As you might have heard, the New York Knicks had a bit of a difficult time with the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of this series, having one of the worst collapses in NBA playoff history. Luckily, a fun thing about sports is that you get to go back and play another one two days later, and while a Knicks win tonight wouldn’t make the Game 1 loss feel any better, it would certainly make the series feel a whole lot better. They’d be tied, and all they’d need to do would be to split the next two games in Indiana to get home court back again.
So let’s hope that they do that tonight.
Let’s go, Knicks!
Just 8 wins to go!
The Dylan tune is “Motorpsycho Nightmare,” from Another Side of Bob Dylan. Dylan is turning 84 tomorrow! Wow. Here he is with an odd arrangement of “All Along the Watchtower” from just YESTERDAY.
415 replies on “2025 Round 3 Game Thread: Knicks vs. Pacers, Game 2 – I Had to Split”
LET’S GO KNICKS!
🏀🧡💙🧡🏀
**Official Pagliacci Predictions: “Fuck it” edition**
-Haliburton under 5 points
-Brunson 50+ points
-Knicks over 50% from 3
-Nesmith 0 3pm
-Knicks win by 25+
Gooooo Knicks !! 🧡💙
That Watchtower version sounds more like I Forgot That Love Existed by Van Morrison than actual Watchtower. He sounds remarkably good, though! Thanks for posting that (I missed him at the Hollywood Bowl last week, boo)
I missed the first 42 mins of Wednesday’s game, too. Not gonna let that happen again!
Brunson and KAT both make the All-NBA team, Brunson second team, KAT third team. This is sadly the best result for the Knicks in the All-NBA since Willis and Clyde both made first team in 1969-70, and only the second time two Knicks have made the All-NBA team in the past 50 years (Melo and Chandler both made it in 2011-12, but they were both third team).
Yeah, he’s caught a bit of a second wind recently. The live performances are sounding pretty darn good. Check out this cover of Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party.” Dude even bends some notes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvDGGCyQwiI
As I write that about the All-NBA team, I guess it’s a bit unfair to Melo, as he was hurt by the position rules of that period. If the All-NBA was position-less back then, I bet Melo would have made the second team, so I guess Brunson and KAT more matched that 2011-12 result instead of surpassing it.
Still shocking that the Knicks haven’t had a first team All-NBA player since peak Ewing.
Tonight is the most important game of the season for the Knicks. We never faced an elimination game in the first two rounds. This is not an elimination game, but there are not many examples of a team losing the first two games at home and winning the series.
We need better defense to start the game (and to end the game).
Lets Go KNICKS!!!!! Thibs be your best self.
Meanwhile the Thunder have had 3 different MVPs in the past 10 years
It’s bad, but it’s luckily not THAT bad. Durant won his in 2013-14.
Let’s see if Thibs runs drop coverage again with KAT and I get to call him a basketball terrorist.
Also, first time Hali drives he should be sent into the stands
I low-key admire the level of spite Dolan sinks to when he puts the TNT crew up in the rafters.
I believe that Jalen Brunson was in contention for the fifth First Team All-NBA spot until he got injured.
Child’s play! Jokic has 3 himself in the last 5 years.
Time for a 4 game winning streak.
KAT played great D.
Let’s go Knicks!
OG could be called for a tech for not having his jersey tucked in.
They look terrible already.
The Siakam game
Are we sure Siakim isn’t OG’s big brother?
Knicks need to put Jalen Williams on Siakam, stat.
If they don’t start playing this could be over fast.
How about some boards guys?
Is it the same starting lineup?
It feels like every Pacers miss becomes an offensive rebound,
I’m already angry like Hard Haid Moe…
We need to get turnovers and rebounds off stops, more aggressive, flying around D. Too passive on defense right now
Someone wake me up when Mitch & Deuce are in. If the starting lineup is gonna sleep through the quarter, so am I.
So frustrating watching OG dribble. He needs to make quick decisions. Once he dribbles more than 2 times he consistently loses it.
Oh so it’s the same starting lineup the coach knows has been bad for 5 months…, if they bow out this way just let him go.
This feels like all the first quarters in the first 9 playoff games
Huh. It’s almost like we need Mitch out there.
I hate to say it, but the Knicks look cooked. They look like all the minutes, work and emotion finally caught up with them and they want to go fishing. Maybe Deuce and Mitch can do something
Guys it’s first quarter. We aren’t cooked yet
Or the starting lineup that has been awful in the playoffs and since Janaury doesn’t work?
Brunson has two TOs and a “shot” that hit the shot clock. Needs a tighter handle.
Looks like my reverse reverse jinx didn’t work
Brunson playing an awful floor game. Forcing the issue. He needs to calm down. Making stupid turnovers.
