Tom Piccolo

knicksfilmschool.substack.comOde GAn old friend makes his return with a tribute to the man who helped define New York’s championship run.

I wrote my first article in more than 3 years. I actually started this one in 2024 & it stuck with me, coming to mind every time OG Anunoby did something special. Thanks to @jonathanmacri.bsky.social & @knickfilmskool.bsky.social for welcoming me back. knicksfilmschool.substack.com/p/ode-g?r=yv...

Both Wade and SVG thinking that Paul George flop was a charge is insane to me.

knicksfilmschool.comKnicks Film SchoolWhere Fans Learn About The Knicks | LISTEN KFS PODCAST | WATCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL | FOLLOW IG, TIKTOK, THREADS

Reviewed Jalen Brunson’s #SNL episode for @knickfilmskool.bsky.social using the classic START/BENCH/CUT format. Curious if others felt differently about these sketches. knicksfilmschool.com/post/6aa15b6...

28 Aug

Checked out Penny’s Bookshelf in Milford for the first time. Place has been around 35 years and has a very impressive collection of used books. I’ll definitely be going back. #booksky

23 Aug

Just finished Paul Murray’s 2023 family epic, The Bee Sting. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year and ranks right alongside my other all-time favorites in the “families falling apart” genre. On par with Franzen, Nathan Hill. #Booksky

8 Aug

Picked up a couple from my TBR list for a grand total of 6 US dollars. Used bookstores remain undefeated #booksky

We're roughly halfway through the year so I wanted to share my top-5 favorite books that I've read in 2026. For context, I've read 15 so far, including 13 novels, 1 memoir and 1 narrative non-fiction. No DNFs yet, not even Theo of Golden which ranks dead-last for me. Here's the good stuff:

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#4 London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe I'll read everything PRK writes. Say Nothing & Empire of Pain were two of my fav books of the years they were published & this one lives up to the hype. It is also a feat of dogged reporting, expert storytelling, and a clear-eyed (yet still empathetic) POV.

#5 Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Just edging out Yesteryear, I slightly preferred this modern satire. The precocious child narrator worked for me. Vera was all the things it promised to be - funny, poignant, biting, sad. At times it felt like doomscrolling and at times it felt very optimistic.

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#2 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride More meandering than McBride's Deacon King Kong which is one of my all-time favorites. This one will even test your patience, but man is it worth it. My advice: let it wash over you & don't worry about following every thread. It's a great hang.

#3 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Sybil van Antwerp was such an impressive literary creation. Smart, stubborn, human (deeply flawed). She’s going to stick with me. This is sad but also hopeful. I love the notion that we never stop having the capacity to change and grow & Sybil embodied that.

#1 James by Percival Everett Sometimes the book that's beloved by everyone & wins all the awards is just as good as everyone says. It's smart, tragic, funny, horrifying. I think the thing I most admired about it is just how propulsive and readable it is. This thing just GOES. It's a masterpiece.

10 July

You don’t. You wait for Jalen Brunson.

Hernest Jones IV@gaychel.bsky.social

how do you leave a toxic relationship with your sports team?

nytimes.comPatrick Ewing likely to join Washington Wizards as an assistant coach: SourceThe former Georgetown and New York Knicks great was previously an assistant for the Wizards during the 2002-03 season.

5 July

If I send you this picture, I’m reminding you: Knicks in 5.

Josh Robbins@joshrobbins.bsky.social

Former Georgetown Hoyas and New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing is likely to join the Washington Wizards as an assistant coach. Story at @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/742...

First quarter Paul George is legit. Celtics are gonna rival the Spurs for the best team to start games.

Shams Charania Tweets@shamsbot.bsky.social

BLOCKBUSTER: The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

I wrote this in 2018 about Mitchell Robinson just 23 days into his career. There are some truly cursed sentences in here involving Fizdale and Hezonja but this paragraph leapt out. Been through a lot with this guy. Gonna miss him!

bball-index.comIn Appreciation of Mitchell Robinson’s Defense - Basketball IndexIt's a divisive time to be a Knicks fan. We're just 23 games into the season, and already so many factions and sub-factions have developed within our own rooting community. "Team Frank" vs. "He's A Bu...

Most of the videos have since been stripped out, but I’m feeling major nostalgia remembering this time as a fan. www.bball-index.com/in-appreciat...

Seeing Mitch in green next year will make me physically ill. He cannot believe they let him walk for this amount for some flimsy second apron excuse.

Shams Charania Tweets@shamsbot.bsky.social

Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team.

Tom Piccolo reposted

29 June

If you check out the final play of the NBA Finals, something happens that not enough people are talking about. Feel free to rewind a few times, slow it down, freeze frame it. If you watch carefully, as the clock hits zero, you'll see the Knicks become NBA champions.

29 June

20 June

@fredkatz.bsky.social & @zachlowenba.bsky.social talked about this bucket from Jalen Brunson. Just watch Mitch's impact. Not only do you see Wemby direct Vassell to get a body on him, Wemby's first instinct when the shot goes up is to look @ Mitch. He's too worried to contest. Who was in whose head?

