Can the Knicks come back down 2-0?
Let's all call a spade a spade. The New York Knicks are in the worst situation they could have found themselves in, down 2-0 in the conference finals with their next 2 games taking place in Indiana. But is it too much to overcome?
It's pretty bad already, then you remember why they're in this situation to begin with, and it feels worse. The game 1 loss has already been labeled as one of the worst collapses in NBA history. To put it in perspective, prior to game 1 NBA teams were 0-1,414 when trailing by 9 or more in the final minute of a playoff game since 1998.... teams are now 1-1,414 in those situations.
Then game 2 was also pretty ugly, not in a blown lead kind of ugly, but ugly in a sense that a lot of questions arise from this game. Why was KAT not playing in the 4th? Does there need to be a change in the lineup? How did Pascal Siakam explode for 39 points? Well one of those questions has been answered as it seems Thibs is benching Josh Hart for the defensively minded Mitchell Robinson, who played a good portion of the 4th in game 2.
As good as Indiana has played in the playoffs, this series is far from over. The Knicks were 24-17 on the road in the regular season and split the two games in Indiana 1-1. It is also worth mentioning the Knicks found themselves up 2-0 on Indiana in the second round last year and saw firsthand how quickly momentum in a series can shift.
The key for Tom Thibodeau is finding the right combination of players to both score with and slow down this Indiana Pacer squad. We'll see if playing KAT and Mitch together is the answer he's looking for, but if it isn't, this Knicks conference finals trip could be very short lived.
Thibs might find himself in an unfamiliar position as well. With the depth of the Pacers one thing is clear, his Knicks are tired. The grueling long minutes have seemed to take an impact on the Knicks stars, making the closeout moments that much more difficult for this team. If Thibs wants his squad to have any chance in the 4th, he may need to look to some of his bench to give guys like Brunson and KAT a breather. Don’t be too surprised if Thibs is forced to sub in pieces like Precious Achiewa, Tyler Kolek, and Delon Wright.
Now, that does go against Thibs entire coaching philosophy, so I don’t anticipate that happening, but it might just be the key to getting the Knicks back in this series.
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