After being ousted in four games during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Paul George has officially come to the realization that the rest of the league should be terrified of -- the New York Knicks are hitting their stride at the perfect time.
During his post-game media session, the nine-time All-Star was extremely complimentary of the Knickerbockers, saying that while his 76ers may have come in oozing with confidence following their improbable first-round series win against Boston, in the end, "we ran into a hot New York team" that he feels is "getting momentum and they're playing better and better as these games are coming."
Sunday's 144-114 win over Philadelphia was a truly historic occasion for Jalen Brunson and company.
Their efforts have now officially etched the club in as having the best point differential in a 10-game span in a single postseason (plus-194), the best net rating by any team in a single playoff run (20.3), and have made the Knicks just the fourth playoff team ever to have multiple closeout wins by 30-plus points, joining the '25 Thunder, '08 Celtics, and '87 Lakers.
On top of this, they have now officially punched their ticket to back-to-back conference finals appearances for the first time since the 1999-00 season and for just the third time since the NBA/ ABA merger way back in 1976.
Frankly, all things considered, George's highly complimentary remarks could be seen as somewhat of an understatement, though they are undeniably truthful nonetheless.
Paul Pierce stays hating on Knicks despite historic stretch
George may be a star player on a direct divisional rival, but, considering his flattering remarks about the ball club, it's hard to say he should be classified as a "villain."
Celtics legend Paul Pierce, on the other hand, certainly fit this particular descriptor throughout his 19-year professional career, and now, well into retirement, he seems to continue performing the duties that said role generally entails.
During a recent edition of No Fouls Given, the Hall of Famer was found preaching his spite-filled prophecy that the Knicks will never win a championship in his lifetime, even going as far as to predict that they're "definitely going to lose to Detroit" if the two meet next round and, even if they do advance, they'll "go up 3-0 in the Finals and lose four straight," making them to first team to ever do so.
His reasoning behind such rhetoric: "They do this every year!"
Though it's certainly fair to say that New York has regularly disappointed their fanbase for the better part of the past three decades, considering the upswing they've been on during the Brunson era, coupled with their historic production in this year's postseason, unless one has out-of-this-world expectations, the club seems well on its way toward making its faithful followers proud.
New year, new Knicks... right?... RIGHT?
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