Neil Best

New York, United States

Reporter at Newsday

Enemy of the people

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Articles

Three takeaways from the Knicks' Game 5 win over the Pacers

1 week ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

The Knicks still are on the ropes in the Eastern Conference finals, but their 111-94 victory over the Pacers in Game 5 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden breathed new life into the series. Three takeaways from a somewhat rare home-court victory for the Knicks in these playoffs — and a comfortable wire-to-wire victory at that. 1. Josh Hart is not done yet, thank youCoach Tom Thibodeau removed Hart from the starting lineup for Game 3, and his recent play seemed to prove the coach right.
Islanders' Mathieu Darche off to great start on day 1 as GM

1 week ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

It was May 29, and the Islanders did not have a hockey game to play in or prepare for, which was part of the reason Mathieu Darche found himself at UBS Arena in the first place. But there Darche was, and as non-playoff moments in late May go, Thursday was as good as it gets for the Islanders. Yes, their new general manager, executive vice president and head of hockey decisions eventually will be judged as all general managers are – by how much his teams win. But so far, the guy is undefeated.
Knicks-Pacers Game 5 tickets ranging from $394 to $150,376

1 week ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

The bad news for Knicks fans is that their team lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Pacers on Tuesday night and now trails the series, 3-1. The tiny sliver of good news for those who wish to attend Game 5 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden is that prices on the secondary market are falling. That is natural, given that the Knicks could be eliminated or at best simply survive to play another day in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
Richard Neer's Saturday WFAN program ends

1 week ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Richard Neer’s long-running Saturday early morning show on WFAN is over, the station announced on Friday. Starting next weekend, the Saturday lineup will feature Joe Benigno from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by Chris McMonigle from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Evan Roberts announced the new lineup on his afternoon show on Friday, and Neer acknowledged the change in signing off on Saturday. “This was my anchor for 27 years, doing this particular show,” Neer told listeners.
Three takeaways from the Knicks' Game 2 loss to the Pacers

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Unlike in Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks did not suffer a historic late-game collapse in Game 2 on Friday. Like in Game 1, they lost to the Pacers, 114-109, at Madison Square Garden, leaving them in an 0-2 hole in the series with the next two games in Indianapolis. Some takeaways from another late, maddening night for Knicks fans:1.
Isles pick fresh face, Mathieu Darche, to steer the ship

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Did the Islanders make the right call hiring Mathieu Darche on Friday as their new general manager? I don’t know. You don’t know. They don’t know. Check back in two-to-five years. But we can say this right now: They made the right call bringing in a fresh young face to try to jump-start a fresh, new post-Lou Lamoriello era. Many fans expected a familiar name who has been there and done that, most recently after Brendan Shanahan and the Maple Leafs parted ways on Thursday.
Stan Van Gundy says Reggie Miller at MSG is 'great theater'

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Stan Van Gundy had a front-row seat on Wednesday night, and with it a firsthand view of the Reggie Miller Experience at Madison Square Garden. Naturally, Knicks fans took note of the former Pacer / Garden villain as he and Van Gundy worked as TNT analysts for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. “It’s great theater having Reggie there,” Van Gundy said Thursday during an early morning chat with four reporters at a Midtown Manhattan hotel after the Pacers’ 138-135 victory in overtime.
TNT's Stan Van Gundy calls Knicks' late-game defense 'soft'

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Stan Van Gundy stayed up late Wednesday night analyzing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on national television for TNT. Then he woke up at 5:30 Thursday to study video of the frantic final minutes of the Pacers’ 138-135 overtime victory over the Knicks before speaking to a small group of reporters at a Midtown Manhattan hotel on the morning after. The review confirmed what he watched in real time – what he called “terrible” defense from both teams.
Knicks-Pacers Game 2 tickets going for $654 to $45,264

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

The Knicks’ crushing, 138-135 overtime loss to the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals had not dampened demand for tickets as of late Thursday morning. The lowest asking price on StubHub.com for a pair of tickets together for Game 2 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden was $654 each, an amount that likely will drop closer to game time but still represents strong interest among fans for the team’s first conference finals appearance since 2000.
Tyrese Haliburton does his best Reggie Miller impression in Game 1 vs. Knicks

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Neil Best

Tyrese Haliburton said he did not plan to do what he did. Instead, it came to him “in the moment.”But there it was on Wednesday night, a recreation of fellow Pacer Reggie Miller’s infamous choke gesture during the 1994 playoffs against the Knicks. Haliburton turned out not to be wrong about the Knicks in the end, as they lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 138-135, in overtime in one of the most shocking late-game collapses in NBA playoff history. But his move was premature.