How rebounding and defensive matchups shaped the Knicks’ Game 5 loss to the 76ers; looking forward to game 6

The Knicks were unable to maintain a six-point lead with 28 seconds remaining in Game 5. Can they recover from Thursday night’s Game 6 meltdown? Or will the Sixers and Tyrese Maxey build on the momentum from Game 5 to win on Thursday night?

As he has all the series, brendan brown – who spent three decades in the NBA as a coach, scout and broadcaster – gives us his analysis of Game 5 and previews Game 6:

WHEN THE REBOUND ROCKS

BROWN: “The Knicks have been in the Top 3 in offensive/defensive/total rebounds all season. This helped them survive in difficult times. Offensive rebounding is a big part of the overall offensive attack. They had just six offensive rebounds in Game 5; the Sixers outscored the Knicks 46-40 overall and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds of their own. This series is so close that the Knicks cannot afford to put up low numbers like this again.”

WHEN THE DEFENSE SLIPES

“The Knicks held Joel Embiid in check in the fourth quarter, once again. He had six turnovers in the second half and nine in the game; he shot just 7 of 19. The problem was that the other Sixers were excellent in the second half. As a collective team, they shot 21 of 37 (56.8%) and 8 of 15 from three (53.3%); they were 4 of 7 from the free throw line. Maxey, of course, had 31 points in the second half and overtime, which brings us to the fourth quarter defense.

“Maxey scores five points immediately Miles McBride at the beginning of the fourth. The Knicks remain in this matchup – and McBride is responsible for allowing 25 points in various ways the rest of the game. Why didn’t the Knicks change this matchup? McBride did well in denying and tracking Maxey at various points in the series; he was good in Game 4, in particular. But you have Josh Hart and you have OG Anunoby maybe take a different look at Maxey; maybe play him in a different/more physical way. The Knicks were better playing single-up with Embiid; they got two late steals that way. But when they helped Embiid early in the fourth, bad things happened and open shots were created. McBride is over [Donte] DiVincenzo it made sense for the clutch attack. McBride jumps at the foul line to make it 96-90. But McBride couldn’t handle Maxey on a couple of tries, and that hurt the Knicks.”

BEGLEY: Jalen Brunson said the Knicks gave Maxey different looks in Game 5, but “good players always know when to adjust, so he kept adjusting. He kept creating space and just doing everything he did.” Maxey obviously changed the series with his 16-point fourth quarter. The Knicks’ adjustments to Maxey will be key in Game 6.

“We have to make him more uncomfortable and stay together on the defensive side of the ball,” Brunson said of Maxey. “He can’t just see one person. He has to see several bodies. But he was very comfortable (in Game 5) and played very well.”

The lost lead in Game 5 gets most of the attention. But it’s also worth noting that Embiid played his worst game of the series on Tuesday and the Knicks were unable to take advantage.

STAR WARS

Embiid and Maxey combined for 65 points on 24-of-49 shooting (48.9 percent); they were 8-for-16 from three (50%); 9 of 14 from the free throw line (64.2 percent).

The other Sixers had 47 points on 18-of-42 shooting (42.8 percent); they shot 7 of 23 from beyond the arc (30.4%); 4-for-5 on free throws (80 percent).

BROWN: “Maxey’s outburst significantly increases the Embiid/Maxey numbers; remember, the Knicks held two to 50 total points in their Game 4 win. But the Sixers’ “other guys” were better in Game 5. Tobias Harris is 19 and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 and some big late baskets. Harris made a clutch jumper at 82-77 late in the shot clock when the Knicks looked like they were going to run away. Cam Payne continued to shoot in minutes off the bench.

The weak corner continues to be a concern for the Knicks in their 5-man rotations. When you think the other guys made 23 3-point attempts; How many of those errors were on open shots or good shots? This is something to be aware of moving forward. If you’re committing a lot of help especially to Embiid and not so much to Maxey, can you live with that open back three?

BEGLEY: Harris received a lot of criticism in Philadelphia. But in some ways, he saved the Sixers’ season with timely shooting in Game 5.

As Brown notes above, Harris hit a clutch shot while being guarded by Anunoby. He also had an assist in overtime and made two free throws with 15 seconds left in overtime, putting the Sixers up by four. This was 1H8 Tobias Harris at the worst possible time for the Knicks. Harris and the other supporting cast in Philadelphia will be key in Game 6.

WHEN ARE YOU MISSING???

