Steve Popper
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Knicks writer and NBA columnist for @newsdaysports. I've done this for a long time at a lot of papers. Opinions my own, not usually ones anyone else would claim
Articles by Steve Popper
Steve Popper: Knicks too much for Cavs no matter how you analyze it
The Knicks left no doubt that they were the better team — both on the court and analytically. It was their first meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their first trip to Rocket Arena since they celebrated a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conferenc f gjobmt po uif Dbwt’ ipnf dpvsu cfgpsf xjoojoh uif OCB dibnqjpotijq boe sfnpwjoh boz epvcu bcpvu kvtu ipx hppe uifz xfsf jo uifjs 16-3 qptutfbtpo svo.
Why Knicks coach Mike Brown believes no players' minutes are set in stone
The Knicks were already pulling away with an easy win at the end of the first quarter Wednesday night, no mystery really left to the outcome. But the one bit of intrigue came when Mike Brown lifted Jalen Brunson to start the second quarter after his 22-point explosion in the opening 12 minutes, and he inserted Tyler Kolek.
Steve Popper: Knicks appreciate that Karl-Anthony Towns has put contract status aside
GREENBURGH — Before the season began, Mike Brown cautioned that he didn’t like to have an elephant in the room, any sort of ill will that could spoil a locker room’s vibes. But as it happens at times around the Knicks, it seemed as if the locker room could be populated by an entire caravan of the elephants and circus animals that used to spend weeks at Madison Square Garden.
Steve Popper: Knicks coach Mike Brown ignores notion of sitting Mikal Bridges
A championship brings opportunities and accolades off the court. On the court? Maybe it brings you about 15 minutes of playing time. In the wake of all of the celebrations, that’s what has been basically been guaranteed to Mikal Bridges as he works his xbz uispvhi fbsmz-tfbtpo tusvhhmft po uif gmpps.
Knicks are learning why it's so hard to repeat as champions in the NBA: 'Teams are coming at you'
History was kind to the Knicks last season. Throw an obstacle in front of them, a number that seemed insurmountable, and they climbed over it with determination. No team had ever overcome a 29-point deficit in an NBA Finals game? Just watch. The franc ijtf ibe hpof 53 zfbst xjuipvu b ujumf? Uibu xbto’u uijt hspvq. Tp opx, xifo uif Lojdlt sfhspvqfe up tubsu uifjs ujumf efgfotf, uifz xfsf nfu xjui uijt: Fjhiu tusbjhiu OCB dibnqjpot ibwf gbjmfe up sfqfbu, fggpsut up efgfoe uifjs ujumf mfgu jo btift.
Steve Popper: Know how quickly some fans forget? Just ask Knicks star Jalen Brunson
If you wanted to know, to really get the idea, of what, “a New York minute” is really like, just consider the case of Jalen Brunson. The rightly-crowned King of New York, Brunson led the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years and did it not just on the strength of his considerable talent, but by doing things the right way.
Steve Popper: Knicks have bad habit of digging themselves early hole and having to fight their way out
PHILADELPHIA — It has looked all too familiar for the Knicks. They spot the opposition a double-digit lead, looking as if they’d just met on a playground and formed a five-man lineup and called, “Next.” Then suddenly they sound some sort of wake-up call and furiously fight their way back. It's just as they did last season when they overcame a 22-point deficit in the Eastern Conference finals opener against Cleveland before pulling out the win on the way to a four-game sweep.
Steve Popper: Why do Knicks constantly have to dig themselves out of holes?
PHILADELPHIA — When the Knicks raised the banner for their long-awaited NBA championship a little more than a week ago, while the pomp and circumstance at Madison Square Garden was focused on lifting it to the rafters, there already was another new a sujgbdu mjofe vq bmpohtjef uif evtuz dpmmfdujpo pg usjcvuft.
Steve Popper: Knicks' Mike Brown likes what he is seeing from Tyler Kolek
PHILADELPHIA — With Tyler Kolek thrust into the Knicks' rotation, Mike Brown was asked before Friday night's game what he has seen from him — 21 assists without a turnover entering the NBA Cup pool play game against the 76ers. “Tyler is an NBA player, ” Cspxo tbje.
