After a thrilling Game 1 comeback victory that included a 21-0 fourth-quarter run, the New York Knicks turned in a ghastly performance as the Pistons evened up the series at a game apiece. In a gritty game resembling an early 2000s NBA war, New York mustered up just 94 points in a six-point loss.
Although the Knicks were able to tie the game with just over a minute left, they were dominated the entire night, with their late comeback making the final score look better than their effort. Rebounding, defense, and questionable coaching decisions were a big problem in the loss. However, New York’s dreary offense was by far the biggest issue. Tom Thibodeau must make offensive adjustments before Game 3 if NY wants to regain control of this series.
Knicks Need More Offensive Variety, Not Brunson-Centric Attack
For all of the big moves Leon Rose made over the past year to bring in offensive talent, it’s been baffling to watch the Knicks’ offensive attack devolve into Jalen Brunson isolations again. Gone are the days when New York needed to rely on their captain to bully-ball his way into clutch victories behind a dominant defense. This roster has four elite offensive players in Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby. Towns had perhaps the best season of his career. Anunoby undoubtedly had his most prolific offensive campaign, showcasing his star upside. Just two seasons ago, Bridges averaged 26.1 points in a 27-game stint as the lead shot creator for the Nets. The Knicks have more than enough talent to play an egalitarian style of offense. Unfortunately, Brunson has yet again soaked up most of the touches for New York.
The Numbers Are Startling
In the first two games, Brunson has completely dominated the usage on offense. The numbers behind that fact are jarring and need to be fixed in Game 3. Even if the Knicks can win this series solely behind Brunson, they certainly cannot advance past the Celtics in the second round without a team-based attack.
Through two games, Brunson has attempted 54 field goals. Anunoby (28) and Bridges (27) have combined for just 55. After a month of basketball where Brunson was sidelined and the wing duo averaged 20-plus points each, reverting back away from them is a mistake.
To make matters even worse, Towns only took 25 shots over the first two contests. KAT didn’t score in the second half and attempted three shots. Despite Towns having better matchup advantages than Brunson in this series, he hasn’t been featured much at all, outside of small stretches in Game 1.
To continue the theme of the second half of New York’s season, they’ve completely abandoned the pick-and-pop attack with Brunson and Towns. In the first two games, Brunson passed the ball to Towns just twelve times, ranking third on the team. This makes little sense, considering the whole reasoning behind bringing in KAT was to pair him with Brunson and a pick-and-roll/pop partner.
In contrast, over a 25-game stretch from end of October thru Christmas:
Brunson passed to KAT an average of 13.5 times per game. Towns dished Brunson 14.9 times per contest. Towns tortured teams with pick-and-pop jumpers if defenders dropped and gave KAT airspace.During that… https://t.co/aFFyv5EZ2s
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) April 22, 2025
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If Thibodeau Doesn’t Adjust, NY’s Season Will Be Over
In the Pistons matchup, Ausar Thompson and Dennis Schröder have done an excellent job stymying Brunson. They’re both super quick defenders who can stay in front of Brunson, forcing him to resort to foul-baiting antics. On the other hand, Towns has better matchups to attack. Thibodeau should run more Brunson/Towns actions and allow KAT to attack in post-ups and isolations more often. New York also needs to move the ball around amongst their top four players. They acquired Towns to run a real five-man offense. They cannot simply rely on Brunson to carry them to playoff wins.
If the Knicks continue to play this way, they will be out of the postseason in a hurry. Detroit is a good enough team behind their defense and Cade Cunningham‘s ascension to beat New York. Even if NY sneaks by the first-round with some Brunson masterpieces, they have zero chance to beat Boston and/or Cleveland with a one-man offense.
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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