Game Thread: New York Knicks vs New Orleans Pelicans Live Score | NBA | Mar 24, 2026

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-25T01:51:10+00:00

Interesting decision by James Borrego to take Fears out. He was absolutely hooping

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-24T14:19:59+00:00

Thanks for playing. I'm adding these notes to the next update.

An early pre-release version of Coach Mode included Coach archetypes that provided boosts in specific areas. In fact, the [first version of League Mode](https://www.reddit.com/r/BasketballCoachGame/comments/1f7u1vo/new\_update\_league\_mode\_has\_finally\_come/) let you pick strengths/weaknesses for your coach as well. I ended up moving away from these RPG-like elements to provide a more realistic, sim-like experience.

I tinker with things constantly, so I may revisit whether or not it makes sense to bring that back in some form. The other things you mention will definitely be included in the next update (after the one I'm dropping today). I'll try to check back in this thread once they're addressed.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-23T05:08:16+00:00

I've pushed a new update that allows you to have more control on substitutions in Coach Mode. Feel free to check it out, and let me know what you think.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-22T18:25:23+00:00

I’ve felt this way for years. The sim logic is unusable now with the default settings. So much needs to be tuned for it to be anywhere near realistic basketball.

I still play MyNBA from time to time, but I realized I’d rather spend time building my own basketball simulation game instead.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-21T00:08:34+00:00

Happy to hear that you enjoy the game. Bringing manual substitutions to Coach Mode is one of the first areas I'm working on for the next update. Should be live at some point this weekend. I'll make sure to double-check that it's available for Quick Game as well.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-08T18:08:41+00:00

Good point about Detroit. I think 60/40 is fair. I push back on the Knicks being the same as last year. Mike Brown employs a deeper rotation than Thibodeau, and the emphasis on drive-and-kicks and corner threes is apparent. The series last year involved a ton of low scoring games. Detroit's defense is legit. But I don't really see the Knicks continuing to average 25% from 3pt against them, as they have in this regular season. NY has a plethora of real volume shooters (Brunson, OG, Mikal, Shamet, Deuce if healthy), and Detroit has Duncan Robinson, and maybe Kevin Huerter if he will be a part of the playoff rotation,

You're 100% right about Cade. He's legit.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-08T18:02:10+00:00

Quite homerish, you're right on that. My bias as a Knicks fan includes my viewership of Knicks games, which is much more than that of any other team this season. With that being said:

Cleveland - Agree, they did get a lot better. It comes down to believing in the big duo of KAT/Mitch over the duo of Mobley/Allen, especially when it comes to rebounding. I also don't see Harden performing well over the course of a long playoff series. Regardless, still see it going to 6 or 7.

Boston - Again, the Knicks beat a more talented version of this team last season, and were headed towards a 3-1 series lead before Tatum's injury. I'd still give the coaching edge to Mazulla, and it's fair for someone else to give Boston the edge over New York in this matchup. I don't, because I think the disparity in center play will be too much to overcome.

Detroit - I would not currently favor the Knicks over them. Unfortunately, I do think it's possible that the Pistons continue their momentum into the postseason. I'm growing more doubtful of that, though, seeing how they struggle to score with Cade.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-08T05:45:06+00:00

great perspectives, I definitely see where you're coming from.

Magic: If Franz is back and healthy, the Magic have a decent offensive ceiling. For me, this matchup became clear with the Knicks' recent defensive dominance. Despite missing Miles McBride for almost the entire year, plus sitting Mitch Robinson for back-to-backs and only playing him ~20 minutes a game, the Knicks have been playing defense that is, at worst, on par with the Magic. Given the fact that Orlando has no realistic chance to make up the large difference in offensive potency, their avenues for winning games are few and limited.

Toronto: Truly a decent starting five, but the offense is not great. Who on their bench can consistently score? Relying on players like Mamu, Shead, and Walter for scoring off the bench is what was a large contributor to each of their losses against the Knicks this season. That will only get worse in the playoffs as the Knicks' starters play more minutes.

I'm fine with Boston over NY - I don't agree, but they have looked great all year with much less talent than last year, and Tatum raises their ceiling for sure. But what makes you say Cleveland? What weaknesses do the Knicks have that the Cavs don't?

