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2025 Playoff Thread: Knicks @ Pistons, Game 4 – Gonna Break it Wide Open

The Knicks get their second game in Detroit, and a chance to break this series wide open. With the Boston Celtics struggling with health (and a bruising Orlando team that I think has probably concussed half of the Boston team), if the Knicks can wrap this series up in five games, that would give them a huge advantage against Boston. Perhaps not enough to win the series, but it would still be a huge advantage.

So, well, let’s hope they just do that.

Let’s go, Knicks!

14 wins to go!

The Dylan tune is “Early Roman Kings” from his second-to-most-recent album, Tempest.

295 replies on “2025 Playoff Thread: Knicks @ Pistons, Game 4 – Gonna Break it Wide Open”

i think stewart being out has helped us more than you might intuit. it’s actually hard to say who you would pick if you could suspend any piston beside cade for one game. we should take advantage of his absence again today. my guess it mitch will play since thibs tends to play guys when they’re just sick and not hurt, but if he looks rough they’ll go to precious. i wouldn’t completely rule out pj tucker.

I think Stewart’s absence has been a big help for the Knicks, even though, as I think Z-Man noted, the Knicks were making Paul Reed look like Willis Reed at times.

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Sir, this is a game 4

The perils of cut-and-paste. 😉 Thanks, fixed!

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LGK!

Need KaT to remain aggressive on O, and Mikal and OG to be aggressive and smart on D. Deuce with an efficient 15+ pts would be super helpful too.

I think Cade’s gonna have a big game, but the real key is limiting the 3P shooters

No 🙁

After all these years, I still have no idea of how this stuff works. Oh well.

Just clean up some of those careless mistakes and they should be fine. Make your layups!

Like the energy on defense so far + Kats aggressiveness and Brunson’s passing to start

I like the new strategy of NOT sucking in the first period.

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I like that Bickerstaff continues to be the one opposing coach I can feel confident in Thibs out-coaching in the playoffs.

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Hart remains so, so weird. I can’t think of anyone else in the league who is an extremely-hesitant-but-not-actually-bad shooter.

Mitch offensive rebs are useless if he gets fouled or throws it away.

I feel like he used to just kick them out more than he does now

This quarter we really looked like the better team. Loving the defense and hustle on the boards

Can’t complain obviously, but feels like they missed a chance to get away with a really big lead.

On point so far …. Let’s keep it up!!

———

Need KaT to remain aggressive on O, and Mikal and OG to be aggressive and smart on D. Deuce with an efficient 15+ pts would be super helpful too.

I think Cade’s gonna have a big game, but the real key is limiting the 3P shooters

That thibs interview was like pulling the string on the back of a thibs doll…

Feels like we should be up by mire considering DET can’t nake a shot or hang on to the ball

Knicks aren’t up more cause they’re not exactly shooting lights out themselves.

This is some ugly basketball right now but Knicks maintaining their lead so far.

A drinking game where you do a shot when Bridges misses a wide open three could be quite hazardous

I usually want Jalen to get everyone involved on offense but OG & Bridges are hot garbage today. I’d lobby for some Delon Wright at wing if Shamet is buried but who am I kidding. We might have to win this one with just three guys scoring.

Bridges is playing phenomenal defense but right now he isn’t coming close to making a 3pter.

They keep gifting us chances to blow open this game and we politely decline, mostly because Phantom Bridges is back at full force.

I love this. We are fielding five players. They are fielding one, pretty much.

Let’s hope the Nix can keep a cap on Schroeder or Beasley or Hardaway from getting live.

og and bridges are trying to complete the most one way half in playoff history. killing it on d and doing almost everything wrong on offense. missing shots, missing open guys, poorly space, all of it.

You’re bricking left and right so a pull up 3 on a fast break is a good idea? He’s playing great on D, but dude go to the basket and go get fouled or shoot your mid range to get warmed up …. STOP shooting threes

I don’t mind Mikal shooting when he’s open and the others are not, but in transition 3 against 1 he went at Cade and should’ve passed the ball, and then again in transition a guy struggling from 3P shoots an instant 3P with no teammate to get the rebound !?

This is nothing like the Malik Beasley of the regular season.

And I’d move to retire the meme-adjacent “Karl-Anthony Towns can’t play defense.”

Giving up a run in the last 2 minutes here waa just written in the stars

we should have been up by 20, instead it’s only 7 and the crowd is back in the game, what a waste…

Mikal is a lost cause. He has one year remaining . You can’t lock him into a long term contract.

The missed Brunson layup was going to put them up 18 with a likely timeout by Detroit. And here we are.

Brunson missed a layup that would’ve put us up 18, it went all downhill from there.

We’re up 7 on the road, coulda been more but oh well. Need to refocus and win the 2nd half

Worked hard for two quarters to create separation, had numerous chances to go up 25-30 points, but instead allowed Detroit back in the game in 90 seconds. Incredible.

We’re up 7 on the road, coulda been more but oh well. Need to refocus and win the 2nd half

This ^^^^^^^^^^

Pistons somehow actually shot a better % overall in the 1st half than the Knicks.