I would let Hart ride the pine, he’s been useless so far in the series. But I don’t trust the coach to make the right substitutions.
Brunson is too busy trying to draw fouls instead of playing basketball.
Did Brunson get paid off by Indiana? He’s ass.
I’d we had a coach that wasn’t a total imbecile we’d be dangerous.
Early foul trouble for Josh is the best thing that could have happened to us. Thibs has no choice but to play a better 5-man lineup.
Siakim is the guy who keeps killing us
What more evidence do you need that the answer is in the lineup? Jesus.
Once or twice per game, the TNT director decides to show game action from a camera other than the center court standard. It is never good.
Mitch creates an offensive team rebound.
Its ridiculous at this point
Absolutely
Everyone on planet earth knows it at this point except Thibs.
We are better with the defense of Mitch and Deuce.
We need a lot more of that, OG.
Holy Mitch
Mikal Bridges free throw alert.
My goodness, Mitch.
Mitch is actually our best player?
Mitch barely getting a hand on that one loose ball was enough to make TJ McConnell lose his balance and fall out of bounds. Now Thomas Bryant has 2 fouls and Turner has to come back in. Mitch is amazing.
Pacers just have to weather the storm until the knicks starters come back in
Mitch + Deuce > Hart + KAT (at least tonight).
Mitch turns every missed shot into a 50/50 ball for us it’s beautiful
If Mitch goes to the FT line they should chant MVP MVP MVP
Mitch was the Knicks best Player in the Boston series
Will Thibs stick with this effective/winning lineup? Time will tell…
Mitch is dominating the game
Mitch and Deuce flipped the quarter,
let’s see what our coach will do from now on.
Hart is fine for a certain amount of minutes, but he doesn’t need the work load he is given.
The Mitchening has begun. There can only be one.
Signs point to yes.
Ugh. It’s funny bc it’s true.
Defense wins, fellas.
I’m shocked TJ’s half court heave didn’t go in.
The Knicks will win this, but strategically not a good call. They had 6 seconds on the shot clock.
Mitch and Deuce are two guys you would see on a team like OKC.
Out of bounds challenges in the 1st half are stupid.
See what happens when you’re positive, Pags?
Play the winning players, Thibs…
Lol, Mathurin is so bad
A challenge on the first play of the second quarter?
Luckily we won it…
Sam Presti agrees
Mitch moving into the 3rd stage of his career where he’s a 7ft tall OG mixed with Dennis Rodman
Momentum is important, disagree. Also defense so much better with Mitch. Thibs should limit KAT lone center time as much as possible, honestly
The Knicks challenge to maximize their chances of winning the challenge rather than maximizing their chances of winning the game.
Just because that challenge was successful doesn’t mean it was smart
Mitch definitely chugged some Red Bull just before tip-off. The man is rabid.
Right now if Mitch wants a Ferrari at halftime, Thibs should have one in the locker room waiting for him.
Bridges missing bunnies.
Cam Payne The Momentum Destroyer
Ok THAT’S not a foul??
Missing point blank shots
According to my Dodgers fan friends they are playing the Knicks live game on the CitiField jumbo tron right now to entertain the fans during the rain delay. If Dolan is smart, he’ll play the Mets game on the MSG jumbo tron to entertain the fans during the 4th quarter.
Payne the momentum killer.
Siakam’s basket = The Basketball Gods hate us
Oh my days…
That’s the matchup I want, Towns on Siakam. Fouled him stupidly, but I think his size will be a problem for Siakam. He just shoots over OG.
Fuck these refs.
Finally, that’s been there three times already
Have to punish any time Obi is on KAT.
Mitch blocks Obi and KAT hits a three! LGK!
Nice sequence there.
I’m okay if we never see the starting unit again
I regret my KAT slander.
The double big lineup is killing the Pacers.
Can Mitch play 30 minutes?
KAT is pretty good.
KAT has scored 10 points in the last 3 minutes.
What’s tough about the mediocre starting lineup is that even though Hart is the weak link it’s not his fault — it’s just that him and Deuce should switch roles. Deuce should be the constant and Josh should be the wrecker off the bench, deployed more situationally.
Obi can’t guard KAT.
Is Mitch married? Cuz if not, I’m proposing…
Payne ?
WTF
You can’t steal this many minutes with Payne, Thibs.
Why can’t Delon play instead of Cam again?
Knicks momentum lasts only a few fucking secs.
Where’s an alien ship when you need Payne to be abducted?
Cam Payne can sit now.
Towns has the slowest legs and the worst mental anticipation in the nba…. It’s a really tough combo, plus no discipline …dude put your hands up on D, before the shot you’re 7 feet tall!!!
Obi was guarding Deuce like an offensive lineman in the Nembhart 3.
Guys like Siakam are one reason we need a real PF.