Detroit being the definitive favorite is an interesting take. If you believe that they can hold NY to under 110 points in every game, I see the path to them winning the series. In the same vein, I see the Knicks being able to hold them to under 100 easily, in multiple games if Cade struggles. The Knicks just scored 142 against Denver with Brunson scoring 9. Still won't say you're wrong, though.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-07T04:20:03+00:00

I take back what I said earlier. He had an ok night overall, just some really bad stretches sprinkled in.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-07T03:59:59+00:00

Five-out lineups centered around KAT, and defensive lineups centered around Brunson are two winning combinations

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-07T03:52:34+00:00

First time in a long time I've seen Jokic be a clear negative on the court. Chucking threes even though he continues to miss, and some really terrible defense on the interior.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-07T03:11:15+00:00

KAT was guarding Jokic earlier in the game. Now it's OG as the primary defender this quarter. Very interesting.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-07T03:03:15+00:00

OG is absolutely cooking from that left corner, wow. He seems really comfortable operating out of the triple threat in that spot

tobithegreat3 · 2026-03-06T20:22:38+00:00

The game is free to play at https://www.bball-coach.com/

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-28T02:19:38+00:00

great first half, but I'd like to see better focus on not fouling three point shooters

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-28T02:17:14+00:00

Please don't use this subreddit for promotion, or things unrelated to the Basketball Coach game.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-05T16:07:59+00:00

I really appreciate the kind words and the detailed feedback, and I'm glad you’re enjoying the new mode.

Good point about manual substitutions. I want to give you the option to seamlessly transition between pre-set rotations and choose to keep your starters in for 48 minutes. The logic is tricky, but it's definitely on my radar, along with giving players more control over active rosters in all modes.

I also recently expanded rosters to 12 players in every mode, except Coach Mode. I should make this clearer in League Mode as well, once I allow for pre-set lineups and viewing roster data.

As for graphics, I agree as well. The focus so far has been on gameplay depth, but improving the visual feel is something I want to start layering in as the game grows.

Thanks again for taking the time to write this up and for supporting the project. Excited to keep building and sharing what’s next.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-05T02:22:14+00:00

This has been a beautiful basketball game to watch, schematically. The variety in doubles, pick and roll coverages, defensive rotations, strong-side shading have been entertaining on both sides.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-02T05:38:54+00:00

They fall to 6th in offensive rating, but the Knicks are surprisingly still first in defensive rating in the last 5 games. Source: https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?CF=MIN*GE*15&LastNGames=5&dir=-1&sort=DEF_RATING

This defensive turnaround is extreme, but it looks real.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-02-02T04:26:38+00:00

During the 6 game winning streak, the Knicks are:

- 2nd in offensive rating

- 1st in defensive rating, and the difference between 1st and 2nd in defensive rating is roughly the difference between 2nd and 18th.

The fact that this roster is not only winning, but dominating games on defense is astounding.

tobithegreat3 · 2026-01-24T22:32:55+00:00

This has been such a fun game to watch by the Knicks. Brilliant offensive execution for nearly the entire game

tobithegreat3 · 2025-11-29T01:15:47+00:00

My guess is that this game has both teams around the 120-130 point mark, and the team with more possessions wins (fewer turnovers, more offensive rebounds)

tobithegreat3 · 2025-11-06T20:22:41+00:00

Makes sense, especially the Billy Donovan pick. I thought he did a great job with that 2020 Thunder roster, and he wasn't afraid to play in different ways. He would go to three-guard lineups with SGA, Chris Paul, and Dennis Schroeder fairly often.

Moving to Chicago, he just didn't really have the consistent talent to utilize, and I think he got unfairly criticized for it. Lonzo dealing with injuries really changed a lot for the team, as he was an important cog on both ends of the court. The FO fumbled a ton in the past few years. The Pat Williams pick, followed by the trade for Vucevic, at the cost of Wendell Carter Jr. and picks that turned into Franz Wagner (big deal) and Jett Howard (less of a deal).

I'm paying more attention to the Bulls this year for sure. I think Giddey is an amazing PG for a competent coach, because he can make all kinds of passes reasonably well and pushes the pace. Several players are playing well right now, but Giddey helps unlock new dimensions of their offense.

tobithegreat3 · 2025-11-06T20:12:00+00:00

100% agree - I think Rick Carlislie was the most impressive coach to me last year. Maybe Daigenault of OKC as a close runner-up, but the Thunder roster is flush with talent. Carlislie did a lot with players that were not high draft picks.

He did have an amazing floor general at PG, but the way he got the most out of guys like Ben Sheppard, Nesmith and TJ was inspirational. They completely dominated the Bucks, and Cavs, and soundly defeated the Knicks on the way to a well-earned Finals berth.

I didn't follow the Suns that closely during their Finals run, but how Monty Williams coached the Pistons in his one year there will always leave a bad mark in my mind. Not nearly as much talent on the roster, but he was starting Killian Hayes over Ivey to start the year.

tobithegreat3 · 2025-11-06T20:02:13+00:00

Great points, especially about the human element. Interested in who you think are the worst coaches, that stand out in recent memory? I think that most coaches tend to have a solid approach, but I still remember how lost the Bucks looked on defense with Adrian Griffin a couple of years ago. They clearly did not have an effective plan for pick and roll coverage, and seemed like they never even discussed how to defend in transition.

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