CP the Fanchise of Knicks Fan TV told Evan and Tiki on Tuesday that it would be a “great” season for the Knicks if they reached the second round for the third straight season but fell short to the defending champion Celtics in a tough series.
That declaration got Evan thinking about this season’s Knicks, and if it could be seen as anything less than a disappointment if they once again couldn’t get out of the second round, even after making big moves for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns this past offseason. When considering their very likely second-round opponent, he somewhat agrees with CP’s take.
“They are the champs! The Celtics are the best team in the sport,” Evan said. “I think we all agree that, despite the Cavaliers and Thunder having the better record, they are still the clear team to beat in this sport.”
That led to Evan laying out his tiers of what defines a sports season, ranging from a “great” season to a “hellhole” of a season.
“Some may argue only winning a champion ship is a ‘great’ season, but I think if you look back at the Mets season last year or the Giants three years ago, those were great seasons, because they far exceeded expectations,” Evan said. “Then there’s ‘blah’…you know what I would consider a blah season? The Yankees last year. I would say it was very blah. Yes, they got to a World Series…they beat all teams they should beat, they were the team to beat in the American League, and then they lost to a team they weren’t as good as.
“And then we’ve got the disappointment. The fourth category, which is something the Jets have accomplished a lot, is what I call the hellhole of a season. Like, ‘what an unmitigated disaster of a season.’ last year’s Jets, I wouldn’t call it a disappointment. That would be an insult to the word disappointment. I would call it a hellhole.”
So, if the Knicks lost to Boston in the second round, Evan wouldn’t consider it a disappointment, and certainly not a “hellhole.”
“They’re 36-18 and one of the most efficient offenses in the sport…it’s been fine,” Evan said. “If they ran into Boston in the second round of the playoffs and lost a hard-fought series to the Celtics, I can’t call it a hellhole or even a disappointment. I think it would fit that blah category….they’d be losing to a team that - if we’re all being honest with ourselves - are better than the Knicks.”