How Knicks' NBA Finals run gave harsh reality check to Mets, Carlos Mendoza

Ahead of this past weekend, New York Mets star outfielder Juan Soto suggested that he and his teammates had been inspired by the New York Knicks' impressive playoff run. 

Of course, Soto offered those comments before the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals en route to ending a championship drought that had lasted since 1973.

While speaking with reporters on Sunday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza touched upon his takeaways from the Knicks' magical postseason journey.

The Mets know they "have a job to do" to follow in the New York Knicks' footsteps

According to Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media, Mendoza acknowledged that he understands the Mets "have a responsibility" and "a job to do" as it pertains to achieving success for the team's long-suffering fan base. 

"You’re always under a microscope here," Mendoza explained. "There’s no way around it. What makes the city New York, you have to embrace it. You’re going bad, they’re going to let you know. You’re going good, we’ve seen it. Eyes are always on us. Me. All of us."

This past winter, big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen admitted that he is "absolutely annoyed" he hasn't yet guided the club to a World Series title since he assumed ownership of the franchise in the fall of 2020. Since Cohen made those comments, the Mets have gone 32-39 during what has become a disappointing season for just about everybody involved. It's thought that Cohen and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns could soon punt on the remainder of the campaign and trade some noteworthy contributors to advertised contenders.

Mets still have an "opportunity to do something special"

"It’s what makes New York one of the greatest, if not the greatest, city in the world," Mendoza said about how the New York region rallied around the Knicks this spring. "And in my seat, for us here, we have that opportunity to do something special."

The Mets have won three of their last four games heading into Monday's series opener at the Cincinnati Reds (33-37). Per John Harper of SNY, Mendoza said after New York's 8-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday that "it's good to see the guys playing well against a very good team." 

One wonders if the Mets will be able to play well enough to keep Cohen from selling pieces off before the trade deadline arrives on Aug. 3.