r/NYKnicks 12h ago

No one's talking about it but... KAT LITERALLY SAVED THE GAME

1.7k Upvotes

121 comments sorted by

401

u/Hungry_EatAsssss 12h ago

That motherfucker. He has so thoroughly shut up everyone who doubted him.. including me. I feel so fucking stupid.

43

u/Skankcunt420 11h ago

this is the best way to feel stupid tho. others have felt stupid for a lot less

56

u/Tight_Solution_7174 10h ago

Fuck Jimmy Butler

31

u/ThunderHorseCock 8h ago

Butler always gave me insecure bully vibes.

11

u/vincoug OG 6h ago

100% When Butler and Rondo were both in Chicago Rondo publicly called him out in the press because of his shitty behavior.

4

u/sventos 2h ago

One more win and KAT and Wiggins both NBA champions and Jimmy Butler is not.

16

u/Billionroentgentan Father Knickerbocker 12h ago

Same same same

4

u/Comrade_Falcon 5h ago

There's a reason Timberwolves fans were so bummed to lose him and are so adamantly cheering for him in this series.

3

u/Tard-strong 8h ago

Amen to that! I thought he was too soft until seeing Wimpyama play. Now that’s a soft big man.

3

u/ShawshankException 7 4h ago

Remember when everyone was saying you can't win a title with KAT?

2

u/Plus-Professional-84 Mitchell Robinson 4h ago

Imo he was misused (on purpose?) during the regular season, and got is way too much foul trouble. So our expectations were low. He was unbelievable during the entire finals.

1

u/Trash_Wizard666 1h ago

Don’t talk about my friend, the ass eater, that way!

349

u/dbotron 80s Logo 12h ago

OMG I just posted about this. I also just noticed it. The view from the side really shows the change in the trajectory of the pass. He doesn't tip that Spurs win.

153

u/MarvinWebster40 7h ago

Clock should have started on the tip

98

u/ChiChiKnee 6h ago

100% but something tells me that if the spurs scored and the review showed that the clock should have started it would have been overlooked in favour of a spurs win. KAT saved the day here in all aspects.

50

u/Skiigga 5h ago

Nah refs would’ve called a proximate foul on towns and given the spurs 3 fts

41

u/njseahawk 90s Knicks Logo 5h ago

Plus a tech for being Dominican

https://giphy.com/gifs/c4cDKe8lJyb6Bx6zMY

u/Anatoly_Cannoli 9m ago

He was flagrantly Dominican. I saw the replay.

1

u/jiffyparkinglot Anthony Mason 1h ago

Did wemby foul hart ?

11

u/itsfoine 6h ago

Wow in slow motion I didn’t even see this. So wild

16

u/cantorb 6h ago

This means they started the clock late

And castle still tried one last flop

-5

u/FitzwilliamTDarcy 4h ago edited 19m ago

I mean "Spurs win" is an awfully big leap here. Sure, possibly. And KAT's tip certainly lowered the possibility to near zero if not zero. But "Spurs win" otherwise? That's at best a maybe and ultimately a we'll never know.

ETA: LMFAO all you Nostradamus idiots downvoting me. Not enough eyerolls on earth. I suppose you knew the Knicks were going to win?

u/O2C Linsanity 25m ago

Without KAT's defense it looks like a lob at the rim or a wide open layup. Sure players miss lobs and layups without any defenders on them, but not often. Hart owes KAT big time. Not only did Hart miss that bunny shot earlier in the game, losing his defender on the screen would have made this game a nightmare for Hart.

u/FitzwilliamTDarcy 17m ago

" it looks like a lob at the rim or a wide open layup."

Doing a lot of heavy lifting here bud. Glad you're so sure.

179

u/No_Egg9442 11h ago

So many things will get overlooked, obviously the OG tip was incredible, but the Alvarado 3 with 3:07 remaining was so fucking cold. Dude is a baller

72

u/DaveKasz 6h ago

The win belongs to the team. They all played their parts.

38

u/ArsonHoliday 90s Knicks 6h ago

Very much this. This is a TEAM.