BROWN: “In general terms, I was with a lot of coaches who were reluctant to (miss in this situation). We had success defending at the end of Game 3 by switching and going straight up.

“But there were exceptions to this:

“It’s not always easy to foul an NBA player in a catch-and-shoot situation out of bounds. An umpire will yield under duress and say that the offensive player was somehow in a throwing motion, while the pitcher is twisting and turning, raising his arms for effect.

“Last night, the Sixers had to go on the court for the final possession. It is much easier to commit a foul in this situation.

“The key to committing a foul in an “up 3” situation is, quite simply, to hack the guy if he dribbles the ball. He cannot be in a shooting motion if he is dribbling; it’s impossible.

“Many elements of that possession in Game 5 led to the logical conclusion that you committed a foul; Maxey took about four dribbles up the court, so the opportunity was there.

BEGLEY: Miscommunication crushed the Knicks on Maxey’s tying third.

“In these situations you talk about what you want to do…. Josh (Hart) has two free throws. You have to communicate what your decisions are,” Tom Thibodeau said after Game 5. “We could have done better in that situation and we will.”

When asked if it was too early to foul Maxey (he hit a 35-footer with eight seconds left), Thibodeau said, “We could have done that. But let’s leave it at that.

Thibodeau later explained how the Knicks could have handled the situation.

“What you need to do is they’re out of time, so they go fast. But you also need to read what’s going on. Is he doing both? That puts you at four. Is he making one? This puts you in a different situation. If he misses both, it puts him in a different situation. “So you’re communicating that to your players, but also, you need to make sure that’s being communicated to the people on the line as well. This is where our communication has to be better. If you miss two and commit a foul, everyone must be attentive and alert to what is happening.”

Thibodeau also didn’t call a timeout after Maxey made the shot. He apparently trusted his players to get a good look and they failed to do so.

But the issue of communication is worth noting. Knicks players also cited a lack of communication as a factor in the Game 3 loss.

“I think we need to be on the same page, all five of us,” Brunson said Tuesday night. “I think some of us thought we were going to foul and we didn’t, but that’s my fault. I need to be able to communicate things like that on the court. So, yes, I need to do a better job.”

“Obviously, split-second decision (and) we should have talked about it during (Hart’s) free throws,” McBride said. “I think when he’s coming at you at full speed, he hits a shot almost halfway across the court, there’s not much you can do. You don’t want to risk him going into a shooting motion. I probably should have stayed with him a little longer. But you just learn from it… I think if we had communicated, it could have worked out everything.

Hart said the miscommunication lies with the players, not Thibodeau.

“I think this is a mistake by the guys on the court. We need to make sure we know what the situation is,” he said. “But we can’t do anything about it now. We have to regroup, watch the film and see what we could have done better. And get ready for the game.

Obviously the Knicks also fouled when they didn’t want to at the end of the game. Robinson fouled Maxey on a three-pointer with 25 seconds left. This error gave Maxey the opportunity to tie the game at the end of regulation time.

“I’ll take it like a man. I messed up. I have to be better in the next game,” Robinson said afterwards. “….I just have to interpret it directly. I wasn’t in a position to defend or anything like that. I messed up.”

LOOKING AT GAME 6

BROWN: “The Knicks won in Philadelphia; the Sixers won at the Garden; anything can happen in Game 6 or Game 7. If you’re an NBA fan, this has been an incredible series; little 3-4-5 minute segments do it all the difference in close games like these You have star power, you know the strengths and weaknesses of every player on the field. There is strategy, there were great finishes after five games, the Sixers outscored the Knicks by a total of two points in this series. .

“Despite some local media outlets treating Game 5 as a boon for the Knicks, the BPI index produced by ESPN listed the Knicks with a 54 percent chance of winning on Tuesday. And it was that kind of game all along .”

BEGLEY: All season long, the Knicks have managed to put costly mistakes or subpar performances behind them. They were able to bounce back after a bad night and quickly get back on track. That trait will be put to the test on Thursday in Philadelphia. Entering this postseason, only 13 of the 271 teams in NBA history that had 3-1 leads had lost the series. The Knicks obviously don’t want to increase that total.

“That’s all that matters now. A mistake here or there, a missed shot here or there, a missed free throw here or there, so we need to make sure we’re mentally sharp,” Hart said Tuesday night. “I think we’re prepared with the game plan, we just need to go out there and execute it.”