The Knicks went up 1-0 against Detroit in the first round of the playoffs behind a dominant 21-0 fourth quarter run that turned the game around.
New York will be looking to defend home court in Game 2 on Monday, but the Pistons will come ready for revenge.
Here are the three biggest questions going into the next contest:
How will the Pistons adjust?
Detroit taking the first game on the chin likely means they’ll come back with some adjustments for New York to work through. Their first objective should be getting Cade Cunningham some breathing room.
The Knicks started their best defender on him, and threw a mix of aggressive pick-and-roll coverages, especially in that fourth quarter run. Cunningham was held to 8-for-21 shooting and forced into six turnovers, a rough outing for the engine of his team’s offense.
Detroit’s surrounding vets picked up the slack with some hot shooting, but expect the coaching staff to switch things up. More slipped screens that Cunningham can target can catch the Knicks defense off guard, and expect him to be better prepared for the aggression and less susceptible to turnovers.
They can also screen him with wings, and especially Jalen Brunson’s man, more. It was an effective strategy in the regular season and made Brunson work at the level at times in Game 1, but they could’ve pressed that button much more.
Cunningham could also get more off-ball plays run for him. If they get him going downhill off the catch with Anunoby screened and help in the blender, scoring should come much easier.
New York didn’t deal with much Ausar Thompson in Game 1 as he struggled with foul trouble. It’s not an “adjustment” per se, but expect more of an impact from him on Monday.
They also couldn’t really adjust anything. If they’re of the belief the fourth quarter was an inexperience-fueled meltdown and the game plan is solid, they could walk into MSG with an identical approach to Game 1.
Whatever direction they go, the Knicks will need to respond on the fly if they want to keep home court secure.
Will Mikal Bridges get more involved?
One hot button issue for Knicks fans after the win was Bridges’ play. His defense was outstanding, but his offense was a quiet eight points and two assists on 4-for-9 shooting, leading to a prolonged benching during New York’s comeback run.
In his defense, he hit a timely bucket with under two minutes to play and created a lot of early offense even if it didn’t result in a big presence on the box score. Bridges had a good if uneventful game, just not a five-first-round-pick trade package game, which is the unfortunate standard he’s held to.
Still, even if Game 1 just wasn’t his scoring night, he could’ve been more aggressive in offensive creation during some of the team’s lulls, and the Knicks need him in rhythm to go far. Will they or Bridges make any changes for him to have a bigger role in Game 2?
New York can be more targeted in running some sets for Bridges, like when Cunningham is off the floor and he can target the diminutive and pesky Dennis Schroder. Bridges should generally take the reins more if the offense is in a rut, especially with Brunson off the floor, and call for picks to make something happen.
Will we see more Mitchell Robinson-Karl-Anthony Towns lineups?
One thing the Knicks have up their sleeve these playoffs — should they choose to use it — is creative lineup constructions, and enough of them to deal with anything an opponent throws their way. Many hoped New York would avail themselves of the Towns-Robinson frontcourt lineups in this series, given the Knicks’ size advantage and defensive concerns with Towns in the middle.
It saw sparse regular season minutes and head coach Tom Thibodeau can often need his hand forced before turning to big changes, but we saw it in its full glory during Game 1. Granted, all nine minutes came in the first half, with Josh Hart in foul trouble.
Does Thibs still bring it out in Game 2 if Hart is foul free? It was only a +2 in that stretch, but looked dominant on the glass and defensively for the most part.
If the Pistons swing back hard, the Knicks may need a silver bullet to pull out Game 2. This lineup could be the answer.
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