16 June

My biggest questions about the Knicks’ championship viability headed into the season were around secondary ball-handling/playmaking and then how the defense would hold up being bookended by Brunson and KAT.

16 June

They answered the 1st Q thru Brunson’s sheer brilliance & by being extremely versatile. When matchups allowed it (ATL), KAT took on playmaking. Other guys (Hart, OG, Mikal, Jose) chipped in just enough to cover when JB sat or was smothered. Meanwhile, Brunson was able to handle an incredible burden.

16 June

They answered the 2nd Q by having otherworldly wings to cover up JB’s deficiencies & by KAT making an unprecedented leap as a defender. Maybe the biggest surprise of the postseason was how consistently well KAT anchored the D. Can’t remember the last time a player upended their reputation like that.

They really did it.

Need some guys to be heroes in the fourth. Brunson of course. But KAT and OG need some buckets.

Is it naive to ask if it’s possible for that to get retroactively called between games 5 and 6?

Tom Piccolo@tompiccolo.bsky.social

Would that have been a Wemby suspension if they correctly called that?

Would that have been a Wemby suspension if they correctly called that?

Need Luke Kornet to handle the ball more

KAT’s defense has been incredible so far but need him so desperately on the offensive end to take over.

13 June

Said this before G4 and I for sure oversimplified given the Wemby-centric zone SAS has been deploying. The Knicks figuring out how to get Wemby out of the paint has been the most interesting chess match of the series. Can’t wait to see what moves are made tonight.

Tom Piccolo@tompiccolo.bsky.social

Usually when you target a defender in the PnR, it's to get a mismatch. NYK need to target Wemby for a different reason: to get him out of the paint. Whoever Wemby is guarding, have him set a very high PnR for the ballhandler. Space the floor, simplify the offense, cut back on TOs, open up the paint.

nytimes.comOG Anunoby, always cool, has the perfect mindset for the New York Knicks’ chaos (Gift Article)OG Anunoby's personality type has set him up perfectly to thrive in this moment with the Knicks.

12 June

Great look at how some of the milestone moments of OG’s career and his personality (persona?) augured the success we’re seeing now.

Eric Koreen@ekoreen.bsky.social

On OG Anunoby, whose personality suits this moment so well. Free to read.

In a game you win by 1 point following the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, every single point mattered, and every player's contribution mattered. Shout out to Hukporti staying ready. Watch him set this screen on Vassell leading to literally the most wide open shot the Knicks got all night.

Tom Piccolo reposted

Keerthika Uthayakumar

@keerthikau.bsky.social

The Knicks are 5-3 when they trail by 20+ points over the last 2 postseasons. The rest of the NBA is a combined 4-71 when down 20 in that span.

OG Anunoby has scored 21 points on 8/11 shooting so far this series when Victor Wembanyama has been the closest defender per @nba.com. He is just undaunted by this contest. He doesn't even look rushed.

Look at this! Unreal stuff from OG. #KnicksSky

The OG tip-in is deservedly getting the attention but I’m confident the Knicks lose the game if KAT doesn’t get his fingertips on the ball here. Definition of a game saving play. So much had to go right for the Knicks to come away with this one. And it did.

Kentucky Men's Basketball@kentuckymensbball.bsky.social

KAT is one win away from becoming an @nba.com Champion! 😼

Not sure if this is about Trump or Dolan, but it’s not a great sign that we need to be more specific with who may have cursed us.

Molly Morrison@mollyhannahm.bsky.social

it really happened this team had perfect vibes and won 13 straight and he cursed them

I have to reiterate, I hate looking at the refs when talking about what’s happening on the floor. Between the two soft KAT fouls to take him out, the missed goaltend, the blown possession call leading to the vassell jumper, just to name a few. This has been a poorly officiated game.

The spurs came out scorching hot too. Didn’t need all the help to have a big lead here. But they got it.

@yourmandevine.bsky.social

Have lost composure now. Unraveling. Going to take a lot to turn this around.

Tom Piccolo reposted

Dan Devine

Unless my eyes deceive me, I believe Metta World Peace is here, wearing his own jersey, which is awesome.

Another example here. Mitch sets this screen just over half court and look how much space Brunson has to work with. Generates an open three from his favorite spot behind the arc. Bring Wemby as high up as you can get him!

Mitchell Robinson has gotten so good at this - often called a "Gortat screen" where he sets a ball screen, then rolls and sets a second screen on his own man, opening up a lane for the ball-handler. Watch him hit Kornet here, appearing to start his box out and freeing up Brunson for the layup.

Here Mitch does it again, sealing off Wemby to prevent him from getting to this Brunson step through. JB doesn't convert but Mitch is there for the tip-in. This might be the consummate Mitchell Robinson offensive possession. Really smart stuff. #KnicksSky #knicks #Knicksky

9 June

Watch Hart's right foot when he lands. He comes down directly on Wemby's foot. This is exactly what Brunson received a flagrant for. If Hart sells this, it's a four-point play plus possession.

9 June

NYK offense was way less decisive tonight. Led to bad TOs. In G1 + 2, they were good about knowing who & where to attack early in the offense. Tonight it took too long to get into anything. KAT was aloof on offense, seemingly hampered by the physicality. Need him & Bridges to be in attack mode in G4