O Knicks go to Indiana with a 2-0 series lead. You already know they had great performances Jalen Brunson It is Josh Hart. But there were other crucial factors in the games at the Garden, Factors that could impact Games 3 and 4 in Indianapolis.
Below, brendan brown – a three-decade NBA veteran (coaching, scouting, broadcasting) – breaks down what he saw in Game 2 and what’s relevant to the games in Indiana this weekend.
THIRD QUARTER, KNICKS 36-18
BROWN: “Well, it all starts with (Jalen) Brunson warming up at halftime, and the Knicks just take off. The way it happened was very reminiscent of Game 2 of the Sixers series (30-21 NYK), where the Knicks were excellent on defense, and got rebounds that put them in transition to three. The Pacers starters were anemic in the 3rd (4/14- 28.6 percent) (0/4- 0 percent) (0/1- 0 percent). (André) Nembhard had three of four shots hit. And that came from the 73-point first half. So what happened???
“In the first two games, the Knick interior defenders continue to pick on the Pacers on multiple shots within six feet of the basket. There is legitimate contact – but it’s the playoffs – and the Knicks are contesting a lot of shots in the zone. The Pacers are trying to get to the rim and the glass. They are cut away or placed on a tray that would be a very long tray. These are not floats – they are hard drives that are negated.
“You have to remember that the Pacers were first in paint points during the regular season. They shoot threes at a good pace, but rely on the paint. (Donte) DiVincenzo He’s great again in the third – he scores 12 points and makes big baskets on the run. The Knicks get two big blocks; Escaping a blockade is almost easier than escaping a robbery. Then they get an easy attack in the quarter.
BROWN: “They combined to shoot 10 of 29 (34.4 percent) and were 0 of 5 from beyond the arc and 0 of 3 from the free throw line. These below-average combined numbers show the strength of the Knicks’ interior defense throughout the game You have to give some credit. (Precious) Achiuwa for playing the last 15 minutes and marking Siakam a lot. So if you’re the Knicks, are you saying before the game that we’re going to hold two of your top three scorers to zero threes or shoot free throws? That you’re going to hold these two players to three free throw attempts? Great effort from the Knicks.
“Siakam relies on its individual units being isolated. (OG) Anunoby made him deviate from painting in some of these pieces. Aid advocates are isolating him too far. All the defenders are blocking him from getting straight to the rim. Turner was coming off a great Milwaukee series. He plays a lot of pick & pop – a Knick defensive weakness – but he was just 2 of 8 from three in those games; he really isn’t getting a clean look out of the three. Four attempts per game isn’t a ton.
“(Tyrese) Haliburton had a good game – Nembhard made seven of nine attempts; but the Knicks contain the entire Pacers front line. And that matters, because the Knicks are making runs against the Pacers’ starters, not Indiana’s bench. Can the Knicks contain Siakam and Turner in Indiana? We’ll see..
KNICKS GENERAL OFFENSE: GOING WITH THE FLOW
BROWN: “So in Game 1, the Knicks ran about 25 set pieces. They tried to set up Brunson in different ways, and it all went really well. From the start of Game 2, the Knicks surprisingly played Indiana’s pace; that It wasn’t great when we got to halftime, the Knicks were down 73-63.
“But when they had possession in the ‘flow’ – not on the counter or in the middle of the court – they moved well without the ball. They played a series of split plays in the high post to free up DiVincenzo and Brunson, until even Anunoby – all with (Isaiah) Hartenstein as the passer. He finishes with eight assists and just one turnover, and makes great passes that require precision.
“When the Knicks acquired Hartenstein, I watched eight of his Clippers games. Jay Larranaga, Clippers assistant (and former G League coach of the Knicks). The concept here was that Hartenstein was a plus passer. He played on an excellent bench unit with the Clippers that featured good three-point shooters (like Lucas Kennard). So that was his thing. Set a pick and roll screen, roll quickly and find the open guy. Some people thought he would be a 3-point shooter – but he only made 30 3-point attempts the year before. His death was certainly a strength. Hartenstein had some of that with the banking unit late last year; but the reality is that it hasn’t been used in this way enough in general. Last night shows that.
“And fortunately, that offensive flow was very important, as the Knicks shot 57 percent overall; all five starters shot 50 percent or better. That’s extremely difficult to do in any game, let alone a series of playoffs.”
WHAT HAPPENED TO DEUCE MCBRIDE? INDIANA BANK WINS GAME 2, 46-12
BROWN: “So McBride was unreal in Game 1 of the Sixers series (21 points) and played great defense in the fourth quarter of Game 4; both efforts contributed heavily to the Knicks’ victories. But in what is called ‘a playoff game effective’, he is now 2 of 8 in the playoffs. Effective playoff play combines individual statistics into total win shares. (Emanuel) Quickley He went 2-for-8 in last year’s playoffs before getting hurt. Deuce had plus-37 in Game 1 against the Sixers; Since then, he is minus-61. That leaves him minus-24 overall.
“His shooting numbers are still decent (44 percent overall and 39 percent from three), but in this series he is struggling to defend (T.J.) McConnell. This was also the case in the regular season. When he played in the second half of Game 2, he was pulled from McConnell – and faced (Ben)Sheppard. With the Knicks so depressed, McBride needs to produce on offense and – more importantly – on people’s defense.
“Once again, Indiana’s bench was spectacular. After going 21 of 34 (61.7 percent) in Game 1, they recorded an 18 of 29 night in Game 2. The points they are putting up are a problem , but the ease with which they are doing it is a bigger problem. As a group, Indiana’s bench had 15 assists against just two turnovers in Game 2; Rick Carlisle should just let the bench play; they’ve been solid guys with so-so compared to Indiana’s starters…
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
BROWN: “The gravity Anunoby’s hamstring injury could determine the rest of the series. After watching all the replays after the game, I think it’s a little more serious than I initially thought. Before the game, I talked to an NBA guy about the Knicks’ lack of depth and the biggest problem here would be if one of the starters got hurt, because what then? Well, here we are.
“When watching the Milwaukee series, I thought there was a significant difference in how the Pacers played at home compared to the road game; they played a good game in Milwaukee. They run more, they shoot better, they have a lot of energy and they can get into that frenzy that creates a 12-2 run at home. Younger players are more confident.
“So the Knicks can win there because we saw the sporadic nature of Indiana’s offense in the fourth quarter. (Last night was actually third period.) Considering Hart’s comments about Indiana, I would expect a noisy building to become possessed. building. And this sounds crazy, but Caitlin Clark is the most powerful person in sports right now and was part of the Game 3 show against the Bucks. My father (Hubie Brown) called the game and said it creates great electricity for its fans. If the Knicks don’t have OG, these games could be very difficult. Let’s see how this plays out…
