Good morning! The Knicks play a preseason game at MSG tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip off is at 7:30 pm. According to Mike Brown, the regulars will play into the second half, although Josh Hart has been dealing will back spasms.

In other news, according to James Edwards III, the Knicks have hired Peter Patton as their new shooting coach. He inhabited that role in Minnesota and Dallas before becoming the director of player development in Chicago.

Today’s question comes to us from Joseph Gallo, and it’s a good one:

Jon, last season, you seemingly never bought in to the team being a legitimate title contender. This season, you’ve been pretty clear that anything less than a Finals appearance would be a disappointment. The core of the team is unchanged. Why the loftier expectations? New coach? Improved bench? Injuries to contenders? I’m concerned that one of the team’s biggest problems – the KAT/Brunson defensive pairing- will be too much to overcome to win it all.

Really appreciate this question Joseph.

(Before I answer, a quick aside…

When I first started penning these newsletters, I gave my opinions a lot. Far too much, in my estimation. And yet the longer I do it, the more straightforward I try to be. Why is that? I have no idea. You’d think that more subscribers would equal more confidence to say whatever the hell is on my mind, but if anything the opposite is true. As my base has grown, I feel more of a responsibility to reflect the opinions of as many fans as possible, or at the very least, to honor everyone’s position. Whether I do a good job or not is certainly up for debate, but that is unquestionably my intention.

Anywho, reading Joseph’s question made me think of this, and whether I should be giving more of my own takes, or less of them, or whether the current amount is just right. It’s a topic I’ll spend more time thinking about, but feel free to offer your opinion in the meantime. That’s it. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.)

Joseph, I’m sorry to say that you’re wrong. There was a moment last season when I believed the team might just be able to win the NBA Finals. It occurred at the 2:51 mark of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, after Jalen Brunson hit a three to give New York a 14-point lead.

The feeling lasted for approximately 11 seconds.

Do I blame myself for that loss since the wheels began to fall off immediately after I started to believe? A little, yeah.

At the same time, the final 2:39 of regulation gave me a sense of validation, like I wasn’t crazy for doubting the team as much as I had.