The New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics series is different from what everyone had predicted up until now.
Many thought the Knicks would have a hard time challenging the defending champion.
It’s hard to argue that Tom Thibodeau’s team is not a favorite to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals as they return to Madison Square Garden for games 3 and 4.
But while this is overwhelmingly positive for the Knicks, one player is now under much more pressure.
The NBA playoffs always put pressure on star players, but rarely evenly distributed. The town of Karl Anthony is an example of someone who is at risk more than most people.
Look, town has been a great player from the moment he joined the league. He averaged 18.3 points in his debut season (2014-15), and has not fallen below 20 since.
Unfortunately, his statistics are usually overlooked due to questions about whether he is a “winning” player and instead falls under the “empty numbers” category.
And there are some truths to that argument. Until last season, the Towns only won four playoff games when the Minnesota Timberwolves played the Western Conference Finals.
Now he has a great opportunity to hold his second consecutive meeting final and his first Knicks in 25 years. This will put the argument to bed that you can’t win with him.
In the next round, the town and CO will have all the opportunities to pass the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Needless to say, a championship or even a final appearance will probably ensure that the town will create a Hall of Fame. That’s what’s at risk for 29-year-olds.
Currently, basketball references give towns a 48% chance of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. By comparison, Demar Derozan and Luka Doncic are the most similar active players at 48.3% and 44.7% respectively.
Knicks Center’s regular season resume certainly qualifies as a Hall of Fame worthy. He won five All-Star appearances and two All-NBA teams, winning the Rookie of the Year Award and the 3-Point Contest.
He also shows an impressive longevity and his injury record isn’t too bad as a player with 10 quality seasons as the starting point.
The only thing that’s dropping town at this point is that one meeting final is simply not enough, but that could change soon.