What the Knicks have to do to get back on track in Game 3
Finish strong
The Knicks have talked about expecting physicality and desperation from the Hawks and they got it — and now have to be the desperate ones, seeking to gain back the home-court advantage in Atlanta. The Knicks had a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter Saturday in Game 1 and saw it whittled down to eight. This time it was a 14-point, third-quarter lead and eight-point fourth-quarter advantage that disappeared.
“In that fourth quarter you could tell they were playing with a level of desperation,” Mike Brown said. “There were four 50/50 balls and they got three out of the four. We use that stat to gauge the level of aggression in a game and in that fourth quarter, their level of aggression stepped up.”
Figure out the bench
The focus was on Mike Brown leaving Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson on the bench together for extended periods rather than split them up and keep one on the floor at all times, something that the team has done late in the regular season and into these first two games of the playoffs. But the problem was that this time, unlike in Game 1, the bench ran through some dreadful stretches. Deuce McBride was 0-for-3 with two turnovers in 13 minutes — struggling enough to get the offense flowing that Brown went to Jose Alvarado after leaving him out of the rotation completely in Game 1. Alvarado provided a spark, but not enough to make up for the struggles as McBride and Landry Shamet were scoreless. Mitchell Robinson had 13 points and seven rebounds, but was still a minus-10.
“What I do know is the time we were off the court isn’t when we lost,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It was the time when we were on the court at the end and when they found ways to make shots. it’s on us as starters, me and JB to make it tough.”
It might be time for the cape
Jalen Brunson has been the answer to every postseason need the Knicks have had since his arrival, but after a red-hot first quarter in the opening game, he has been held in check by the Hawks, shooting 1-for-11 over the last three quarters in Game 1 and then just 10-for-26 in Game 2. Afterward, the Knicks spoke of a need for a better offensive flow, but better than any sharing message, it has often been Brunson who carried them when they need it. Spoiler: They need it now.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
