Knicks’ inefficient Home line creates difficult questions for Tom Thibodeau

For the first time in the history of franchise, the New York Knicks lost the first two games Playoff series at home, while Pačeri deducted series 2-0 on the road on Friday night winning 114-109.

The Knics’s starting environment 25:50 the court times in the game 1 could be summarized with his 167.4 defensive grades. Indiana surpassed New York 77-61 when all five starters Knicks was in court at a time. Asked before play 2 on the introductory line consistent loss of minutes, coach Knicks Tom Thibodeau He said the data were too noisy to judge a group.

“It’s hard to look at that way,” Thibodeau told reporters of Pregame. “There’s a lot of mixing and matching. They’re also with another unit.”

Thibodeau has been widely reported in connection with Tihodeau, during which all five Knicks in court were initial. The initial plus-minus was really calculated by their performance and against opponent’s players and a bench player. But the trend was undisputed that the driving line of the Knicks often their worst line.

The game 2 was a disappointing similar story for the home team.

Knicks ran their starters for 16:48 on Friday night. Bakers took them 44-31 at the time. This was the worst player of the player in the plus-minus game.

The beginning of five consisting of Jalan Brunson, Mikala BridgesJosh Hart and Anunobi and Karl-Anthony Cities He played 308 minutes in the playoffs of 2025 NBA. This is more than any other setup – from any other team – including those eliminated. They have net rating A -9.5 in those minutes.

Simply put, five kids that played for more than 30 minutes were set from this postsetzone. The only one with a Negative net rating is the starting line.

The bridges asked postgams about Knicks “starting five years ago that they lost minutes during three different series for 81 points, but they had no response to disagreement.

“Hm, I’m not sure, man,” Bridges said after the appearance of 20 points in the game 2. “I think it’s, uh, maybe a defensive thing?” I need to see. “

Seemingly conscious that he had not had a lot of answers, bridges He asked a question of another thought.

“I think we just have to talk to each other from the jump, be physically from the jump,” Bridges continued. “I think we may just play a little too soft at the beginning of half? Yes, I’m not sure.”

Concerns about the “soft” game on the open half are fair, considering how often open games in a hole. But 96 games of the season, it is equally fair to ask what they can visually do the families from here.

How to change key lines can help Šansima Knicks’

The Knicks setting consistently creates a deficit of the point does not justify automatic change of line. But several alternatives that produce starters can.

When Brunson, bridges, Hart and Anunobi play together with Mitchel Robinson instead of cities, the group has +3.8 net rating for 49 minutes played in postseason. This is not proof that Robinson is a better player than cities, but quite additional evidence for New York that it is only suitable for its opening.

Best Knicks line in the game 1 featured Deuce McBride, Robinson, Hart, Anunobi and Cities. This line was played 5:05 and won those minutes 17-6, with 188.9 offensive marks and 66.7 defensions. Unless you are on any Eastern conference finalists, you – the reader – played more minutes in the game 2, because this line did. None.

The cities played only 27:41 Friday, with the main coach Knicks Tom Tom Thibodeau is determined to sit for most of the fourth quarter. Reporters asked Thibodea on this consequence, and the coach said the truth.

“We have in the hole,” Thibodea replied. “And then the group who was there gave us a chance. So we used to ride it, just asked for a way to win.”

How and when did she play the game 2 begin to go wrong for Knicks?

Thibodeau was abundantly risked to sitting down the cities for as long as he was. It wasn’t why the wedges lost the game. Cities and Robinson played 9:01 together in the game 2. Indiana won those minutes 27-18. Their fast pace and staff make them a sharp group to arrange a “double large” setup.

The pacers are 12-9 with 5:19 left in the first quarter, because Pascal Siakam seted the beginners of Knicks for a speedy 11 points. Knicks were insidious in McBride and Robinson and headed to 17-5 runs to finish a quarter.

Knicks took the lead in three points to the second half, which was five-point pensions that lead 4:45 to go in the third quarter. No bookmarks are played during this stretch, and the secrets that set starters for eight.

Nevertheless, Knicks played the game in the morning in 81 go to the fourth quarter. But the beginning of a quarter with Cam Payne on the floor helped to seize lead eight points in just three minutes.

The Knickska Starta setting with Robinson for cities was far from infallible. The pacers transferred them 10-3 in just two minutes, starting when it was 4:25 left in the fourth quarter.

But in that, it is still that as wedges moved away from their starting lineup in the game 2 than they had all postsesons, they did not fully exploit him by being able to have their best staff.

During its mandate as a coach of the NBA, filtering changes placed due to injuries – or players recovered from one – Tom Thibodeau has Never He changed his initial lineup during the playoff series if his team was ahead. He never changed his starting lineup when he tied to an opponent series. He has ever ever changed his initial lining when losing a series or when the health of his players changed.

Knicks make changes to your starting setting may not be able to conquer them series. But it could move like inserting McBride in the starting setting, pairing Robinca-monsters Hart and Robinson from the bench, help them put their best foot forward?