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The New York Knicks kept their season alive Thursday night by dominating the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The past three games have featured a much deeper rotation from head coach Tom Thibodeau, and they have gotten incredible value from some of the bench players.
Knicks’ Landry Shamet has provided a major spark off the bench
Landry Shamet, in particular, has been a true revelation. Despite a strong showing at the end of the regular season, he was out of the rotation entirely during the Detroit Pistons series, along with the second round against the Boston Celtics.
However, he has since re-entered the rotation as New York looks for a spark, and Shamet has provided exactly that. In Game 5, he was arguably the biggest difference maker in the second unit with five points in 14 minutes. His activity on defense also made a huge difference as the Knicks held the Pacers to under 100 points for the first time this postseason.
Across the three games Shamet has appeared in this series, he is a +22, which is the second-highest by a Knicks player this series. He has come back into the rotation and provided the spark that they had been missing in the first two games of the series.
Shamet’s impact makes the Knicks look a lot deeper
He has given the Knicks some aggressive three-point shooting and active defense, two things that they badly needed from their second unit. The bench has long been a concern for New York all year, but with Shamet stepping up in the biggest moments for them, they suddenly look to be a much deeper team.
Taking advantage of the bench playing well is a strength for the Knicks, and players like Shamet have been able to provide relief to some of the Knicks’ main starters. Thibodeau has been criticized for the lack of bench usage throughout the playoffs, but he has changed his ways and banked on them providing an impact at a huge part of the year.
The Knicks now have an opportunity to force a Game 7 back home if they win Game 6 on the road. To pull off the seemingly improbable series comeback, New York will be leaning on guys like Shamet to provide an impact.
More must-reads:
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- The 'NBA all-time 50-point game leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Knicks Predicted to Part Ways With Karl-Anthony Towns in Blockbuster Three-Team Trade
The New York Knicks are looking to make more moves to upgrade their depth as they figure to be one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference next season. Of course, the Knicks made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 last season and with the amount of injuries to top players in the East, the Conference is wide open entering next season. Because of this, the Knicks have emerged as one of the favorites to win the East thanks to their core led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite this, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell and Rohan Raman recently created a three-team mock trade that would see the Knicks move on from Towns. In the trade, the Knicks would add Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams III and a 2028 first-round pick via the Portland Trail Blazers while they would send Towns and Pacome Dadiet to Portland. The Trail Blazers would also send Duop Reath to the Atlanta Hawks in this proposed mock trade. While the Knicks are looking at ways to improve their depth, moving on from Towns would be a tough decision for them to make despite his struggles, especially on the defensive side, during the playoffs last season. It would also be a tough decision to swap Towns for Williams III due to his injury history, especially with Mitchell Robinson’s injury history as well and the Knicks’ lack of true center depth. While that may be the case, adding a veteran point guard in Holiday to the second unit could be a good addition to the Knicks’ bench and Williams III would also give them more size. Despite this, it is highly unlikely that the Knicks will move on from Towns this summer and likely into next season as they see their core being able to help them compete for a championship next season.