I can live with KAT blowing a closeout, but not Payne committing an unforced turnover by tripping over himself 15 feet from the basket.
Let Delon play over Payne. Payne can be a fire cracker once in a while on offense, but that’s it. Delon brings strong defense and will keep the ball moving…
Mikal with two bloody turnovers
Omg Mitch wasn’t even there and he got the OReb
mitch is doing this alone
Come on, these freaking turnovers.
Fucking idiotic lazy pass
WTF is the matter with these guys
Not a single fucking bounce on the rim is going their way on both sides.
Missed free throws, missed midrangers, multiple turnovers, missed threes… Bridges is playing for the Pacers
Bridges has gone back to sucking
Taking KAT out when he was on fire was a choice.
Bridges is playing like ASS.
Bridges not being able to attack Haliburton is painful.
Let the hot hands cool off on the bench is Classic Thibs
Thibs stuck with Mitch & Deuce today
Standing O for Mitch 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Brunson is making them, but these aren’t great shots.
Josh Hart on Siakim is not gonna work.
Solid if unspectacular first half. Let’s run them out the building the second half!
3 pt halftime lead feels underwhelming but at least its better than being down at the half. Most important 24 mins of the season coming up…
Had to go pick up my son on the other side of town, how was the 1st half?
One possession game but I like how we’ve outmuscled them
We really need to punish Obi Toppin more when he’s in the game. It should be relentless.
Will be interesting to see who starts the 3rd…
Maybe Thibs is finally picking up on how much the starting unit sucks… Deuce 3rd in minutes, Mitch 4th
If the starters are out again for the 3rd I will be disappointed but not surprised
Neither is OG. I maintain the best matchup is KAT.
They are barely attacking Haliburton.
Opposing teams manage to get Brunson or KAT (often both) on the action every possession, meanwhile the Knicks have Brunson fighting against their best defenders and shooting fadeaway midrange jumpers.
KaT as the anchor just isn’t working. He’s a -11 in a game we’re up by 3. Mitch is a +13. We need to start Mitch at some point bc these terrible starts are really annoying
The problem with the starting lineup is no one can handle Siakim. He was a one man show for Indiana in the first half.
Brunson feasted on Nembhard last playoffs, hitting exactly those kinds of shots. No guarantee it continues, but there’s a track-record of Brunson torching Nembhard
More lobs to attack the rim, please.
Growing theme, Trae Young is another bad defender they let get away at times without attacking.
Cyber, Siakim was on pace to score 80 at one point, Brunson played like absolute garbage to start but came on later in the second, and Mitch and Deuce came in and we came back and fought hard. Mitch was godlike.
Mitch looks fucking awesome!
Mitch could guard siakam. He’s just schooling us in the paint largely
Thibs is not one to try new things to really exploit matchups.
KAT has been good at the 4. I’d go Brunson/Bridges/OG/KAT/Mitch for as long as possible. Get some Deuce minutes ahead of Hart.
Is Siakam the worst OG matchup in the whole league? I think he might be.
Hart and Kat are the only two with bad +/-
Mitch +13 Deuce +7
KAT -11 Hart -7
I’m not trying to pick on KAT and Hart but basketball is a game of mixing and (miss)matching, for instance Josh can’t defend on Siakam while the double-bigs with KAT on Siakam are a better fit.
If Thibs continues to read the game like he did in the first half and avoids falling back into habits/pecking order we have a chance.
If not for Siakam, Indiana would have less than 30 points this half. The schemes worked, we shut them down, which is impressive, and only Siakam got away from us in the PnR particularly in the first quarter. This was corrected quickly hence the extra minutes of Mitch over KAT. I hope Thibs keeps being bold. The rest of this discussion in for the post season. Now let’s go get this game!
If Thibs… (to be continued…)
Hali with only 2 points and Knicks only up 3 not exactly reassuring
And the starters are back to start the 3rd. Season on the line.
Fuck you, Thibs.
Praying for a quick 3rd foul by Hart. lol
Just weather the storm
Oh, our starting lineup is SOOOOOO good…
Pacers sweep is beginning to look extremely possible right now…
Handoff handoff miss a three. Handoff handoff miss a three. Turn it over.
The starters are playing exactly as flat as they did to start the game.
Do the right thing, Thibs
Hart destroys the Knicks offensive spacing because the Pacers do not guard him. He has to set picks and/or cut to the basket.
Worst type of person is one who can’t read the game and is in a high position of power.
Dear Thibs, there’s some evidence that
THIS
LINEUP
DOESN’T
WORK
please, do something
Our coach is an idiot.
-8 in 4 minutes.
Nothing new
This is fucking embarrassing.
Moron … Put Mitch in the game
We need Mitch!
Bring in Mitch for Hart.
