Knicks vs. Pacers: Three keys for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, center Mitchell Robinson, center Karl-Anthony Towns, forward Mikal Bridges and teammates celebrate after Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Fiinals against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
1. Align the stars
The Knicks got 43 points and 36 points from Jalen Brunson in the first two games against the Pacers. When Brunson struggled with foul trouble and his shot in Game 3 on Sunday, Karl-Anthony Towns shrugged off his own struggles and carried the team in the fourth quarter with 20 of his 24 points. But the Knicks acquired Towns not to take turns but to present a two-headed monster. The Knicks have to make that work and do it on both ends, as the defense has suffered when both are in the game together.
2. Add an air of mystery
If there was one thing that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle didn’t have to worry about before Sunday, it was preparing for a surprise from the Knicks. But Tom Thibodeau went with a new starting lineup and, because of a combination of foul trouble and struggles of the bench players who had been in the rotation, experimented in-game with an assortment of lineup combos that hadn’t been tested all season long.
“I think you just take the information you have and you look at the groupings, what’s the best thing for the team,” Thibodeau said. “We always prioritize that. And there’s a lot of guys that are making sacrifices, and that’s not easy, but if you put the team first, I think good things come from that. So I think we’re seeing that with this group.”
3. Defense is the real difference
While it’s easy to look at the scoring of Brunson or Towns, the Knicks held Indiana to 42 second-half points Sunday and the Pacers were 1-for-8 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. Both teams may be known for their offense, but defense could decide the series. One thing to watch — Aaron Nesmith, who has been the primary defender on Brunson, suffered a sprained right ankle Sunday and is listed as questionable for Tuesday.
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.