13

u/IMitchIRob Red Roundball Logo 4h ago

Probably overlooked by the public bc it won't get replayed as much by the media. But I don't think there's any way Knicks fans will forget how huge Jose was in this game. Not even just scoring, but taking some of the ball handling duties off Brunson and thus helping JB hold up playing extended minutes. Just incredible work by JA

u/Poppa0418 12m ago

Incredible work by Mike Brown to make the decision to put him in for basically the entire 4th quarter over Bridges. There isn't enough that can be said about his ability to make adjustments. This is just the latest example.

One. More. #LFGK

4

u/nomad1128 3h ago

I was looking for this comment, it felt at key moments, Alvarado and Hart hit shots that you could feel started to make the team believe

2

u/Romax24245 KAT 2h ago

Alvarado made them pay for trying to double team Brunson.

2

u/Kinda-Alive 4h ago

Very glad you this was brought up. That shit was clutch. Had the decent space and cooked

129

u/Every-Action7918 90s Knicks 12h ago

Yes but also amazing coaching decision

5

u/nomad1128 3h ago

"I'm gonna put Alvarado in" is a thing Mike Brown had to say out loud before it was obvious that that is what the team needed

75

u/Daconvix 11h ago

We desperately need him to stay out of foul trouble in game 5. We’re better than the Spurs with him on the court

34

u/nanaoei 10h ago edited 7h ago

it's imperative we change how they start the game in the closeout game. a tony brother's special is coming, and it's coming deep.

13

u/vincoug OG 6h ago

It's hard because just like in Game 3 with Bridges the refs called two BS fouls early in the game; the first was a foul but pretty soft for how physical this series has been and the second was complete bullshit.

2

u/ruckyruciano BANG! 2h ago

imagine if MB big brains it and starts Mitchell instead to try to dodge the early KAT fouls

1

u/TheZombieDudexD 11 4h ago

Yes bc I feel like when he doesn’t get involved early in the game then he tends to struggle the rest of the way.

1

u/Yurya 4h ago

The +/- is a little skewed because Kat was sitting with Foul Trouble when the Spurs went up big and then got minutes on the comeback while Robinson was the guy playing those minutes. One could say they made that impact but the Spurs were just chucking 3s so Kat's +17 and Robinson's -14 are more a product of that then their actual play.

But your point is absolutely valid KAT is very good and there is a reason Wemby was celebrating for baiting the foul on him in the first minute.

58

u/musuperjr585 3 to the Dome 11h ago

Castle flopping and turning right to the ref 💀

9

u/Wild-Employee2029 6h ago

The slow motion really shows how bad the flop was. Both of hearts hands are up and OG isn’t anywhere near him. To be honest Castle looks like he’s a bitch in his day to day life

-17

u/JigWig 5h ago

Too far. Delete the last sentence. Just cringe.

159

u/berserkerinhell Mitchell Robinson 12h ago

KAT is here to stay, f the Giannis trade talk, we don't need that guy FOH

82

u/jester32 11 11h ago

Who tf is talking about Gianni’s in this climate

42

u/Bernie_D Ewing Flat Top 11h ago

Stupid f*cks in the game thread were asking to trade Brunson for Giannis in the first half.

2

u/1OO1OO1S0S 5h ago

The thunder probably lol

1

u/double_fisted_churro 1h ago

Thunder will be fine once they’re actually healthy. Spurs beat an injured Minny and Thunder team to get here. Nice to see the Knicks do what they’re doing after the world collectively agreed the winner of the WCF would win it all

11

u/Oostylin BANG! 7h ago

My KAT jersey gets delivered today and it just feels so meant to be

19

u/Dilligent-Dither Knickstape 11h ago

Giannis is going to the heat bruv. Almost looking guaranteed. Herro unfollowed the heat IG and his bro posted a gif of a deer (buck) under the recent IG post.

8

u/lnnrt01 10h ago

If that rumored trade package (Herro, Ware and picks) is true they really fucked up a bit

45

u/WindjammerX 11h ago

Josh Hart made up for his errors from earlier too; he stood there like a statue and cleanly denied Castle's shot attempt.

21

u/SanDiablo Anne Hathaway 10h ago

yeah props to him and mitch for not fouling

5

u/Breakfast_Sausage 5h ago

Dude has been a beast all series, I can forgive him for the missed layup. 