It’s starting to slip… Mitch or Deuce need to come in…
Waddaya know… starters -6 in first 4 and a half minutes. Shocking!
The offense is fadeaway jumpers, the defense is getting lost in screens.
Its very close to officially becoming baseball season in NY…
But we’ve tried nothing, and we’re all out of ideas!
I think Thibs is unwilling to sacrifice rebounding on the floor for a functional offense.
It’s pretty extraordinary.
Hart literally adding nothing on offense and can’t guard siakam … WTF is Thibs doing. This is a MUST win game and this idiot is hoping his lying eyes from the 1st half somehow changes
Thibs is a pathetic coach and should be fired right now. This lineup doesn’t work. It’s losing minutes and you still run it out there. This is no time to be stubborn. You throw the kitchen sink.
Fuck you Thibs. Fuck you
I’m so tired of hoping our players are good enough to overcome their coach.
Gotta love Bridges passing up a layup to brick a 5ft fallaway jumper there
If Hart is not creating fast break offense, he is a major liability. I hope Thibs pulls him after that foul on Siakim.
Hart’s one good play this half turned out awfully. He set up KAT for a layup on the P&R, but KAT missed the layup and was slow getting back in defense, leading to a wide open corner 3.
This is my first official Fire Thibs game. Last game would have been but it wasn’t until afterward that you guys pointed out how we lost it due to the lineup change.
Must be nice to have someone run people into the ground and then throw the season.
Anything good this team has accomplished all season was done due to the talent on the team and despite Thibs.
I think Leon is a smart guy, but it don’t know if he’d be willing to fire Thibs off a win in the Boston series going into an extension. But it can’t be more obvious he’s terrible.
8 minutes for the first substitution. Again: fuck you, Thibs.
Edit: and Hart is still there.
Boston bricking tons of wide open shots in Game 1 and Game 2 should have nothing to do with the coach
That Brunson 3 was courtesy of a solid Mitch screen.
Mitch should play the entire rest of the game, absent special circumstances.
Can Mitch play the last 17 minutes?
If Thibs closes with the starting 5 in a close game he should fire him before game 3
I think Hart is the weak link in the series as far as the starters go.
What turned me into a Thibs doomer is watching over the course of the season his refusal to trying anything new at all to counter defenses guarding KAT with a wing. You can look at our 5-man unit minutes distribution, it’ll turn you into the Joker.
The playoffs just can’t be the first time you run out adjustments. No team is going to be sharp switching for the first time all season. I would gladly trade 5 regular season wins in exchange for due diligence done on potential offensive adjustments, and how reliable everyone in the lineup is. The amount of juice left unsqueezed is crazy!
Brunson is also an issue. Those starters run people off the floor when he’s acting quickly and moving the ball.
Pacers need to put you guys out of your fucking misery. (As for the knicks, they can stay around and play a few more games, though. This is a good game!)
Thibs doesn’t seem to know what works. Broken clock
I do like when Jalen gets mad
If I had to guess it’d be two more chokes like Game 1. But Thibs accelerationism, while tempting, is not a bridge I’m willing to cross.
I will say that Thibs has been good with next-game adjustments in the playoffs, but it’s playing with fire.
Attack.
Obi.
Toppin.
Giving up a fastbreak layup off a make is inexcusable.
That Bridges 3 courtesy of a solid Mitch screen.
Mikal is also an idiot.
Coaches that have been sent packing and recently won a title
Nurse
Malone
Even a solid coach like Jenkins sent packing. You risk the fanbase tuning out your team.
Deuce is a really good defender and TJ went right by him
“She doesn’t even go here!”
Knicks take the lead! We have momentum! Pacers with back to back layups…
Harlan yelling “I’M WET! I’M DIRTY!” will certainly not be taken out of context in the future.
Amen.
TNT missed the start of the play, but the crowd reaction told me what was happening.
Shamet can give better minutes than Hart at this point
😮
Let’s win this, no matter how we do it.
Defense this quarter even with Mitch and Deuce in is still awful.
OG took his time jogging back and it was his man who got the layup.
If Tony Bradley can get minutes in the playoffs, we can play Delon or Shamet for spot minutes if Hart doesn’t have it.
Carlisle is playing a 10-day guy named “Tony Bradley” and Thibs can’t find minutes for Delon Wright, who had multiple good games during the regular season
Terrible D by brunson there
Is Siakam not on pace for 80 anymore?
Delon wouldn’t be bad. Still weird to me he can’t see the court. Similar to Hart in size and better on defense
If Twitter is any indication, I think there are enough sharp people out there questioning Thibs to think some of the serious fan base is starting to see he’s a problem. But whether that translates into management thinking they have to make a change is an entirely different thing. I think if the media starts turning on him that will push more of the fanbase in that direction, but most of the beat writers seem to like him.
