NY Knicks: 3 ‘Secret Weapon’ players in the playoffs
By James Ryder
NY Knicks Secret Weapon #1: Alec Burks
Alec Burks is one of the few players on the New York Knicks roster with playoff experience. In 2 seasons during his tenor with the Utah Jazz, Burks played playoff ball.
In 2012, he saw time off the bench in the Western Conference Quarter-Finals as a rookie. He scored 6 points in Game 1 and 11 points in Game 3.
An injury sidelined him for the entirety of the Jazz’ 2017 playoff run, but he did play a role in their run in 2018. In Round 1 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, Burks only played 20 minutes across 6 games but played impressively. In Game 1, Burks was perfect from the field, scoring 10 points (4-4 shooting) with 2 threes and 2 assists in just 2 minutes and 17 seconds on the floor. In the final game to clinch the series, Burks scored 11 points in 16 minutes of action.
Burks scored even more in the 2nd round. He dropped 17 points (7-11), 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets.
In game three, he had 14/4/1 while hitting 3 three-pointers. Finally, in Game 6, Burks went for 22 points on 7-15 shooting along with 5 assists.
Despite an inefficient showing in one round with the Philadelphia 76ers in last year’s playoffs, Burks had proven he can be a reliable scoring presence in the playoffs just like in the regular season.
One reason why the Knicks’ recent winning streak was so impressive was that they were missing Burks for many of those games. AB has been fantastic for New York this season, especially in the clutch. While this has been no secret, if the team can play as they did during that winning streak in the playoffs, then the addition of Burks will make the Knicks even more deadly of an opponent for their first-round matchup.
Look at how Burks dominated last night – His first game back and he drops 30 points. NY doesn’t win without him against the Spurs.
Additionally, Burks has proven he can contribute in the rebound and assist columns, too. That kind of all-around production can be the difference in a playoff series, so hopefully, Burks can replicate this in playoffs.