Though the Knicks are coming off their most successful season in 25 years, the club has more questions than answers as training camp rapidly approaches. 

First on the docket of new head coach Mike Brown is determining what the starting lineup will be. 

The Knicks have four set starters in Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. The fifth starter remains the big question, with Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson as the two options for Brown to mull over.

Both players bring something different to the table. Hart is a versatile wing who does a lot of the dirty work. He’s one of the best rebounding perimeter players in the NBA and he was the only non-point guard on the roster capable of pushing the pace and creating transition scoring opportunities last season. Robinson is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the NBA and a quality rim protector.

The Knicks began last season with Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart, and Towns as the starting five. The grouping was successful early on, as New York led the NBA in offensive efficiency through the first 20 games.

However, the offense slowly fell down the rankings as opponents used strategies like having wings guard Towns while centers checked Hart, who was reluctant to launch at times. That stifled New York’s offense as centers like Ivica Zubac or Isaiah Hartenstein practically ignored Hart in favor of protecting the rim.

By the postseason, the starting lineup had become a weakness. New York was starting contests slowly constantly and it showed in the stats. The five-man unit was a negative 6.2 points per 100 possessions in 335 playoff minutes, per NBA Stats. 

Then-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacted late, finally inserting Robinson in favor of Hart in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With Robinson on the floor with the four other starters, the Knicks were slightly better, but they were still outscored by 3.7 points per 100 possessions in a small sample size of 65 minutes during the postseason.

Go big or go home

The Knicks know how well the starting five with Hart has fared. It was the most used five-man combination in both the regular season and playoffs. By the end of the season, it felt as if opponents had figured out how to defend the group. There is much more to explore with Robinson, who missed 65 regular season games.

Towns and Robinson played well together during the playoffs. The two-center combination was plus 8.3 points per 100 possessions in 165 minutes together. The one worry with Robinson at the five is if it mutes Towns’ individual skills. 

Robinson takes up space in the paint, which will likely leave Towns floating on the perimeter at times. According to PBP Stats, Towns’ at-rim shot frequency was 23.5 percent in 165 minutes with Robinson. In 474 minutes without Robinson, that number shoots up to 38 percent.

Also, Robinson’s presence in the paint could make it harder for New York’s other perimeter players like Brunson, Bridges and Anunoby to find opportunities to score in the paint. 

But even if Robinson mucks up New York’s spacing, there’s no doubt that his offensive rebounding can have a positive effect. The big man led all players in offensive rebound rate during the postseason. 

Defensive mindset

Robinson should settle New York’s defense, which was inconsistent throughout last season. The team finished 13th in the NBA in defensive efficiency during the regular season. Armed with a 7-4 wingspan, teams are not as aggressive when he’s patrolling the paint. 

In Robinson’s 370 minutes on the floor, the Knicks gave up 109.0 points per 100 possessions. When the center was off the floor, New York conceded 113.3 points per 100 possessions. His presence around the basket will complement Towns’ defensive limitations well. 

Hart’s style of play is useful as a reserve. With New York lacking a true point guard off the bench heading into this season, there’s more of an opportunity for Hart (5.9 assists last regular season) to be a change-of-pace player who allows the Knicks’ second unit to get into transition and into their halfcourt offense quicker. 

Expect Robinson to still have somewhat of a minutes limit. The Knicks can go to smaller lineups with Hart and recently-signed power forward Guerschon Yabusele.

For the Knicks to have a chance at a championship, the team’s defense has to be better. Starting Robinson presents the easiest path to achieving that goal.

Ex-NBA champion explains why he’d rather guard Kyrie Irving than Steph Curry originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There have been numerous horror stories from former and current NBA players about how taxing it is to defend Steph Curry on the court.

NBA champion Jeff Teague, who played in the league for 12 seasons, had his fair share of run-ins with the Warriors superstar and explained why Curry is tougher to guard than one of the game’s purest and most skilled scorers ever.

“They’re both tough covers, but I’d rather guard Kyrie [Irving],” Teague said on his “Club 520 Podcast.” “At least you know where Kyrie’s going to be. You going to catch him right at that pass, wherever he’s going to be at in ISO. You look one way, Steph takes off the other. And then you got to catch up. He just causes too much havoc once he moves.”

Teague isn’t the first player to express this about Curry.

While defenders hope the ball stays out of the sharpshooter’s hand, Curry is equally or even more dangerous without the ball as he never stops moving.