Is it my imagination or is Siakam being on fire causing Haliburton to play passive and defer to him? We’ve seen this kind of game from Hali pretty often
It took Thibs 10 mins of game time to get Deuce and Mitch on the court together.
It makes sense. Feed the hot hand.
Every single Knicks’ basket has been a grind, the Pacers are often slicing our defense like a hot knife in butter.
I’m honestly surprised we’re tied after three.
I was thinking it’s letting Halliburton take it easy and save himself for the end
What gorgeous up-and-under by Brunson.
Someone asked him about the starters’ plus/minus in the press conference last game, so it’s starting to bubble up. But he’ll probably be judged on the results even if his process is very flawed.
Mitch needs to play majority of these 4th quarter mins, and deuce sat waaaay too long!
Update- Judge Homer alert in Coors Field.
Well, it couldn’t be any other way, could it?
I’m fine with double bigs. I’m not fine with KAT playing over Mitch.
Also moron play Mitch and Kat together!! And put Mitch on siakam
Thibs goes to Payne here?
Maybe I’m dumb but I would rather Siakam have it going than Haliburton playing like he thinks he can do anything on the court.
The games on this series are amazing and super entertaining, but i need a W to not feel depressed about our prospects.
the obvious thing is to play the double big. It has worked.
I can’t watch any more bricked Mikal 16 footers, he’s been utterly useless and is getting 40+ minutes
It defended very poorly.
Edit: like that
Inexcusable.
Stupid foul by Mitch
This might be the last basketball game I watch this season…
Jesus, Mikal has been useless.
Edit: that was better.
Looked like another bad read on KAT that led to the Mitch foul
Cam Payne 4Q minutes Jesus Christ
Defense still fucking pathetic and we can’t blame the starting lineup.
Break out the brooms…
This team is so dumb. I can’t.
KaT shitting on defense constantly is KILLING US
KAT has been horrible on defense this quarter. Please bring back OG & Brunson. Sit KAT & Cam Payne.
Can’t get stops. We really haven’t been very good on defense all year, and it’s haunting us now
Seriously, just play the Brunson-Deuce-Mikal-OG-Mitch lineup through the end.
You said that 3 weeks ago vs Detroit, I remember it vividly
KAT doesn’t get out to the line. Again.
There is no reason for Payne to be playing. Thibs has to go if they lose
The fact that we have to double team TJ fucking McConnell is pathetic
KaT is doubling when he shoudnt, has zero ability to read ahead on passes and is slow as hell … Brunson needs to play this entire quarter and KaT needs to sit his ass down for a while
Thibs cannot read the game anymore. He doesn’t know when to pull ppl and waits too long leaving ineffective lineups.
Someone save us from this fucking idiot…
Terrible communication on defense.
Cam Payne??? Is this pre season?
Donnie, shut the fuck up and go to a fucking Pacers blog instead.
My hope is that we actually play better when we’re behind…
Cam Payne is getting minutes despite his poor performances and Wright’s stuck to the bench.
If you want Knicks Twitter fan reaction https://x.com/kennymehr/status/1926097400063459722
WTF is Payne still doing there?
WHY IS CAM PAYNE IN
Ehhh that’s the play out of the timeout?
Ooof
omg
Knicks down to 1 timeout left in this game with 9 mins remaining…
Now that we have the right lineup, let’s go!
At least we finally have our best lineup in now. Let’s fucking go!!!
Look at that. 4 straight points after OG & Brunson entered the game.
Who’da guessed that we’d do better now?
Apparently everyone but Thibs.
There are an awful lot of plays where a Pacer gets the ball at the three point line then stands there for three seconds before realizing nobody is coming to guard him and then shoots
Yeah, and it’s driving me mad.
Not sure if we just let TJ McConnell get free or if they finally realized he can’t shoot
I can’t, I’m still on the Do Not Serve list there from the 90s
That was excusable – McConnell can’t shoot
Mitch Robinson is a hero, I tip my cap. 80/20 has been debunked!
Brunson went after Obi and Hali on consecutive plays!!!!
These offensive possessions are ass.
And here comes Josh Hart to save them. Because Turner got an OREB.
But before that it was Siakam, and Hali before that. Doesn’t look like it’s a strategy.
This lineup can’t get stops either.
We should play Mikal only on the 4th quarter! 😀
lol that’s exactly why he came in. “The game tells you what to do.”
This is what we get for acting so excited just to reach the Conference Finals.
This does not look promising.
I hate watching this team. Truly.
Th-th-that’s all, folks…
Game 1 broke this team.
I haven’t had a drink since Ash Wednesday. That may not last.
Little things matter
We were up 3 at the half before Thibs hit the self destruct button repeatedly.
