How Are Those Nerves, Knicks, Rangers Fans?
What has been a nerve-shredding, torture-inducing few days for New York sports fans could only get worse...
It isn’t easy being a New York sports fan.
That’s putting it lightly.
We’re so used to constant heartbreak and crushing disappointment, that our bodies and minds are wired to expect the worst.
They may deny it, but I’d bet the vast majority of Jets fans were not entirely surprised when Aaron Rodgers saw his, and the Jets’, season end after just a couple of minutes into the 2023 season. I know I wasn’t. After all, it was typical Jets for our new, Hall of Fame-bound quarterback to go down hurt and the year go up in flames just a few snaps in.
Talk to Yankees fans right now and you will probably come away with the feeling that this year will end in a bitter cloud of anger and frustration, despite the fact that Juan Soto is absolutely raking and ace Gerrit Cole should return at some point this year.
That is just reality for sports fans in The Big Apple. No matter how bright the big picture may be, years and years of hardship and heartbreak have conditioned us to just prepare for the worst possible outcome every single damn time.
Which brings me to this…
All Knicks and Rangers fans are going through the absolute wringer today. I can say that with absolute confidence because I’m one of them. I’m a huge Rangers fan, and I’ve been a passionate Knicks fan for years too. I may not be from New York, but I am as passionate about my Rangers, Knicks, Jets and Mets as someone born and raised in any one of the Five Boroughs.
And I’m not feeling okay today.
Let’s start with the Rangers. The Blueshirts were 3-0 up in their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. I never expected the Rangers to sweep because the Canes are a damn good hockey team. As a result, I wasn’t surprised when Carolina won Game 4.
If I’m being honest, I’m probably not all that shocked that the Hurricanes took Game 5 to force a Game 6 and keep this series alive. But, what did stun me is the way in which the Rangers lost on Monday. They simply imploded. And that has me nervous for Thursday night.
If you missed it, New York carried a 1-0 nothing lead into the final frame, thanks to a Jacob Trouba goal, before collapsing like a cheap pack of cards by allowing four goals in the third period. As a result, the Hurricanes will now head back home for Game 6 with all the momentum and with the chance to come all the way back and force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
I still have all the confidence in the world in this team. Yes, the way in which the Rangers laid down and allowed the tar to be beaten out of them in the third period was concerning. To be 20 minutes away from winning the game and advancing, only to choke in such incredible fashion should raise some alarms. But it is also important to not panic too much here.
After all, the Hurricanes are too elite a team to simply go into that long goodnight without a fight. They were always going to make this series interesting, and I think most people would have predicted this series going the full seven before Game 1.
Furthermore, there are a couple of factors that have worked against the Blueshirts in the last two games that could easily flip again in Game 6. Firstly, the power play has gone scoreless in each of the last three games. The real issue facing the man advantage in Games 4 & 5 was getting in the zone and setting up possession. Those things are easily fixable with a few adjustments. And, given the amount of talent on the top unit in particular, I expect the power play to be more like its usual potent self if given the opportunity in Game 6.
Secondly, the big guns need to bounce back after a quiet couple of games. Artemi Panarin has just two shots on goal over the past two games, while Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, Jack Roslovic, Alexis Lafreniére and Panarin have combined for just two points over the last two games. That just isn’t going to get the job done. If the Rangers are to avoid a Game 7, then they will need a lot more from their stars and top lines.
Also, and I hate using this term, but Carolina just wanted it more in Game 5 and in the third period in particular. The Canes were better at five-on-five with 13 high-danger scoring chances to New York’s five. They looked faster, stronger and more decisive. And they came up with the killer touch when it mattered the most. In other words, the Hurricanes just played desperate hockey and lived to fight another day because of it.
However, I’m not too worried about these Rangers. They finished as the best team in the NHL during the regular season for a reason, and they’ve made a habit of bouncing back after a bad game. If Igor Shesterkin can stand on his head, if the power play can get right, and if the likes of Panarin, Zibanejad and Kreider can seize control of the game from puck drop, then I fully expect the Blueshirts to come out on top in Game 6 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Heck, even if the Canes were to force a Game 7, I can’t see this Rangers team finishing this series with four stinkers in a row. They are going to come good at some point, and I’m pretty confident we’re going to see the required response from them in Game 6. I just don’t think it is possible for the Blueshirts to play with the same lack of urgency again.