Pistons somehow actually shot a better % overall in the 1st half than the Knicks.

It’s because we have 6 more FGA and 3 more FTA. We get more 2nd chances.

We’re not good for Raven’s 27 assist threshold, only 12. Got to do better in the 2nd half.

Lose your focus for just a couple of minutes, and this is what happens. Modern basketball!

The negative aspect is that Detroit now thinks they can come back and win it. Had we gone up by 30, as we should the way we played, it would have been a different story.

The positive is that we are still up and play much better than them. We have the experience and should win this one.

We just need to keep up the hellacious defense and get out on the break, and make layups

This is the fucking stupidest offensive strategy or whatever I’ve ever seen.

Not looking good, right now. But NBA is a game of runs, let’s try to get back in control of the game.

This is why you don’t stop the offense and post up Harris every time.

Kat should have taken 15 free throws with all the hackin and whackin if the game was being called even close to optimally…. but we need to adjust to the circumstances.

This isn’t a team full of rookies or players lacking playoff experience and they’re dumb as rocks

On pace for a 20 point second half after that three.our collapses are so uncannily predictable

Oh look, you don’t call fouls and players get hurt. Who would have thought?

Refs completely let the game go and now our star player is injured. Great work NBA!

Isn’t it cool how the NBA selectively suspends the rule book so that the playoffs can be pHySiCaL and every series gets decided by injuries

Well. This is certainly the kind of scenario for which we acquired Mikal Bridges. So far he’s not doing shit, and for some reason totally abandoned an obviously struggling Payne in the backcourt.

A broken leg for Brunson would be the worst outcome in every possible way.

Well, for those that said Brunson was the problem, we’re probably going to win the series easily now, right? No bad defense from him, and the beautiful ball moving. Let’s hope you’re right.

Who said Brunson was the problem?

This is going to hurt. Need some Cam Payne magic.

Who said Brunson was the problem?

Not today, but when he was out with the injury, during the regular season.

This is maybe the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen.

That was a pretty low key dirty play by Duren on that Hart rebound.

I sure didn’t expect to see JB again but I hope we aren’t endangering his future for this

Bridges has been utter garbage this game. One good offensive game from OG one bad game from OG continues to be the theme.

The offensive swings are just incredibly wild for two players that cost as much as these two.

This is as physical as street ball. Insane level of non-calls.

I’d like some of that magic tape they put around Brunson’s ankle….

What they are doing now, having other players bring the ball up they should have been doing pre injury. It’s what GS does for Steph all the time.

What they are doing now, having other players bring the ball up they should have been doing pre injury. It’s what GS does for Steph all the time.

Seriously.

What they are doing now, having other players bring the ball up they should have been doing pre injury. It’s what GS does for Steph all the time.

Yeah, there’s no need to have him waste energy bringing the ball up the court, Hart or Mikal can do it. And then he gets the ball on the other side of the court.

I hate fake comebacks.

Even if we come up short, that doesn’t make it necessarily a fake comeback. Come on. They’re fighting.

It’d be nice if we could substitute Brunson for every defensive possession then immediately reinsert him for offense.

t’d be nice to have someone to help JB close….

Exactly. We are becoming very predictable 1 on 5 offensively.

It’d be nice if we could substitute Brunson for every defensive possession then immediately reinsert him for offense.

Handball style. If you know the sport, of course. 😛

Please pull this one out it would be so fucking satisfying

Foul there, so more controversy.

Chance to close it out Tuesday. Need to.

Thank God this didn’t end with Hardaway free throws.

KAT’s fadeaway was legendary.

Donnie Pistons Fan watched exactly 11 seconds of this one. I have no idea what happened to get to this point, but Hardaway was fouled.

GLORIOUS! FUCK DETROIT!

Brunson’s comeback was incredible, he willed us to victory and KAT’s was C-L-U-T-C-H.

Now let’s close this in 5 please.

Jesus that was a hell of a game

KAT & Brunson showing why they’re superstars

The whining at the pistons presser about the last no call is going to be so ridiculous

Great win. Intense game, i like it. But the refs need to be more consistent on the calls.

That was definitely a foul by Hart. He hip checked him.

The NBA is stupid but I’ll take the W!

Thing is, I don’t think that was even really foul-baiting, unless you think it’s foul-baiting to get your defender to barrel into you. I think it was just a plain ol’ missed call.

But hey, I’ll take it! Fuck you, Detroit!

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THJr leaned into the defender, still might’ve been a foul but he looked like he was baiting so the refs didn’t call it

That was something. Haven’t felt that stressed since the 90s teams. Anything could happen. Wow.

Hardaway was clearly fouled, though. Given how much hurt the Pistons put on the Knicks all game long, I don’t feel bad about the non-call.

If you are going to complain about a foul there, I am pretty sure Harris grabbed the Knicks defender in the loose ball rebound, which is the whole reason why Detroit had that shot.