Steve Popper: Knicks now have a taste of life as defending NBA champions
Maybe if the Knicks had dropped three straight games in the middle of the long and arduous 82-game schedule on the road to the playoffs instead of to start the season, it would have been a blip, a hardly noticeable slip. But the Knicks arrived at the cboofs-sbjtjoh pqfojoh ojhiu dbsszjoh uif xfjhiu pg fyqfdubujpot tfu cz uif mpoh-bxbjufe OCB dibnqjpotijq boe, nbzcf npsf ufmmjoh, gmpbufe joup uibu ojhiu po uif dpotubou qsbjtf boe dfmfcsbujpot uibu fohvmgfe uif djuz.
Steve Popper: NBA champion Knicks have target on their backs
In another time, another circumstance, the Knicks might have viewed the arrival of the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night as the sort of early-season test to serve as a measuring stick — the opponent a team that manhandled them even in the Knicks championship season and one that arrived with a perfect record. But the Knicks seemed much more focused on themselves as they readied for the game.
Steve Popper: Knicks have plenty of time to get it right
Since the beginning of training camp, Jalen Brunson has repeated his warning that the first few weeks of the season will tell the Knicks where they’re at. About a week into the season, it wasn’t a good place. But there was little call for panic when th f Lojdlt sfuvsofe up Nbejtpo Trvbsf Hbsefo po Tvoebz ojhiu xjui bo 0-2 sfdpse up tipx gps uifjs cboofs-sbjtjoh ojhiu boe uifjs usjq up Cptupo.
Steve Popper: Knicks' 0-2 start should give team strong wake-up call
When you pull off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 29-point deficit in Game 4 last season, it gives you the faith and the knowledge that you are never out of a game. But the problem with that is: you have to remember that you fell behind by 29 points. For the Knicks right now, the deficit isnt so steep or daunting, and maybe they and their fan base know after last season: dont head out to beat traffic.
Knicks will give 275 championship rings to staff, admit to 'unfortunate mistake'
The Knicks will give 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, and employees worth more than $3.7 million, the team said on Friday. A Madison Square Garden spokesperson issued a statement in response to a report by The Athletic that said bttjtubou dpbdift sfdfjwfe fnquz cpyft evsjoh Uvftebz't sjoh dfsfnpoz boe dpnqboz fnqmpzfft sfdfjwfe b dpohsbuvmbupsz fnbjm btljoh uifn up dmjdl po b mjol up dipptf b dibnqjpotijq sjoh tuzmf.
Steve Popper: Karl-Anthony Towns must stay out of foul trouble because the Knicks need him more than ever
Throughout the offseason Karl-Anthony Towns served as an entertainer, appearing on a variety of television shows, hosting a celebrity-filled wedding, and on the night before training camp began, serving as an extra for Jalen Brunson’s Saturday Night Mjwf bqqfbsbodf. Cvu ju xbt uibu csjfg npnfou jo Csvotpo’t pqfojoh npopmphvf xjui puifs Lojdlt ufbnnbuft pggfsjoh mjhiuifbsufe dpnjd mjoft xifsf Upxot efmjwfsfe ijt mjof uibu qspwjefe b cju pg b tujoh — btljoh, “J ibwf b rvftujpo.
Steve Popper: Mitchell Robinson's tenure with Knicks should be remembered fondly despite his new uniform
GREENBURGH — The NBA, like most sports, has become immersed in analytical minutiae, statistics pored over and dissected until opinions are made — and maybe even roster and contract decisions formed. It's become like fantasy basketball. But when you as l uif Lojdlt bcpvu Njudifmm Spcjotpo, ijt mptt jo gsff bhfodz, ijt dpousjcvujpot po uif dpvsu boe uif dibmmfohf uibu uifz xjmm gbdf Gsjebz ojhiu xifo uifz nffu ijn boe ijt ofx ufbn, uif Cptupo Dfmujdt, uifz nptumz ubml bcpvu xibu xf epo’u tff.
Steve Popper: MSG fans buzzing with return of NBA champion Knicks
The last time the Knicks were on the Madison Square Garden floor it was hard to find them, fans and family flooding onto the court, incredulously celebrating the last shot to fall — OG Anunoby’s wild tip-in of Game 4 of the NBA Finals — before the NBA Title, the parades and the parties. So how do you top that moment? How do you celebrate one more time? For the Knicks, it was unveiling the first championship banner in 53 years.
