The Eastern Conference Finals spotlight is no joke. The New York Knicks are facing a 0-2 series deficit against a red-hot Pacers squad. As they head to Indiana for Game 3, the pressure feels overwhelming. You can feel the weight on every single play, every coaching decision, every look on a player’s face. It’s all getting picked apart.
After that head-scratcher in Game 2 where Karl-Anthony Towns, aka KAT, got parked on the bench during a huge moment, the Knicks are in a desperate spot.
Knicks vs Pacers injury report: Star’s availability confirmed after game 2 benching drama
Alright, Knicks fans, you can let out that breath you’ve been holding: Karl-Anthony Towns is good to go for tonight’s must-win Game 3. The official injury sheet for New York? Totally clean. That means Coach Tom Thibodeau has all his guys available as they somehow try to make a comeback in this series. The only name on their list is Isaiah Jackson, and he’s been out since way back in November with a torn Achilles, so he’s not really factored into their current playoff plans.
Now, KAT being available is one thing. But how Thibs used him in Game 2? That’s where things got messy. Benching your All-Star big man for a huge chunk of a 114-109 loss, a loss that dropped you into this 0-2 hole? That move sent tremors through the fanbase, and everyone’s been arguing about it since.
When Thibs got put on the spot, he basically said, “We got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance,” trying to explain why Mitchell Robinson got more burn. But let’s be honest, it didn’t work out. Towns finally got back in with just over two minutes left, and by then, it was pretty much a wrap.
This whole situation stings even more because KAT, along with Jalen Brunson, just got named to an All-NBA team. The Knicks pulled off that massive trade to bring him over from Minnesota (giving up Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle) for these exact moments, for monster playoff games where his talent was supposed to take them over the top. So, seeing him watching from the sidelines when the game was on the line? That’s just cranked up the pressure on him and the entire team to an insane level for tonight.
Do or die for the Knicks: Can they flip the script in Indiana?
Let’s not beat around the bush here: Game 3 is everything for the Knicks. Win, and they’ve got a pulse. Lose, and they can pretty much start booking their summer vacations. No team in NBA history has ever climbed out of a 0-3 hole to win a series. So, it’s not just about whether they can win. It’s about how they stop the Pacers team that’s just looked better, faster, and tougher through two games.
The first two games were basically an Indiana offensive highlight reel. They played with incredible speed and moved the ball like crazy. The Knicks just on the other hand, weren’t able to keep up. Now, New York has to find a way to break Indiana’s rhythm, slow things down, and turn this into a gritty, half-court fight if they wish to win.
A huge part of that starts with fixing their transition defense. It’s been a complete nightmare. The Pacers have been getting easy buckets left and right, outscoring the Knicks 51-26 in transition points over the first two games. You just can’t win like that when the games are this close. The Knicks have to stop giving up layups after they score, and they cannot lose track of shooters when the Pacers decide to run.
Then there’s the whole ‘who’s it gonna be tonight?’ problem with the Pacers. In Game 1, Aaron Nesmith went off. In Game 2, Pascal Siakam looked like an MVP, dropping a playoff career-high 39. Siakam himself said, “What makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons… It doesn’t matter who scores.” The Knicks have to be way quicker to recognize who’s got the hot hand and throw the kitchen sink at them – maybe that means more aggressive traps, more double teams, even if it leaves them open somewhere else. They’ve got to take some chances.
They also desperately need to protect Jalen Brunson on defense and maybe try to exploit a mismatch on the other end. Indiana went right after Brunson in pick-and-rolls in Game 2 and got good looks. Can the Knicks flip that script? Can they put a Pacer in a tough spot and actually generate some easy offense for themselves for a change?
Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) hugs New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) after their game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Coach Rick Carlisle has been messing with his rotations, but the Knicks can’t keep expecting their bench to save them if the main guys aren’t pulling their weight. Karl-Anthony Towns, especially after that Game 2 benching, needs to come out and play like his hair is on fire.
He needs to shut everyone up and be that dominant inside force the Knicks have been missing against this Pacers’ attack. It’s a huge ask, no doubt. But with their season pretty much on the line, the Knicks don’t have any other choice but to figure it out, and they need to do it right now.
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