I think the real New York Rangers - the version of this team that proved to be the gold standard in the NHL, the same team that wowed us on a nightly basis - will remind the entire hockey world of just how good they really are in Raleigh on Thursday. And put us out of our misery in the process.
I’m much more worried about the Knicks.
Banged up and running on fumes, things are beginning to unravel quickly for the most beloved Knickerbockers team to emerge in decades. Perhaps in forever, even.
With Julius Randall, Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic and OG Anunoby sidelined, coupled with Jalen Brunson and others all playing hurt, the Knicks resemble a heavily taxed group of walking wounded that’s nearing the end. Based on the ugly implosion in Game 4, the conclusion to this season could end up belonging in the house of horrors.
The Pacers, led by the brilliantly dynamic Tyrese Haliburton, made adjustments where New York didn’t. They got contributions from everybody. They did a stellar job on defense, and took full advantage of a limited Brunson. It also helps to have a transcendent star in Haliburton, who finished Sunday with 20 points, six boards and five assists. Aaron Nesmith was an absolute pest on the other end of the floor, helping to limit Brunson to just 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting.
As we mentioned with the Rangers, momentum can be everything in the postseason, and the odds now all seem to be in the Pacers’ favor. Shorthanded, beaten up and with the heavy workload that is part and parcel of playing for a Tom Thibodeau team, the Knicks are staring their fate directly in the face.
Of course, you can’t ever count this team out. That’s what makes this current vintage of the Knicks so damn lovable. Like a grizzled, veteran prizefighter, they are able to absorb one grueling body blow after another. No matter how many times they are knocked to the canvas, they keep getting back up and just refuse to quit. It doesn’t matter how much adversity you throw at this resilient bunch, they will keep swinging and fighting until the bitter end.
The 2024 New York Knicks will leave every ounce of blood and sweat on the court, and you have to think that steely fortitude, unbreakable character and admirable resilience will have a part to play in Game 5.
It will also help that there will be a full house of screaming Knicks fans at The Garden on Tuesday. If the ultimate disaster scenario is to be avoided, then the Knicks are going to have to ride home court advantage all the way to the bank. There are very few words available to describe both just how brilliant and crucial the support has been all year long at The Garden, and the nearly 20,000 fans in attendance on Tuesday will need to be ready to carry their team more than they’ve ever had to before. If they can bring the kind of relentless, passionate and intimidating noise and atmosphere they’re known for, then maybe, just maybe, that will be enough to give their team a much-needed jolt of energy.
In saying that, there are limits to everything and you have to wonder if these Knicks have reached theirs. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot left in the tank in the wake of Sunday’s debacle, and you have to wonder if all those minutes and all those injuries will finally catch up to this team.
The Pacers are going to be going for the kill in Game 5, and they are going to do everything they can to target Brunson and his bad foot, just as they did in Game 4. There is no doubt that Brunson will need to have a much better night if the Knicks are to have any chance of winning this one. The very heartbeat of this team has averaged just 22 points from 37 percent shooting over his last two games. That can’t continue. But Brunson is going to need help. And, although the Knicks are rapidly running out of spare parts, somebody, somewhere, is going to have to step up and play some hero ball on Tuesday.
Because, if they don’t, and if Brunson has another night where he’s shutdown and ineffective, then the misery of the past few days will only continue for New York sports fans.
If what happened to the Rangers and the Knicks wasn’t bad enough, then one of the two local baseball teams only added to the feeling of utter despair currently engulfing the city’s sports scene. The Mets, who look a .500 team at best right now, were an out away from beating the Phillies on Monday, only for star closer Edwin Díaz to blow his second save of the season. Díaz, a year removed from suffering a serious knee injury, hasn’t looked like the same shutdown closer, and that will be a major problem for the Mets.
Díaz’s inability to get the job done continued what has been a horrible week for New York sports fans. One that will only escalate further if the Knicks can’t bounce back in Game 5 on Tuesday and if the Rangers fail to close out the series (again) on Thursday.
Being a New York sports fan isn’t for the faint hearted.
I also wouldn’t recommend it if you are against aging quickly.
Let’s hope the pain stops soon. Beginning tonight.