“Steph is constantly moving, hitting through screens,” Teague continued. “You’re scared of him hitting a 3, so you don’t want to go out there, but you’ve got to be locked in for sure.”

That definitely says something about Curry’s game, given Irving’s handles, lethal step-back and finish make him such a 1-of-1 player.

But Teague stood on his claim.

“It’s harder to guard those players because you have to go around so many screens,” he said. “You always constantly getting screened and hit. ISO players, it’s just you and him.”

In the end, there really is no right answer. Your options are to get beat on an island by Irving or beat running around chasing Curry like a headless chicken.

It looks like Teague prefers the latter.

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Tour Championship, final leaderboard

-18 T Fleetwood (Eng); -15 P Cantlay (US), R Henley (US); -14 S Scheffler (US), C Conners (Can), C Young (US)

Selected: -13 J Thomas (US), K Bradley (US); -11 V Hovland (Nor); -10 S Lowry (Ire); -9 R MacIntyre (Sco); -7 J Rose (Eng); -6 R McIlroy (NI)

Full leaderboard

Tommy Fleetwood held his nerve to win the Tour Championship and finally claim a first PGA Tour title at the 164th time of asking.

Emotion poured out of the 34-year-old Englishman after he holed the winning putt on the 18th green, saluting a crowd who chanted “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy” by raising both arms before letting out a huge roar.

His European Ryder Cup team-mate and friend Justin Rose was greenside to film the final putt and celebrations on his phone as Fleetwood wrapped up a three-shot victory on 18 under par to secure the FedEx Cup and a $10m (£7.4m) first prize.

“When you’ve lost so many times, a three-shot lead down the last doesn’t feel like that many,” joked Fleetwood, who had tears in his eyes.

“[The fans] are amazing, it makes me a bit emotional. I’m so lucky with the support I get – it’s so special and I hope everyone knows how grateful I am for it.”

It is an eighth career title for Fleetwood, whose previous seven came on the European-based DP World Tour, and means he has shaken off the unwanted tag of being the nearly man of the American circuit.

Two times previously this season he had either led, or jointly led after three rounds without completing the victory. He has had 30 top-five finishes over his career – six this year – which was the most of anyone without a win.

“You just keep learning,” said Fleetwood, who is set to improve to sixth in the world rankings when they are updated on Monday. “This probably wasn’t the most comfortable because, as they rack up, you obviously start to think of things.

“But I feel like I’ve had a great attitude throughout it all. This is hopefully just one win, the first of many. You cannot win plenty if you don’t win the first one.”

He becomes the first player in the FedEx Cup era – which goes back to 2007 – to claim his breakthrough PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship and he is the second Englishman to win it, after Rose in 2018.

Fleetwood is also the first player to finish inside the top six of the leaderboard after every round of the FedEx Cup play-offs and he ended the three-tournament end-of-season series with an aggregate score of 43 under par over the 12 rounds.

And he secured this victory with an assuredness that will give European golf fans a huge boost with next month’s Ryder Cup in New York looming large on the horizon.

Woods and LeBron praise Fleetwood

The Southport-born golfer is one of the most popular players in the sport and as well as the acclaim of his legions of fans, his victory was lauded by 15-time major winner Tiger Woods.

The former world number one posted on X: “Your journey is a reminder that hard work, resilience, and heart do pay off. No one deserves it more. Congrats.”

Woods’ sentiment was echoed by basketball legend LeBron James who wrote: “Congrats @TommyFleetwood1!!! That first one feeling is something else.”

Perhaps the message that may the mean most came from his favourite Premier League football team: “Lifelong Evertonian. PGA Tour title winner. Congratulations @TommyFleetwood1”.

Meanwhile, Rose wrote on Instagram: “This felt as good as winning myself! So happy for my man @officialtommyfleetwood for the relentless pressure cooker his quality golf has put him in during these play-offs and there is no more deserving champ.”

Fleetwood himself was keen to offer thanks for the support he has received over the years while trying to get a first victory on the PGA Tour over the line.

“I’ve been a PGA Tour winner for a long time, it’s just been in my mind,” he said.

“I hope I always make it clear how grateful I am for the support. There are times when I’ve felt pretty shocking walking off the golf course, and the support from people helped me immensely.”

• DeChambeau & Rose qualify for Ryder Cup – who else is in?
• Trump to attend Ryder Cup & backs Bradley to play
• Hojgaard into Ryder Cup as Noren wins at Belfry

How Fleetwood won Tour Championship

Having been the joint leader heading into Sunday, he burst into an early lead and never trailed, overcoming a slight wobble midway through the round as he repelled challenges from defending champion Scottie Scheffler and former winner Patrick Cantlay.