Handily outplaying us in this one. We just don’t have answers in this game
Unbelievable
The Pacers are playing hungrier than the Knicks.
I’m fine cutting bait on Thibs after this season.
Funny that the refs let them play, or “no call” as Reggie puts it, only for the Pacers
No, we do. We’re just not using them.
Is Brunson just going to do this himself? That would be the funniest outcome possible.
That said, I can’t barely watch this shit it is absolutely sickening watching us fall behind literally every game in the playoffs and clawing back.
And despite all that, we’re back in Brunson Time now.
Ignore any statements by me about the future.
So last year when thibs match÷d up by Carlisle
His team wss injured – ok
He has a healthy team now
This is team is capable of anything. And I mean that in both the laudatory and pejorative senses.
Get a fucking rebound
Too little too late, fuckers.
I can’t believe this shit.
I’m so tired of rooting for this team.
Believe what?
asdl;kfjasl;kdfjdsf
giannis with what many believe is a bad team won a game
I think this is fun to watch.
Heroball for the L
I was hoping Brunson would hit that
Can we ban Donnie till the series is over?
How about after this game?
It worked for Denver.
https://x.com/shwinnypooh/status/1926105215595417634
If it’s possible to go down 0-2 against the Pacers, it’s also possible to reel off 2 wins on the road. But this team—and especially, the coach—has serious soul searching to do
14 seconds and a timeout, gotta get a better shot than that
This is on Thibs … And fucking KaT, you get paid $60M a year, learn basic fundamental defense!!
Donnie, Caitlin Cooper has an excellent substack. I think that’d be a better fit for you.
This was a poorly coached game by Thibs. There were advantage lineups that did not play enough and disadvantage lineups that played far too much.
Last year’s Knicks team was better.
Getting a little tired of wasting an entire evening on this crap.
Despite Brunson’s big heart the Pacers deserved to win, it’s clear that the way we gifted them Game-1 raised their confidence to a sky-high level.
Carlisle is running circles around Thibs and I’d really like to switch coaches and see how it would end, but alas it’s not doable.
It’s time to start working Leon, meaningful changes are needed, starting with a new coach.
At least the players got streets named after them!
Not looking good. Can we extend our almost perfect road game in the playoffs?
Yeah I don’t think I can watch anymore. I don’t even care if they come back and win this series.
Last years team starting in game 3
Brunson
DEUCE
Donte
Hart
Ihart
not really
MSG crowd should boo the Knicks worse than Yankee fans booed Soto.
Thibs better wake up or he won’t be here next year.
Why did we not take the timeout and draw up a play?
League Pass needs to have a stream with only the sound from the arena. I find Reggie and SVG annoying.
Just gotta go to Indianapolis and win a basketball game.
Every Knicks basket was contested and every Pacer basket was a layup or open 3.
Kind of hard to win like that.
Josh Hart with major contributions in this 4th…NOT
A trip to the Finals on the line and our coach chokes both games. He has been awful all year and it’s showing here. We’ve been winning in spite of him, not because of him. I think we are the more talented team but Pacers are clearly better coached and so far, that’s the difference.
They tried. We couldn’t stop Indiana in the second half. He kept KAT out, but they were going at Brunson time after time.
It’s the ghouls time now. The amount of negativity on this board tonight was nauseating from the start of the game.
Gave our boys too much credit with Pacers in 6. It’s a sweep
Going back to the starters in the 3rd and sticking with them despite all available evidence lost us the game.
(man_shrugging)
Mike Malone might be here next year.
Here comes the clown, he loves when the Knicks lose.
Product of Jokic
Shut the fuck up, Donny!
We don’t have an answer to Siakam.
Brunson and KAT are near unplayable on defense.
The coach keeps going to our worst lineup.
Cam Payne keeps getting minutes.
Game 1, it seemed like we played well and just had a lot of hot shooting/bad luck go against us. We played well in that game despite the loss.
This game, the Pacers looked like the better team. We were still in it at the end, which shows you how close these teams are in terms of talent, but this is a game we deserved to lose really.
He shouldn’t no matter what, his time’s up.
Because he’s Thibs?
I don’t want to make excuses for the players, some of them deserve a lot of blame for an horrible defensive performance.
But Cam Payne’s minutes alone (-9 in 9 minutes) when you have Shamet and Wright (and Kolek) on the bench are enough for the coach to deserve a firing.
When Hart is on the court, he has to set picks and/or cut to the basket. When he is on the perimeter is being absolutely ignored, taking away the lane for the other four.
The double bigs can work, but doing it with Cam Payne does not. Brunson/Bridges/Hart need to take all 96 guard minutes.
Mitch was dominant in the first half, but not in the second. Then, he got hurt.
KAT’s defense was barely ok in the first half, but AWFUL in the second half.
