.
My biggest takeaway from watching the Celtics was do they have what it takes to win a championship? From the outside it looks like the have everything, best starting 5, great coaching, great rotations/role players, but I think they’re missing one thing. The difference maker is the team leader, Jayson Tatum, has to be willing to dot someone’s eye. And yes, I mean punch someone in the face. Draymond would and Draymond has 4 championships. JT has to find something in him to strike fear in his opponent. Otherwise, I could see them being the greatest team to lose the mental battle to a Miami Heat, Golden State, or even LeBron James. In the words of the great Michael Scott, “Is it better to be feared or be loved? I want them to fear how much they love me.”
I’m not sold on the Celtics and I never was on the Knicks. Brunson is great, they have a solid squad, but there’s something about the Knicks that is just off for me. Top 4 team, will most likely lose in the Eastern Conference Semis.
Shane Gillis - SNL:
I haven’t watched the full episode but I watched the monologue. Here’s what was going though my head. Maybe, just maybe, the world is finished walking on egg shells. I think this was a big deal. The man got cancelled for things he previously said. Didn’t have to go through shame school for too long and was revived and allowed to come back on the show. There haven’t been too many examples of folks who get to come back into the fold. So I think this is big for us as people and big for comedy. Comedy is allowed to say what they need to say in the arena to make light of humanity. It may not be something you say in a board meeting at work or on a conference call - but let em cook! I’m hopeful we can begin to be somewhat human again. Let people say crazy things, mess up, learn, and be welcomed back into society.
It made me feel like its ok to take risks again, to fail, to be human. Maybe Shane Gillis can restore world peace.
