In high school, Karl-Anthony Towns got sick of learning experiences. Winning followed.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
What can we expect next year from 'Inside the NBA' crew?
Shaq shares how he's feeling about the last season of 'Inside the NBA' on TNT and what to look forward to next year on a new network.
Sports Seriously
It was just over 55 years ago that a hobbled New York Knicks warrior provided an emotional jolt that propelled his team to victory in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
That big man was Willis Reed, and despite finishing with just four points, his mere presence is credited for elevating New York to that championship – one that remains on the Knicks' Mount Rushmore of triumphs.
On Thursday, another Knicks star, Karl-Anthony Towns, fought through an injury and willed New York to a 111-94 win – dominating the Pacers with a 24-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
While the scenarios may be different, their 'win-at-all-costs' mentality and toughness under less-than-ideal circumstances are similar.
For Towns, the desire to win was forged by his parents, Karl Towns and the late Jackie Cruz-Towns. When he was a junior at St. Joe's Metuchen during the 2012-13 basketball season, I was a young reporter working on "Center of Attention," a documentary about Karl-Anthony. During my reporting, I spent time with his family and soon learned that the dining room in their Piscataway, New Jersey, home was where many of life's lessons were imparted.
That season, I observed Karl-Anthony's intense focus on winning and no-excuses attitude begin to crystalize after a loss to East Brunswick High School.
I was working on the documentary at the family's home when his mother suggested that the loss, the second to East Brunswick that season, should be a learning experience.
Her son wasn't having it.
'We lost to East Brunswick the first day, we lost to East Brunswick today. It's always, 'You got to learn from this.' Well, sooner or later, you got to stop learning,' the then-17-year-old calmly explained to his mom. 'It's just like you being in college. OK, you go to college – you learn a lot. If you don't go and use it in the real world, your college education was useless...
"And until we learn – actually learn, and decide to go on the street and use what we learn, and actually beat an elite team, for one time, this season, then we will not be what we need to be for the year.'
Jackie appeared pleased with Karl-Anthony's reasoning.
After 19 practices and 12 subsequent games, Towns' St. Joe's Metuchen and East Brunswick faced each other for a third time – this one for the conference championship. St. Joe's Metuchen won, 66-63, in double-overtime.
Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the site of Saturday night's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, will no doubt be a hostile environment for Towns. Will he use what he's learned and lift the Knicks once again?
We'll see soon enough.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New York Giants training camp: Top 5 plays from Week 1
The New York Giants wrapped up their first week of training camp on Sunday under overcast East Rutherford skies and with their shells on. There were many highs and lows throughout the week, but more reasons for optimism than pessimism. The offense looks like an entirely different unit than a year ago, while the defensive front seven flashed utter dominance. There were also more than a handful of highlight plays on all sides of the ball, breathing life and excitement into the fan base. Here's a look at the top five plays of the week. 5. The catch that wasn't On the very last play of Sunday's wrap-up practice, rookie running back Cam Skattebo flashed brilliant hands and concentration, hauling in a deflected pass while tapping his toes on the ground. Unfortunately for Skattebo, he was out of bounds by an inch... But it shouldn't take away from the highlight catch. 4. Jones pick-6 Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was introduced to fine-line football in his first training camp practice as a pro. During red zone drills, Dart attempted to fire a tight ball into tight end Greg Dulcich, who was undercut by cornerback Nic Jones. From there, it was off to the races for a pick-6. 3. Wan'Dale stunner Quarterback Russell Wilson, unlike Daniel Jones before him, isn't afraid to throw the ball downfield, where wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson flashed this week. One of those plays included a beautiful fade, where Robinson made a sliding one-handed touchdown grab in front of cornerback Dru Phillips. 2. Carter destroys JMS Rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter is a freak of nature and established himself as a human highlight reel in Week 1 of training camp. He showed out every single day and made multiple "wow" plays in each practice. Arguably, the most unbelievable came when he lined up off the ball inside and completely destroyed center John Michael Schmitz. 1. Darius slays Veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton electrified Sunday's crowd early in practice, hauling in a dazzling one-handed catch along the sideline. Not only was he able to secure the ball, but he got both feet in bounds for the big gain off the arm of Russell Wilson. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants training camp: Top 5 plays from Week 1
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction: Live updates as C.C. Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner take place in Hall of Fame
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will gather some of the game's most esteemed figures at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday, July 27 at 1:30 p.m. ET. America's favorite pastime will honor another class of its greats in the 53rd Baseball Hall of Fame induction. This year's batch features Dick Allen, Dave Parker, C.C. Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner. The late Allen and Parker were the first two to be voted into the Class of 2025 as the Classic Baseball Era selectees. Players are eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame five years after they retire from playing at least ten years in the Majors. Once they meet the criteria, players can be voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Players who are not considered eligible by the BWAA can still be nominated for induction through the Era committee, which also oversees the induction of managers, umpires and executives. The BWAA votes on the ballots with players receiving at least 75% of votes getting inducted. Suzuki is getting inducted as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, receiving 99.7% of the vote and one shy of a unanimous election. Sabathia and Wagner tallied 86.6 and 82.5% of the votes, respectively. Allen and Parker were voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. A ten-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and two-time AL batting champion, Suzuki will be the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He recorded 3,089 hits in his legendary career. C.C. Sabathia is a member of the 3,000-strikeout club who played for the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees during his MLB career. He memorably won the World Series with the Bronx Bombers when he joined the team in 2009. Wagner earned seven All-Star nods in his 16-year MLB career. He had stints with the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves before retiring in 2010. He left the game after recording 422 saves. How to watch the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony Date: Sunday, July 27 Time: 1:30 p.m. ET Location: Clark Sports Center | Cooperstown, New York TV channel: MLB Network, MLB App Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 MLB Hall of Fame induction ceremony:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New York Giants' Bryce Ford-Wheaton carted off after suffering ugly leg injury
The New York Giants have stiff competition at wide receiver in training camp, with multiple players vying for one or two spots at the backend of the depth chart. Among them is prized special teamer, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who has dealt with several injuries throughout his young career. Misfortune again found Ford-Wheaton on Sunday when the receiver went down in serious pain during drills. He attempted to walk off the field but collapsed and slammed his helmet into the ground in frustration. The cart was called out for Ford-Wheaton as he was surrounded by teammates. More to come... This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Bryce Ford-Wheaton carted off after suffering ugly leg injury