Knicks opening night blog: Raising the NBA championship banner then playing against LeBron James
When the Knicks are celebrated one more time Tuesday night, it will be for the long-awaited championship but maybe more than a little bit because of what the team was like â a group that fit together as a sum greater than its parts. And the first test of that notion will come against what resembles a fantasy basketball team in the Philadelphia 76ers, a team stacked with star power on paper that is the envy of every front office.
Steve Popper: Knicks will have to switch back into underdog mode immediately after celebrating last season's championship
GREENBURGH — Throughout the Knicks' ascension from a laughingstock of the NBA to a contender and now, finally, a champion, there has been a constant in the background. The Knicks had something to prove. There were slights, real or perceived. Jalen Brunson was a second-round pick who, even as he proved himself in the league, found critics insisting he wasn’t enough to serve as the star. Karl-Anthony Towns was traded from Minnesota. Josh Hart shuttled through teams and roles.
Biggest threats to a Knicks' repeat: These 7 teams are standing in their way
The Knicks can only control themselves as they seek to repeat as NBA champions. But even if they remain healthy and avoid the distractions that threaten the good vibes, the competition might be even tougher than last season. Here are seven teams that could spoil the party. 76ERS If this were fantasy basketball — maybe minus the penalties for finishing last — it would be easier to understand the moves the 76ers made during the summer. On paper, they have assembled a quartet of All-Stars.
Knicks coach Mike Brown preparing his players for the mental, physical challenges of defending an NBA title
Maybe it was the wild celebration that followed the 53-year wait for a championship. Perhaps it was the parade that filled the streets of Manhattan. Or maybe it was when a car followed his Harley-Davidson all the way to his home to thank him for bringing the NBA title to New York. Just like Jalen Brunson and the rest of the players, Mike Brown celebrated through the summer, finding it hard to pay for a meal anywhere near New York City.
Steve Popper: Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns putting on happy face despite contract dispute
In the fourth quarter Thursday night, with his work done, having played 28 minutes in the final preseason game, Karl-Anthony Towns got the call from Mike Brown to exit. Brown sent Andre Drummond to the scorer’s table and Towns waved him off, desperately trying to remain in the game. And that was about as far as Towns would go to defy or disrupt anything the Knicks are attempting to do this season in their efforts to repeat as champions.
Steve Popper: Can the Knicks repeat? Here's the case for it, the case against it, and what I think will happen.
The statistic really has nothing to do with anything the Knicks have done or failed to do. It is something that happened to others, not to them. But it echoes around every conversation about the Knicks and their quest to successfully defend the NBA title it took 53 years to capture.
Steve Popper: Knicks have a great leader in Jalen Brunson
Back when reaching the NBA Finals was an expectation for the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy would dismiss most talk about his own coaching acumen.
Knicks' Josh Hart not worried despite lack of extension talks for Karl-Anthony Towns
GREENBURGH — On Friday, the Knicks dropped a bombshell by announcing that they were cutting off all contract talks with players ahead of the Oct. 20 season opener. That means no extensions will be forged with Karl-Anthony Towns or Josh Hart in the near future. “They said that?” Hart said after practice on Saturday. Then he smiled. Hart knows what’s going on.
Steve Popper: Knicks shut down contract talks, which could open up longer-term salary cap issues
The party is over. The celebrations of summer were pushed aside for the start of training camp, but the Knicks still arrived with the glow of their status as defending NBA champions. They have spoken of maintaining the hunger that came with ending the 53-year title drought, of lessons learned from the postseason success and steps they can take forward.
Steve Popper: Mike Brown challenges Knicks starters to improve, following Monday's preseason game drubbing
GREENBURGH — It’s just a week into training camp, the afterglow of the summer of the Knicks just beginning to fade as the celebrations, the parade and all of the attention have come to an end. But it was enough for Mike Brown to drop a dose of reality on his team Wednesday morning. The Knicks were wiped out Monday in the preseason opener by a Philadelphia squad that sat most of their stars and that irked him. And when he saw the fire wasn’t back in practice, he stopped to deliver a message.
Steve Popper: Salary cap woes are taking the fun out of the Knicks' quest to repeat as NBA champions
We all know that when you turn to the sports pages, when you pop on a Knicks game or take your seat in Madison Square Garden, there is a simple hope, that you can enjoy the game. And no one, no matter how statistically-inclined they are, wants to have your interest in the defending NBA champions turned into a lesson in salary cap math.
Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns isn't happy with how contract extension talks are going
PHILADELPHIA — The first preseason game in the Knicks' hopes of repeating as NBA champions was still hours away when Karl-Anthony Towns came off the floor at the morning shootaround and made it clear that there is a game he doesn’t want to play: negotiating his value after winning the title.
Steve Popper: Knicks enjoy praise but know there's work to do in order to repeat as NBA champs
GREENBURGH — As training camps across the NBA opened Monday, the Knicks not only were the main subject at their own camp but found themselves the main story among some of the other stars in the league. The 76ers’ LeBron James declared that if the Knicks hadn’t won the NBA title, they would have been his first choice for a new team.
Steve Popper: Even with a mangled finger, Knicks' Josh Hart showcases his value as contract extension looms
GREENBURGH — Josh Hart held up his shooting hand, putting his mangled ring finger on display, smiling as he joked, “I mean, it's not the prettiest to look at. So, I mean, I would love to have a straight finger. But you know, it works.” It’s hard to imagine that it does — or that Hart can smile as he shows off the damage done. Having finger injuries is a routine problem in basketball, but Hart’s has progressively gotten worse. And he has managed to play through and produce.
Steve Popper: Can Knicks keep Deuce McBride and remain below second apron of salary cap?
GREENBURGH — There was always a bond between Deuce McBride and Mitchell Robinson, the two serving as the longest tenured members of the Knicks last season as the team celebrated the NBA title. They were the only two who had been a part of the last losing season for the franchise, the players who spanned the turnaround at Madison Square Garden. But now, the biggest question for the Knicks and McBride is, can they avoid another bond?
How newest Knick Andre Drummond feels as replacement for Mitchell Robinson
GREENBURGH The first day of school. The arrival in a college dorm. A new job. Any of those can be an awkward situation when you’re the only new face in the room. For Andre Drummond, that day came this summer, shortly after signing with the Knicks, when he accepted an invitation from Jalen Brunson and was the lone new player joining the rotation and stepping into Brunson’s birthday party.
Mike Brown says the Knicks have not yet decided on visiting the White House
The Knicks have not determined if they will be the first NBA champion to visit the White House under President Donald Trump. After the Knicks won the title for the first time in 53 years in June, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said on WFAN that the Knicks had already received an invitation to the White House and had accepted. Mike Brown was asked during the first day of training camp on Tuesday whether a decision had been made to visit the White House.
Steve Popper: Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns feel weight of not having extensions with Knicks
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — It hasn’t been difficult to see the Knicks' summer of celebration, from the appearances on every stage and screen all the way to the Serengeti, where Karl-Anthony Towns saw just how far the franchise’s accomplishment in winning its first NBA championship in 53 years had reached. “Me and my wife, for our honeymoon, went to East Africa,” Towns said.
5 questions facing the Knicks as training camp begins
Even when you win an NBA title, you enter the season with questions to answer, and the Knicks have some. As camp kicks off, here are five things to watch this season: Can they survive the hunger games? The Knicks had carried the burden of 53 years, the long wait for the franchise to bring a title back to New York. And once that was achieved, it seemed as if a dam burst as the team — and the city — celebrated in a way that seemed to last all the way to the start of camp.
Steve Popper: Knicks are back mostly intact; this team was built for long haul
An email arrived in my inbox Thursday morning with a simple start. “Hi Steve, do you ever roll your eyes at the numbers?” And the answer certainly is yes. It’s not just that the contract numbers (and franchise valuations and gambling dollars flowing and . . . ) are so crazy that you roll your eyes.
Karl-Anthony Thomas and Knicks making progress in contract-extension talks, sources tell Newsday
The immediate goal for the Knicks begins Monday when they begin training camp to try to defend their first title in 53 years. But already they have tilted an eye toward the long-term build of the team. After a report on ESPN claimed that talks between the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns on a contract extension, “have stagnated,” league sources indicated that the talks remain ongoing and positive.
Steve Popper: Knicks' Jalen Brunson ready to get back to business following busy offseason
It’s been a little more than three months since the Knicks put the finishing touches on their first title in 53 years, and it seems as if the celebration has — deservedly — never stopped. You wait long enough for the party, you understandably don’t want it to end.