I loved that overhead shot of Mikal crawling toward Hardaway before Hart somehow got there after being the one to tip the rebound away from Duran. Rarely has any mediocre player been so good at making key plays at the end of the game. Hart always seems to be there.

If you are going to complain about a foul there, I am pretty sure Harris grabbed the Knicks defender in the loose ball rebound, which is the whole reason why Detroit had that shot.

L2M will be interesting

Huge win.

We won despite terrible shooting from OG and Bridges in the frist half and the 3rd quarter collapse.

The wing defense was excellent overall. 10 steals from OG, Hart and Bridges.

Hart tried his absolute hardest to make a low IQ mistake on the final play of the game to blow it all, but the ref didn’t see it.

Hardaway was 100% fouled but that was how the whistle went today. Good no call within the context of the game.

One of the reasons it was easy to walk away from caring deeply about basketball is because the refs can control outcomes as much as the players can. I’m not saying it in a conspiratorial sense; it’s that once you allow contact at all, there is no way to objectively and consistently decide what contact and when contact. It’s the fatal flaw of the NBA and, unlike in baseball or tennis or other sports with zero sum rules, there is no automated solution.

Most of this second half I kept thinking those 90 seconds to end the second quarter could be the turning point in the game, and possibly the series. We played like shit for a quarter and a half and allowed Detroit to dictate things. When Brunson came back in the fourth quarter and settled us down, there was some beacon of hope again. Glad we came buck and pulled this one off.

Detroit should shut the fuck up! The commit a zillion fouls that are not called. Their strategy is “they can’t call them all,” and they should be the last team to complain about officiating.

Yeah, super excited for the last 2m report.

I don’t know if it was a foul and you know what, not sure I care anymore…

Not to me it won’t. Knicks won. Dogshit whistle all game so don’t expect a call when the buzzer is sounding.

I guess they do usually make that call, but I tend to think it’s stupid when they do, so I couldn’t give less of a fuck. Maybe don’t try to win a ridiculously physical game on a foul baiting fake shot attempt. No one forced Bickerstaff to use his challenge on a non scoring out of bounds call in the first quarter.

What matters is being up 1 in the end.

I’m more prophetic than Pags!!! 😀

Hardaway was 100% fouled but that was how the whistle went today. Good no call within the context of the game.

This ^^^^^^^^^^

As for Thibs and that last possession, holy shit. I was joking when I said “please involve towns”. I didn’t think he would actually glue him to the corner and use his worst shooter to screen for Brunson instead. Can we please stop with the Brunson-Hart two man game on final possessions already? Just terrible coaching that should have cost us the game.

That sequence where KAT scored 8 points, including the outrageous fadeaway and logo 3, was almost unfair.

Hopefully we don’t have a repeat of 1st rd last year and Knicks can finish this series in Game 5.

Meanwhile Julius has scored every Minnesota point so far. Good for him.

Hardaway should’ve shot the ball instead of hunting for a foul in an end of game situation ….. F him and wahwah to Detroit. Amazing gutsy win. Brunson is clutch SUPREME and crazy to say this, but KaT earned real respect today

It seems extreeeeeeeeemely hard to see them not winning this in five now. That was a BACK-BREAKING loss right there.

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If you don’t want to call it, whatever, but I think it’s ridiculous to call it “foul-baiting.” If you have a defender in the air throwing himself at you, you’d be an idiot not to jump into him behind the line down one.

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#Seems like a clear foul to me#

Timmy didn’t sell it well.
Or perhaps it was marginal contact.

It’s the fatal flaw of the NBA and, unlike in baseball or tennis or other sports with zero sum rules, there is no automated solution.

100% Donnie. Combine this with the interminable stoppages and 3+ minute commercial breaks, I find the game I used to love most increasingly less appealing. And if the Knicks aren’t good, I tune out.

Tennis has been my favorite sport to follow for the past decade plus, and I love how objective truth governs the outcome, and not some middle aged dude in a uniform.

(FWIW, I like games like today’s, where the refs let the players play, but there’s just no honest way for me to argue that they were consistent across the board.)

It was a clear foul, even if THJR was foul baiting (or “selling”) a little bit.

And like dozens during the game, mostly by Detroit, these fucking refs didn’t whistle it.

KAT was mauled all game long, he went to the line one time.
Brunson was scientifically grabbed and tripped and pulled (and injured) since the jump ball, he shot 2 FTs.

In the first half of the third the refs let at least 20 fouls go, between the two teams, causing havoc and confrontations, they were horrible, unprofessional or simply stupid.

So their bad call on the last play is perfectly in line with the shitty refereeing they did all night.

And the Pistons, who’s game plan is “they can’t call them all” (like the Magic), get a taste of their own medicine.
Some people call it karma.

Maybe don’t try to win a ridiculously physical game on a foul baiting fake shot attempt

💯

This is the whistle Detroit asked for. They got it. Now STFU.

The Laker game, on the otherhand, has been an example of players just sucking, nothing to do with the refs at all. Instead of basketball, they should call it turnover ball.

Lmao Bron 27 points on 7 fga and all i hear is whining about Brunson

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