The New York Knicks are on the cusp of a resurgence. Jalen Brunson has exploded into superstardom and his playoff performances have been unmatched.
The Knicks fan base is one of the most active and invested in the NBA. They have suffered while their team hasn’t seen playoff success since the turn of the century. Going into these playoffs, the energy around this team felt different.
The Knicks Hot Playoff Start
To start the playoffs, the fans were rewarded. The Knicks kept finding ways to beat the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round of the playoffs and rattled off a 2-0 lead against the Indianapolis Pacers in round two.
Jalen Brunson has truly been otherworldly. He has the most playoff points of any player and is leading the Knicks with the passion and late-game poise of a superstar.
In game two against the Pacers, Brunson went down with a right foot injury with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. When Brunson left the game, the Pacers took full advantage.
The Indy-based team surged past the Knicks and went up 63-53 at halftime.
That’s when Brunson returned. Brunson scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half propelling the Knicks to a 130-121 victory. Just another example of his resilience and grit, embodying the New York spirit.
The Quick Fall-off
After that huge win at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks struggled on the road. They traveled to Indianapolis and lost back-to-back games.
And even though Brunson’s game-two injury hasn’t affected his game, the rest of the Knicks injuries have.
After Brunson’s injury in game two, forward Og Anunoby jumped up for a fast break layup in the third quarter landing awkwardly and injuring his hamstring. He hasn’t played since.
The Knicks’ roster was already depleted due to injuries.
Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovic have all suffered season-ending injuries leaving the remaining Knicks weapons with a heavy workload.
Starting guard Josh Hart was forced to play ridiculous minutes and in game four it showed. In the 32-point Pacers blowout, Hart had his worst game of the playoffs.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for not resting starters and in such a long NBA season plenty of people have criticized that decision. Now it is catching up with him. The bench production has been lackluster.
Even in the two Knicks wins, the Pacers bench outscored the Knicks 92-15. The Knicks stars, Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo have been great, but they can’t play every minute.
The Pacers wanted to play fast-paced from the get-go and this high-speed offensive has forced Thibodeau to go deeper and deeper into his bench where his guys haven’t performed. Game 5 was a different story.
Could Game 5 be a sign of good things to come?
Before game five, the Knicks won all their playoff games by 32 points. When they came back to New York for a pivotal game five, they smacked the Pacers by 30.
Everything went New York’s way. Brunson was a lightning rod, scoring from every spot on the floor and energizing the rowdy home crowd. Hart’s woes in game four seemed distant as he put together an impressive double-double.
Coach Thibodeau decided to counter Indianapolis’s fast-paced play with a smaller lineup. He started guard Miles McBride over forward Precious Achiuwa, who had been starting in Anunoby’s absence.
The decision paid off, the smaller lineup kept up with the Pacers’ speed and out-hustled, out-rebounded, and even outscored Indy in the paint.
What Knicks Show Up Next?
The Knicks have shown they can be two different teams in this series. On one hand, Brunson and DiVincenzo have been fabulous with the home atmosphere at Madison Square Garden electrifying their play. On the other hand, they have looked lost on the road, and the bench production has been, at times, non-existent.
Now if they want to close out the series they will have to travel to Indianapolis and beat a Pacers team that hasn’t lost at home all post-season.
This game means more than just winning the series. A Knicks win shows the world they can overcome adversity and that the Knicks don’t only show up in New York. And if they win this series, they will need to show up on the road in the conference finals.
They are likely to face the Boston Celtics, a franchise arguably more historic than the Knicks and one hungry for a championship.
The Knicks have a chance to show the NBA they mean business, or they could be the Knicks of recent memory and squander another valuable opportunity.
