The New York Knicks pulled off something special against the Houston Rockets, erasing an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 108-106. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 25 points, but the postgame conversation on ESPN’s Inside the NBA might have been louder than the final buzzer.
In a live on-court interview, Shaq connected with KAT directly and wasted no time. He praised KAT for his performance, but made one thing clear: if the Knicks win the championship, everyone will talk about Brunson. It is KAT’s play that has to be dominant for that to even happen.
KAT was not interested in the credit conversation.
“No, for sure. But what you said too is if we won a championship, they could talk about anybody as long as we all get a ring. That’s the most important thing. I don’t care about none of that,” said Towns.
Shaq pushed right back, asking KAT straight up if he sees himself as part of that one-two punch alongside Brunson. KAT said hell yeah, twice, but kept steering it back to winning. Shaq had the last word.
“You got to play great. Nope. You got to play great to get the credit,” said O’Neil.
KAT called him a legend and agreed. Shaq closed it warmly, telling KAT he has his jersey. Then he turned to Chuck and asked what he thought, and that is where things got real.
Shaq and Chuck Clash Over Whether Knicks KAT Has a Killer Mentality
Chuck opened simply, calling KAT a nice kid, and then went further by saying not everyone is wired like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.
“Everybody can’t be Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, natural born killers.”
Shaq was not having it. He argued it is not about being mean or aggressive, it is purely about having the right mentality. But Chuck cut him off.
“Shaq, you cannot make a nice guy mean. You’re either born with it or you’re not.”
That is when Kenny came in and reframed the whole thing. He said the real issue is not that KAT lacks desire, it is that his skill level was always so elite that he never had to fight for anything on a basketball court.
“His skill level, shooting threes, handling the basketball, getting to the rim. He didn’t have to bully his way into baskets.”
Chuck backed Kenny up, pointing out KAT has always been the best player in every group he has ever been in. Shaq actually agreed with that part, but used it to make his own point. If you have always been the best, then play like it every single night.
He even brought up Kenny’s own career as an example of what that mentality looks like, saying Kenny always believed that if defenders left him open, he was going to make them pay.
“It’s about mentality. When I tell you, you got to do this and do that, don’t respond by saying, ‘oh I’m trying to look out for everybody.’ You got to be great.”
Chuck then landed his sharpest take of the night, and this time he went straight at KAT.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but we all don’t have the same mental makeup. KAT is a very good player. Terrific player. He’s just a nice guy. He ain’t no killer. We can’t make him no killer.”
The Knicks head to Chicago next. KAT put up 25 points and helped with Brunson erase an 18-point hole, but whether that performance quiets this conversation for good remains to be seen.