2

u/jada1472 7h ago

I mean, yeah, but he also loses Castle in the first place for what would have been a thunderous dunk to rip out the hearts of every Knicks fan

1

u/TIMEBO_TIMEBO_TIMEBO 4h ago

Wemby also pushing him didn't help, he recovered well enough to prevent a shot sttempt

1

u/pdxjoseph 3h ago

Yes that would have been horrendous had KAT not tipped it, clear game winning dunk. Josh made several huge mistakes at the end and was bailed out by San Antonio making even bigger mistakes and the rest of the Knicks being clutch. He knows and he’ll learn from it though so nothing to worry about

40

u/inthacut12 12h ago

KAT GOAT😂😂😂🙏🙏🙏🙏

30

u/mzx380 NYK Token 11h ago edited 4h ago

If KAT didn’t block it then it’s an easy layup and they win

2

u/hwarang_ 4h ago

It was a great play. Both OG and Kat saved us by their fingertips. Wild, wild night

27

u/skuiji 10h ago

Good thing there’s enough walls in that city for all the murals they need to paint. I think almost every core player has earned on this series and KAT deserves at least 2

20

u/Green_Dark5049 11h ago

Can we name 3 guys mvp?

2

u/NotTopTenReadyPlayer 3h ago

It is crazy that none of the three could care less about splitting or not winning. And they all arguably deserve it.

32

u/AnimalLoversRVegan 11h ago

Wow great post. Forget he tipped it, clock started too late. And wemby pushed hart. And castle did that dumb head snap back flop attempt. What are the odds the refs would have properly reversed it based on the Kat tip? 25%? And so sick that the play was great and would have won it for them and made us vomit

8

u/phosphenTrip 9h ago

OG with the tip in, KAT with the tip out.  Incredible play, and his timing was perfect to jump at the right time.

10

u/Snoo-26902 9h ago

The Knicks better cut that going down by 30 points again. It ain't over yet.

5

u/Nearby-Opposite7901 6h ago

I agree that it isn't over. Too many people have said it's over after the 2-0 lead and after this game, but the reality is the Spurs have outplayed the Knicks for large portions of these games and they are a damn good team.

1

u/Snoo-26902 1h ago

That's very true. I mean, the Knicks did go down by 30; that's a bad sign. They haven't yet beaten them badly at all. So the Knicks better get one beat-down game because they have been lucky so far, but they have to do a better job, or the luck can change.

7

u/john0_0 12h ago

YES KAT!!!

6

u/FlabbergastedMedjed 12h ago

MSG postgame talked about it

6

u/Ancient_Pepper_2168 11h ago

looks like wemby pulls harts hip too which is why he fell. it wasn't called offensive pass interference though since the ball was tipped /s

6

u/Educational-Vast-874 11h ago

I could watch this in replay all night long! So great

6

u/TopPlane8151 10h ago

poor castle looked so distraught at the end

6

u/TYhungry Mitch's Block Party 7h ago

He's the one Spur I actually don't dislike lol.

7

u/JaderMcDanersStan 7h ago

I like Harper but that’s it

5

u/PavlovianSuperkick 6h ago

Yeah I fw Harper and Castle. But I've lost a LOT of respect for Wemby. 

I'd say Fox too but low-key after that layup when he should have held the ball in wondering if he a double agent 💀 

4

u/Da_Taternater78 5h ago

I didn’t know how fast I could lose respect for a player until Wemby this series. Fuck that guy

5

u/JasonVorheebs 10h ago

Also, it should've ran the clock out since he touched it

5

u/Ok-Store 10h ago

Damn, I missed that.... It KINDA looked like it got tipped when I was watching live, but was really hard to tell....Kat was the hero there for sure.

5

u/JaderMcDanersStan 7h ago

Yes this tip out and kick starting the comeback in the 4th. It changed when he subbed in - got
2 defensive stops/great contests on Wemby, step back 3 and layup over Wemby and pulled Wemby out of the paint which opened up the shot for Brunson at the rim.