Only the Knicks could advance to the Conference Finals with homecourt advantage and still become the laughing stock of the NBA.
A team with more wins than the Knicks just lost before this series with home court
Kolek shouldn’t be playing. Wright should be though. Great defender and its funny since the coach is known for defense..
Why are you arbitrarily rolling out an injured lineup?
I think we were a (slightly) better, deeper team with iHart, Randle, and Donte instead of Bridges and KAT. More physical, better defense, more rebounding and playmaking from the bigs. That team healthy would have beaten last year’s Pacers team. (And gotten crushed by the Celtics in the ECF)
I like KAT a lot. But we don’t have the right bigs to complement him.
And Bridges, I dunno … He was okay tonight, but I really thought we were getting elite 3 point shooting and defense. His D has been notably a non factor, a few highlight plays vs Boston notwithstanding.
I blame Pags and his fucking sunny disposition.
It’s not too late to control your emotions, folks. We are all hurting. The odds are against us right now, but we have already overachieved by being in the ECF.
Because that’s the team that was on the court last year and got to game7. Randle wasn’t playing and OG got hurt in game 2.
This is not the time for rational thinking.
He played with one of the best defenders in Gobert last year and an elite defender on the wing in Mcdaniels. What defenders does he need..
Laughing stock why? We’re a good not great team that got a little lucky and has some pretty obvious deficiencies. Make the right moves in the off-season and we will be a clear top 2 or 3 favorite in the East again.
Seems like the better team with the better coach is winning…
it is memorial weekend. Time to change to something new
I felt that in the first quarter comments. Fans are fans.
If you switch coaches I’m taking…
BBA, I have respect for you, but lately you’ve said some really dumb shit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QsUmKGFE6k&ab_channel=MorphingReality
Macri coming in off the top rope – I know some here don’t like him
“You can’t have Brunson and Towns play together”
I’d like to be able to say that it’s just coaching, but Indiana seems to have less flawed players than we have.
There’s only one reason to have lost this game two the way that we did, and that’s because we got out-executed. No excuses.
Nothing is dumber than blowing a 14 pt lead with less than 3 mins to play.
I want to believe and I think we can take game 3 but I can’t shake the fact that our coach can’t read the game and is unwilling to take major risks. Payne can’t play anymore – take a look at someone else. The starting lineup is the worst in the playoffs – take a look at changing. Change the defensive scheme on Siakim and pick and roll…
I feel bad for Brunson. Wasting a year of his prime and a real shot at the Finals…
Gonna take a bit of a miracle to get back in this…
Yankees just lost to the 8 win Rockies….
Luckily for the Knicks they didn’t suffer the most embarrassing loss by a NY team tonight.
Hey Pat Riley always said a series doesn’t start until the home team loses
Oh wait…
Mitch obviously makes a huge difference and I’m on team “play the two bigs together.” But Mitch is injury prone and can only give you so much – who’s the next guy up? Hukporti? Tucker?
Carlisle is overwhelming us with depth and has the fresher guys on the floor at the end of the game.
It’s not on the coach, Z-man. It’s the hand you have been dealt. The roster is what it is. He had a 50 million dollar player sitting almost the entire fourth quarter. I expect him to be even more decisive in the do-or-die game on Sunday. Unless you think Kolek or Wright would save us.
Well that one sucked. Just sort of a regular loss to another good team in te playoffs but that’s why you dnn’t lose games like game one. Knicks in six.
141.2- knick defensive rating with Brunson. And Towns tonight. It was 160 in game 1
101- Knicks defensive rating tonight with Brunson and mitch
Safe to say I’ll be contributing to the record low ratings this year’s NBA Finals is going to achieve.
Thanks DRed. Knicks in 6.
Good night y’all.
I don’t think anybody watches the finals unless their team is playing.
He played Karl Towns 29 minutes. He gave 10 minutes of playoff basketball time to Cameron Payne. Josh Goddamn Hart played 28 minutes in a playoff game. That’s all non Thibsy shit. It didn’t all work but he did it. If the Knicks make 43 percent of their 3s and the Pacers hit 34 percent of their it’s a different game.
That’s the difference between a Thibs team and a championship-caliber team. Indiana got open look after open look for three straight minutes in game 1. We got a rushed, defended 35 footer without a single pass.
KAT’s failure to grab defensive rebounds in the last five minutes was catastrophic. Defensive rebounding is the only plus that KAT brings on defense, usually.
The Knicks have had 3 point shots to tie the game in the last 10 seconds of both games. It is not too far away, but it is a daunting task.
Both of those things were dumb, though.
Him playing in the 4th should never happen. I know he was great in Game 1 vs Detroit, but Cam payne doesn’t need that leash.