Steelers Put On Blast By George Pickens
The Pittsburgh Steelers brought plenty of excitement to their fan base when the decision was made to trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. The prospect of having the former Seattle Seahawks pass-catcher and George Pickens in the same offense was exhilarating. Unfortunately, the anticipation for the 2025 regular season was quickly shut down when Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May. It now seems as if both the Steelers and the former second-round pick were ready to part ways, especially because the wideout is enjoying his time in the Lone Star State. As training camp begins to ramp up for the 32 NFL teams, a lot of eyes will be on Pickens in Dallas and how he handles his fresh start. He constantly made negative headlines in the Steel City, whether it be questionable comments to the media or inexcusable actions on the field. He has a chance to have a phenomenal year with the Cowboys, but many wonder if he is mature enough to handle the spotlight. Dallas has already started training camp, which means players and coaches alike are available to the media on certain days. Pickens spoke on Tuesday, and he was not subtle about his excitement for the Cowboys' potential on offense. In the process, he made a very direct comment that was clearly an indictment on how things are done in the Steelers' building, according to Joseph Hoyt of Dallas News. Pickens did not mince words, nor did he shy away from the fact that he believes that the Cowboys have better plays than the Steelers. The wide receiver had to deal with Matt Canada for nearly two full seasons, but Arthur Smith apparently did not impress him in 2024, either. Pickens has often been quoted refusing to accept blame for things, so it's not surprise that he is now trying to throw some serious shade at the Steelers' offensive approach. No one can argue that Canada had a good run as the Steelers' play-caller, but Pickens seemed to have a strong season in 2024 prior to suffering a hamstring injury later in the campaign. He has been very adamant about his excitement when it comes to playing for the Cowboys, but also has made it clear that he is happy to no longer be playing in Pittsburgh. Fans in the Steel City will likely never get to see Pickens at his very best while wearing the black and gold, but it appears as if the pass-catcher is very confident that he will have a stout season in the Southwest. There was recently a coaching regime change for the Cowboys, so that could be beneficial for Pickens, or potentially a bad thing depending on how things play out. Pickens has never had a certifiable stud on the opposite side of him, and he will get that with CeeDee Lamb in 2025. It's quite possible that Pickens has a breakout year, but it's evident that he still can't keep certain comments to himself. It won't be long before he is stirring up negative headlines in Dallas if something goes wrong early in the season. Steelers Are Confident That Metcalf Can Shine If both Pickens and Metcalf have successful seasons, not many will worry too much about the separate moves that Pittsburgh made during the 2025 offseason. Metcalf is a little more experienced, and should come with something to prove. If he struggles mightily for some reason, however, it might just prove that Pickens was right to rip into the Steelers' offensive playbook.
Five-time Pro Bowler announces retirement from football
Jimmy Graham is calling it a career. The veteran tight end confirmed a report from John DeShazier of the Saints website that he’s indeed hanging up his cleats. After sitting out the 2022 campaign, Graham returned to New Orleans for the 2023 season. After hauling in four touchdowns that season, the veteran wouldn’t commit to the 2024 campaign and ultimately didn’t end up joining a team. Still, the tight end avoided an official retirement announcement until now. Graham was one of the most productive receiving tight ends during his early days with the Saints. Between the 2011 and 2013 seasons, the former third-round pick averaged 90 catches for 1,169 yards and 12 touchdowns per season. His numbers slowly declined as he approached his age-30 campaign, but he remained productive in stops with the Seahawks and Packers. Following a two-year stop in Chicago, Graham sat out the 2022 season before reuniting with the Saints for the 2023 campaign. Graham will finish his career having hauled in 719 receptions for 8,545 yards and 89 touchdowns. He also amassed over $82M in career earnings.
Chicago Blackhawks Likely to Trade Goalie, Canadian Team Linked
The Chicago Blackhawks are likely to trade one of their three healthy goalies before the regular season begins, and the Edmonton Oilers are emerging as frontrunners. NHL reporter Greg Boysen began the new week off with a flurry of fresh news across the NHL. In Chicago, excitement continues about the prospects of the team, and two old stars weigh their future. Rumors about a possible additional goaltender on the Blackhawks' roster being traded also began. Postmedia's Kurt Leavins wrote that the Edmonton Oilers were having a look at trading for Arturs Silovs, but the Canucks wouldn't make the deal within their division. Arturs Silovs ended up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers are still looking for a goalie and Chicago has three to choose from That means Oilers GM Stan Bowman is still on the lookout for a goalie. Chicago might have three NHL goalies report to training camp healthy, and that might leave open trade possibilities. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland reported on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio that Anze Kopitar is not looking for a contract extension and will sign year to year. The 37-year-old captain, in the last year of his deal, has played his entire career with the Kings, scoring 440 goals for 1,278 points in 1,454 games. Twice the recipient of the Selke Trophy, Kopitar's future after this season is questionable. Another possible future Hall of Famer in the last year of his contract, Alex Ovechkin, told Russian media that he has he has had no discussions regarding an extension with the Capitals. no discussions regarding an extension with the Capitals. Blackhawks and Oilers supporters will be watching the situation between the goalies tightly, and we expect things to come into focus over the next few weeks.
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