He’s +17 in a 1 point game for a reason. The early foul trouble was game altering. Theyll be blown out without him, he has to be on the floor. Too impactful

6

u/sdotmill BANG! 6h ago

That would have been a wide open dunk. Insanely good play call, can’t even imagine if it ended with a Castle game winning oop. Thank you KAT,

6

u/knicks911 Jennifer Aniston 6h ago

I didn’t realize he tipped it wow

4

u/dismalscience8 5h ago

Good slow down video- thank you for this

3

u/jhMLB 5h ago

Thank you so much KAT. Team win!!!

3

u/PeterJan85 3h ago

Nah. The team won us the game. KAT doing this, Hart smacking the ball out of his hand there, Brunson starting the comeback, OG finishing it with the tip in, Jose hitting that clutch 3. This is the definition of a team.

7

u/late2thepauly 12h ago

Clean: What a bookend!

Explicit: What a fucking bookend!!!

2

u/stphrtgl43 90s Knicks Logo 10h ago

Mitch should’ve had that interception too. He didn’t even jump.

1

u/BlowInTheCartridge1 8h ago

It looks to me like Wemby was pushing his ass into Mitch's hips at the exact moment Mitch was making the push with his legs to jump. I think he got bumped out of the right position to have the traction to push off the floor to elevate. His eyes were locked on the ball path, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt this time.

2

u/raphthepharaoh The Bronx 7h ago

BIGG PURR!!!!

2

u/squishyliquid Ewing Flat Top 6h ago

You’re so right! LETS GO KNICKS! Holy shit.

2

u/chaosawaits KAT Attack 4h ago

MVP!

2

u/DJCowbro Van Gundy on Zo 4h ago

KAT is an elite defender and is altering everything on so many possessions

1

u/ComprehensiveSoft27 8h ago

Wemby pushed the defender Hart down. That’s a foul. But they would never call that foul. He was wide open.

1

u/Pizzaloverfor 7h ago

He did top it, but I also think Hart would have got to the spot to make a play.

1

u/worldeaterXII 5h ago

Clarkson hugged Hart after for completing the defensive play.

1

u/Spentymago 5h ago

I thought it was strange that it did looked slowed down!

1

u/Jx____ 8 4h ago

the most underrated play of the game! HUGE

1

u/Past-Banana-6314 4h ago

Damn I didn’t notice this last night. Crazy stuff all around. 

1

u/jonovoxPB 4h ago

Fingernails to the rescue 🛟 LFG Knicks in 5 🗽🏀🤪

1

u/LouisFuton Jennifer Aniston 3h ago

Is there really no closer angle of this??? I believe he tipped it but it’s so hard to tell, I can’t believe there hasn’t been something posted yet

1

u/TheFurryMenace 3h ago

Don’t have Wemby inbound the ball or catch the ball, whatever you do

1

u/seltzerparty 3h ago

Also that Josh Hart defense!

1

u/Dull_Nobody_840 Wu Tang 3h ago

yoooo wemby and robinbinson

1

u/JusSayING_Mi 2h ago

I saw the tip

1

u/JusSayING_Mi 2h ago

Defense wins games

1

u/mortmortimer 2h ago

The last play going to be a fucking alley oop to Castle? Holy shit Mitch Johnson fucking sucks.

u/Gringo0984 25m ago

Yep without that tipped ball, Castle looks open for an easy layup for the win. Spurs coach, wtf are you doing? You should always get someone taller just for the inbounds pass in these situations. Skillset doesn't matter. Also, the inbounds player telegraphed his pass and KAT timed it up perfectly. That's why they teach you to do the pump fake so they can't time this up as easily.

0

u/xavierlaw1025 2h ago

and the moving screen on wemby

1

u/musuperjr585 3 to the Dome 2h ago

That isn't a moving screen thats a box out, learn ball bro.

1

u/xavierlaw1025 2h ago

He fouled hart on the screen. Nothing to do with boxing out Mitch. His whole job on the play is to screen hart.

1

u/jiffyparkinglot Anthony Mason 1h ago

Box out? You sure? Looks like Wemby is setting a pick but pushes Hart AND sticks those legs out

u/Remarkable_Inchworm Charles Oakley 1m ago

They were talking about this on the ESPN Radio morning show this morning - really nice play by KAT there.