His popularity was clear to hear on the first tee at Atlanta’s East Lake course when he was given a far louder ovation than American Cantlay.

The pair were in the final group and locked at 16 under after the first three rounds, but Fleetwood was four clear of his playing partner within two holes after he birdied the second, while Cantlay – who won this title in 2021 – opened with a bogey and double bogey.

Scheffler’s challenge was dealt a setback on the first when the world number one, who was starting four shots adrift, hit his opening tee shot out of bounds.

But any thoughts that Fleetwood would stroll to the title were checked by a bogey on the fifth.

Bounce-back birdies on the sixth and seventh moved him three clear with nine to play, but the drama was far from over.

A bogey on the 10th, coupled with a Cantlay birdie, saw his lead reduced to one. And the pair were also asked to increase their speed of play, given they had fallen almost two holes behind the group in front.

Fleetwood pushed his lead back out to two with birdies on the 12th and 13th holes.

But Scheffler, a winner of the Open Championship and US PGA Championship this year, was still lurking. A birdie on the 14th lifted Scheffler to 15 under and two back, However, his challenge finally ended in the water on the par-three 15th as he posted a double-bogey five.

Moments later US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley’s hopes suffered the same fate on the same hole.

Bradley, who will on Wednesday decide whether to pick himself among his six selections for next month’s 45th staging of the Ryder Cup, at Bethpage Black, flirted with the top of the leaderboard throughout Sunday before dumping his tee shot into the lake.

He had denied Fleetwood a first victory at the Travelers Championship in June but ran out of steam in Atlanta as he closed with a level-par 70 and 13-under total.

On a tough day at the Travelers, Fleetwood coughed up a two-shot lead with three to play.

A bogey on the 15th on this special Sunday meant he held that same lead, albeit over Cantlay.

However, Cantlay then dropped a shot at the 16th and Fleetwood was three clear with two to play, and that soon become a more comfortable three clear with one to play.

All the same, Fleetwood said he was unable to relax until his ball was on the green.

“Once I’d duffed that chip on to the green at 18 to about eight feet, I felt pretty safe from there,” he said with a smile.

Bradley’s playing partner Russell Henley also hung around without making any significant moves. He missed numerous birdie putts in a one-under 69 that left him joint second with Cantlay on 15 under.

Scheffler finished a shot further back, although he had the consolation of equalling Cantlay’s PGA Tour record of shooting 21 successive rounds in the 60s. He was joined on 14 under by Canada’s Corey Conners who had a bogey-free eight-under 62, the low round of the day.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is set, and two insiders have shared their thoughts on how the next 10 races will go. On The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic predicted their four drivers who will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix.

Bianchi said that Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe will be the final four drivers in the playoffs. Gluck picked Blaney, defending champion Joey Logano, Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. The interesting thing is neither Bianchi or Gluck picked William Byron, who won this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season championship.

Gluck then focused on Logano since he spoke to his crew chief, Paul Wolfe. “He said that he told his team last week there’s no reason we shouldn’t be the favorites heading into these playoffs,” Gluck said about Wolfe. “It stacks up exactly how it has the last two times we won it, except even better. The tracks line up so great for them.”

Bianchi focused on Bell, as he thinks he can win it all. “If they get to Phoenix, I don’t know how you pick against Bell,” Bianchi said. “If Bell gets to Phoenix, I think they win. I think they’re going on a tear.”

Who will make a run in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?

If Logano wants to win his fourth Cup Series championship, he has work to do since he’s only one point above the playoff cut line. Bell, on the other hand, is in a good spot to advance to the Round of 12, as he’s in fifth place in the playoff standings and 17 points above the cut line.

Blaney and Briscoe are the two similar picks for Gluck and Bianchi. Blaney, who won the Cup Series title in 2023, has been on a roll in the last six weeks, finishing in the top 10 in his last six races, including a victory at Daytona on Saturday night. He came close to being a two-time champion last year, losing to Penske teammate Logano in the championship race.

Briscoe finished 25that Daytona but has been racing well in the last couple of months. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished in the top five in four of his last seven races, including P2 finishes at Sonoma, Dover and Iowa.

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs start on Sunday, Aug. 31, at Darlington. The first three playoff races will be the Round of 16, and the bottom four drivers will be eliminated after the third race.