What is going on at Madison Square Garden? The New York Knicks came into the Eastern Conference Finals boasting one of the league’s most formidable starting lineups, at least on paper. But two games in, it’s clear that paper doesn’t win playoff games.
Despite featuring All-NBA talents Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns alongside elite two-way players OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, the Knicks have stumbled out, ridiculously at times, against the Indiana Pacers. Coach Tom Thibodeau has leaned heavily on this starting unit, giving them an average of 21.5 minutes per game through the first two contests. The results, however, have been disastrous.
That crew has been thoroughly outmatched, registering a brutal -29 in just two games. The advanced numbers are even more alarming: a staggering -42.9 net rating and an eye-watering 155.1 defensive rating. As a team, the Knicks are only -8 overall, meaning it’s the starters who are dragging them under.
After dropping both games at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks now head to Indiana facing an 0-2 hole—and a growing identity crisis.
This is a hole that few teams can dig their way out of.
Get this, tactically, Indiana hasn’t reinvented the wheel. Their defensive scheme echoes what other teams have done all season: put a wing on Towns, who rarely capitalizes on mismatches in the post, and let a big man sag off Josh Hart, daring him to shoot from deep. On the other end, the Pacers hunt Brunson and Towns relentlessly in pick-and-roll actions. It’s a strategy that’s worked for opponents all season long, and there’s been little reason to adjust.
Check this out. What’s even more telling? The Knicks look sharper when the starters sit. Mitchell Robinson has provided a defensive presence off the bench, and Miles McBride is quietly having a standout series, bringing hustle and consistency that the starters have lacked.
So, is it time to make a move?
“We always look at everything,” Thibodeau said, dodging the question with a typical coach-speak non-answer.
That’s the same Thibs who had Karl Anthony Towns riding the bench for most of the 4th quarter when he had a solid 20 points through three quarters and no foul trouble.
This isn’t a new issue. Thibodeau has shown a tendency to ride with his guys, even when the results scream for change. The same group was just +3 over six games against Detroit and a painful -24 in six games against Boston. In fact, since January 1st, the starting five has posted a cumulative -9 rating, hardly the numbers of a Finals-worthy core.
Game 2 was another example of this painful trend. The Knicks fell behind 19-9 early and spent the rest of the game trying to climb out of a self-inflicted hole. Shooting just 29.6% from beyond the arc against Indiana, the starting five isn’t just giving up leads—they’re making it harder for New York to close the gap later on.
With their season suddenly hanging in the balance, the Knicks must decide: keep trusting the formula that got them here, or finally shake up a lineup that’s holding them back.
Or maybe keep all their stars in the game when the, you know, game is on the line.