Yeah, Macri is an idiot. Mitch plus Brunson lineups have been great. But you can’t really play KAT without Mitch and expect it to go well on D.
I was disappointed in JB’s last shot. I get not calling time out, but he took a very long 3 off the dribble with way too much time left. Bad shot.
That said, if Thibs makes some adjustments, we still win. KNICKS in 6.
And if he doesn’t make adjustments, fire his ass.
I mean sure. It’s a game the Knicks lost by 5, maybe the players should have made a couple more shots.
I’ll continue to hold back on KAT until after we are eliminated. The rest of you can have at it for now.
The coach shouldn’t start the starting lineup that’s put the team in a whole every game against quality opponents in the playoffs.
In the third quarter, KAT’s failure to get back on D directly led to 7 easy Pacers points.
That was my first full game thread experience of the season. I liked it, except for the parts where you guys said Mathurin sucks. Oh, and the parts where you said fuck you donnie. It was a good game, even if my beloved Pacers lost I would have still been satisfied with my time spent watching it.
My main take away from this series is so far is that the Pacers have gotten a lot better on defense.
The thing with KAT is can he work with Brunson enough on offense to live with the awful defense.
So long as the other team can’t defend either.
I am getting told the coach is stupid for not playing the starting lineup less and an idiot for not playing the starters more minutes.
The series is not over yet, but it’s close enough to over to see the problems.
1. Thibs is utterly useless. He has to be fired.
2. IMO, the Knicks were emotionally and physically drained from the game 1 loss, overuse during the season and lack of quality depth. No one on the team other than Mitch played like this was a must win game at home. That’s not possible unless you are just burnt out.
3. The Pacers are similarly talented, but coached much better. They play a way better brand of basketball on offense.
4. The Knicks need to address the lack of a legit sized PF, have to upgrade the bench, decide whether Towns/Brunson has any hope of being effective given the defensive issues and look for their next head coach.
Personally, I’m skeptical that Towns/Brunson can work. Brunson is not going anywhere. So I would look to trade Towns while he still has a lot of value.
It’s waaaay, way more than that, but this is an off-season discussion. We have to win the next game. This should be the mindset right now.
KAT was just named to the All-NBA 3rd team.
Tell Giannis to demand a trade to the Knicks
KAT + 1 first + the Las Vegas Sphere for Giannis who says no
Much more to say in the days to come, but down 3 with 14 seconds left…take the fucking timeout for fuck’s sake.
That covers everything.
Towns is a terrific offensive basketball player, but Thibs is too terrible of an offensive coach to get the most out of him on offense and he’s too terrible on defense combined with Brunson for the Knicks to win against elite teams.
Both Thibs and Towns have to go, but way more so Thibs because a decent coach “might” get more out of Towns.
Thibs is so utterly useless I take it as a personal embarrassment that it took me so long to figure that out.
If ever there was evidence that Defense is underrated.
Down 3 with 14 seconds left in a must win game at home after a humiliating defeat in game 1. Full stop.
Do you remember when they beat the Boston Celtics in the playoffs like a week ago
Like I will be happy if the Knicks fire Thibs to hire an obviously better coach but someone tell me who that is whos is available
It’s not our offense, however clunky it may be at times. It’s our defense. Indiana scored 65 playoff points in the second half. This shouldn’t have been allowed. We just couldn’t stop them. They have a lot of offensive weapons and we have a lot of defensive weaknesses.
Don’t worry, if we only build the right team around KAT with all the assets we have left we’ll be good.
Jdsportstalk is currently having a spirited post game reaction of knicksfantv
Delon is sitting on the bench
Defense
Alright game’s been over long enough time to stop being pissed off, gonna catch up on The Last of Us before I knock out. At this point I’ll be happy if the Knicks go down fighting and at least force a Game 6.
I disagree but I salute your optimism.
You need to put new batteries in your sarcasm detector
Why sarcasm?
It was terrific that we won that series, but we took advantage of a battered team that was badly coached.
Brown was playing with a torn meniscus.
KP was a gigantic negative every minute he was on the court due to his illness.
Holiday was less than 100%.
Hauser missed games.
Once Tatum went down it kind of killed any chance they had to come back in the series.
The Celtics committed 3 point suicide in a couple of games.
Sigh
Brunson took that terrible shot with like 8 seconds on the clock while we still had a time out. That last sequence was some serious amateur hour shit on the highest leverage possession of the season.
I can say from experience that saying fuck you Donnie doesn’t mean we don’t love you. If your Pacers are in the finals I will keep you posted on wheel of fortune.
This was a 5 point loss to another good team. Could the coaching have been better? Sure. Was the coaching good enoug to win? Also sure, the Knciks could have made 3 more shots, or 2 more shots and not made 2 dumb passes, etc.
And I mean either one of these teams is getting washed by OKC
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