Mike Sweetney, former Knicks top 10 draft pick, dies at 43
Mike Sweetney, once a highly-touted Knicks draft pick, has died. He was 43. . Sweetney, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, came to the Knicks with high expectations. But when his wife, India Murray Sweetney, announced Thursday in a social media post that he had passed away, the lasting memory was more about his personality and demeanor. “With the heaviest hearts, we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Michael,” his wife wrote. “To know @mikesweetney was to love him.
Knicks sign five players to training camp contracts, including former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman
The Knicks finalized a flurry of signings to once again create a competition for the final roster spot. The team announced the signings of John Konchar, Bruce Brown, Ochai Ogbagi, Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman to Exhibit 9 deals — non-guaranteed training camp contracts. The Knicks currently have 13 guaranteed contracts.
Steve Popper: Ranking the biggest threats to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference
LeBron James and Joel Embiid were opponents during an NBA basketball game on Dec. 9, 2022, in Philadelphia. Now, they'll be teammates with the 76ers. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum If he had had his way, and that would have meant that the Knicks’ 53-year wait for an NBA title had gone on a little bit longer until he could have swooped in to play the hero, LeBron James would have made his long thread of social media posts about how excited he was to join the Knicks.
Steve Popper: LeBron James joins the 76ers, but is it enough for Philadelphia to dethrone the Knicks?
When you wait 53 years for a championship, it’s understandable that the celebration is going to last a while and for the Knicks, this one lasted nearly as long as the latest decision of LeBron James — appearances on assorted television shows, at Fanatics Fest and nearly every sporting good store in the tri-state area. While Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the cast are feted around New York City this summer, they can expect it to go on for decades to come.
Knicks, center Moussa Cisse agree on 2-year offer sheet, Mavericks can match deal
Moussa Cisse of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during a game against the Chicago Bulls on April 12, 2026 in Dallas, TX. Credit: Getty Images/Stacy Revere The Knicks signed restricted free agent center Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet Saturday to attempt to solidify the team’s interior defense according to a league source. But the Dallas Mavericks have until Monday at 11:59 p.m. to match the offer.
Steve Popper: New Knicks big man Andre Drummond balances his love of basketball with his business interests
Andre Drummond got on the first flight he could out of Las Vegas Tuesday, having conducted his greetings with the Knicks coaches and some of his new teammates, and arrived back home ready to work. Not that he hasn’t been working. While most of the NBA veterans have taken some time to shut down, vacations finally arriving and tropical island destinations calling, Drummond was working 12-hour days. It just wasn’t on the court.
Steve Popper: Jalen Brunson possesses toughness much like old-school Knicks
When the news came this week that Jalen Brunson had undergone a surgical procedure to repair an injury to his left wrist, forensic teams — well, the fan base and media — began poring over videos, searching for the moment the injury occurred.
Jordan Clarkson, Knicks agree to one-year deal, source confirms
The Knicks continued to lock up the pieces from their NBA title run as they agreed to terms Thursday with Jordan Clarkson on a one-year deal, according a league source. With Clarkson’s signing, a veteran minimum deal worth $3.9 million, the Knicks have brought back every rotation player other than Mitchell Robinson, who left for Boston as an unrestricted free agent.
Knicks' Jalen Brunson has left wrist surgery, source says
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks looks on during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 3 in San Antonio. Credit: Getty Images Jalen Brunson underwent a minor surgical procedure to repair an injury to his left wrist according to a league source, correcting an issue he played through as he led the Knicks to an NBA title.
Steve Popper: Knicks should be conference favorite next season, but LeBron James could make other teams a threat
The focus in New York may have been on Rich Paul’s words when, in the most recent edition of his “Game Over” podcast, he definitively said that if the Knicks hadn’t won the NBA title last month, LeBron James unquestionably would have pursued a path to play with them. As it turned out, James’ agent had the Knicks as a mere one-word note on the outside of his whiteboard.
Knicks sign veteran Andre Drummond to replace Mitchell Robinson, source confirms
The Knicks filled the gap left by Mitchell Robinson’s departure Friday, coming to terms on a one-year, $3.9 million deal with veteran center Andre Drummond. A league source confirmed the deal, which takes care of the biggest roster issue the Knicks had in the wake of their championship run. They have brought back every main rotation piece other than Robinson and Jordan Clarkson, who still could fill one of the final roster spots.
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