{"id":3090,"date":"2025-05-30T20:25:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T00:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/knicks-shake-up-strategy-to-boost-eastern-conference-finals-odds\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T20:25:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T00:25:33","slug":"knicks-shake-up-strategy-to-boost-eastern-conference-finals-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/knicks-shake-up-strategy-to-boost-eastern-conference-finals-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks Shake Up Strategy to Boost Eastern Conference Finals Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Imagine if I said that in a critical Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the New York Knicks would deploy a starting lineup they hadn\u2019t utilized throughout the entire season?<\/p>\n

Or introduce a trio of players who had not shared any game time before this?<\/p>\n

Or pull off a comeback victory with Jalen Brunson on the court for less than three minutes during the final quarter?<\/p>\n

Indeed, they did.<\/p>\n

Knicks 106, Pacers 100.<\/p>\n

Now, the series is really heating up.<\/p>\n

Frankly, the Knicks had no right to claim this victory. Truly\u2014none<\/em>. Sure, the Pacers gave the Knicks a few openings early on. Brunson put up 11 points in the first quarter alone. Mitchell Robinson, in his first start of the playoffs, added six points.<\/p>\n

Despite this, the Pacers were ahead by four at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 13 by halftime. Terry Crews, who was courtside, celebrated their performance. Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet looked disheartened. The crowd, still buzzing from the Indianapolis 500, anticipated a decisive 3-0 lead for the Pacers in the series.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t to be. That 13-point gap was reduced to 10 after three quarters and completely erased within the first four minutes of the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns exploded with 20 points in the final period alone. Josh Hart\u2019s performance, with a team-high plus-16, was pivotal. Brunson, despite being plagued by foul trouble, managed to add six points. After witnessing the Pacers\u2019 unlikely comeback in Game 1, the Knicks flipped the script, outscoring the Pacers 36-20 in the last quarter to secure the win.<\/p>\n

“You might think it’s clich\u00e9 when I say no lead is secure,\u201d remarked Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. \u201cBut it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Knicks have been full of surprises this season. This occasion was particularly noteworthy. Consider the lineup changes. Tom Thibodeau\u2019s lineups are usually as predictable as death and taxes. The Knicks used fewer starting lineups than any other team this season. Their regular lineup\u2014Brunson, Towns, Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby\u2014topped the NBA in minutes played, a trend that continued into the playoffs. To ask Thibs to adjust his lineup is akin to asking him to change a part of his identity.<\/p>\n

Yet, he made changes. Robinson was in; Hart was benched. Hart took it well. \u201cI can\u2019t talk about sacrifice and putting the team before personal goals, then get upset when a decision like this is made,\u201d Hart said before the game. He even suggested he was involved in the decision. It didn\u2019t impact his playing time, though. Hart played 34 minutes\u2014about his average for the postseason\u2014including all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, when Mitch comes off the bench, he’s essentially a starter. Same goes for Josh,\u201d explained Thibodeau. \u201cTheir playing time remains consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granted, but what about Delon Wright receiving around 13 minutes? Landry Shamet logging slightly over 11 minutes? Wright\u2019s playoff experience had been limited to a few insignificant minutes in Game 3 against Boston. Shamet had played sparingly in earlier rounds, never more than 10 minutes in Game 1 against Detroit.<\/p>\n

Yet there was Wright, entering late in the first quarter. And Shamet, seeing significant action in the second quarter. If Tyler Kolek had checked in, Thibodeau might have needed a check-up himself. Before Sunday, Wright, Shamet, and Hart hadn\u2019t spent a single minute on the court together. They logged nine minutes in Game 3, posting an offensive rating of 127.8 and a net rating of 21.9.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir professionalism and willingness to do whatever it takes to win stood out,\u201d said Brunson. \u201cWe have a close-knit team, and the way everyone prepared and stayed positive despite the deficit, and continued to fight back, really says a lot about what they accomplished tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Knicks\u2019 bench, with Deuce McBride scoring nine points, kept them competitive. And then Towns clinched the victory. Towns had a rough first half, scoring only four points with six rebounds and committing two turnovers. He was 2-for-7 from the floor and missed both his three-point attempts. On TNT, Shaquille O\u2019Neal criticized Towns\u2019s choice of shots, saying, \u201cWe\u2019d be fighting in the locker room right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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