For most of the past five months, the Knicks have played well in spite of their starting lineup.
The starting five’s net rating from Jan. 1 to the end of the regular season was -1.4. But the Knicks went 28-21 in that span and finished the year with 51 wins.
In their first two playoff series, the Knicks’ starting five was outscored by a combined 52 points. But the team executed when it mattered against the Pistons and came back from 20-point deficits twice against Boston en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks haven’t been able to mask the starting five issue against the Pacers. Indiana has abused New York’s starting five in the first two games of this series. The Pacers have outscored the lineup by a combined 29 points. The Knicks lost the first two games of the series by a combined eight points.
It’s clear that something needs to change entering Game 3 in Indiana.
Is it as simple as subbing Miles McBride for Josh Hart or inserting Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup?
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is never going to tip his hand to the media. So his answers to questions about the Knicks starting five aren’t exactly brimming with insight.
“We’ve just got to keep looking at it, just got to be better,” Thibodeau said late Friday night after New York’s Game 2 loss.
The starters trailed Indiana by 10 points just seven minutes into the first quarter. Robinson and McBride entered off the bench and helped erase the Pacers lead.
The starting five was a -6 to open the second half. So it was outscored by a combined 16 points to start the first quarter and second half.
What is the prevailing issue?
“I think we just have to talk to each other off the jump,” said Mikal Bridges. “I think maybe we just play a little to soft in the beginning. I’m not sure.”
FRIED IN FOURTH
The starting five’s struggles weren’t the only reason why the Knicks lost Game 2.
They started the fourth quarter with their double-big lineup, featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Robinson with Cam Payne at point guard. That group was outscored by nine points in the first three minutes of the quarter. A tie game turned into a nine-point Pacer lead by the time Jalen Brunson checked back in.
Thibodeau went away from Towns for a 6:30 stretch of the fourth, which tells you what he thought of his center’s play against Indiana.
In all, the Knicks were outscored by 20 with Towns on the floor in Game 2. I don’t like using single-game plus/minus as to assess a player because it can be misleading. But the team’s struggles on defense were apparent during Towns’ minutes.
After the loss, Hart was asked for his thoughts on what New York needed from Towns.
“We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively,” Hart said. “That’s all we need from him. We need him to communicate at a high level. Offensively, be aggressive, get to his spots, get deep post position, and use his talent offensively. Defensively, be locked in, communicate at a high level and be an anchor for us.”
MORE MITCH OR MCBRIDE?
Thibodeau played McBride and Robinson for the majority of the first half. New York outscored Indiana by 10-plus points when one of those players was on the floor.
McBride was less effective later in the game and Robinson seemed to tire late in the fourth quarter. But it’s hard to ignore their total impact on the game. They made up for the starters’ poor first quarter. It was telling to me that when Hart was asked about Robinson, he mentioned that Robinson should be playing more often.
“Man, he’s huge. He’s someone who does just everything. Offensive rebound, defensive rebound, he can guard on the perimeter, guard in the post. He’s a big X factor for us,” Hart said. “We have to figure out ways — I think he played 30 minutes — figure out ways if he can play more. We’re great with him on. We all got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.”
The Knicks obviously face long odds to win the series. Only six of the 82 teams to trail a conference finals 0-2 came back to win. New York’s comeback will have to start on Sunday in Indiana. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. If Thibodeau decides to go with the same starting five and it produces the same result, the second-guessing of the coach will only grow louder.
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