The Boston Celtics deployed Luke Kornet after the injury to Jayson Tatum and the illness to Kristaps Porzingis, and the New York Knicks couldn’t adjust. Kornet started the second half of Game 5 in place of Porzingis and crushed the Knicks in the paint.
The Knicks need to prevent another Luke Kornet masterclass from happening
He recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and an absurd seven blocks. It was a career night for Kornet in a game that the Celtics needed to win to keep their season alive, and the Knicks need to make an adjustment to limit Kornet’s effectiveness.
One way to do that is to get Mitchell Robinson on the court more. In Game 5, he played 16 first half minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds, which made a big difference as the Knicks entered the halftime break tied at 59 with the Celtics.
However, Robinson didn’t see the floor nearly as much after that, only playing seven minutes in the second half. The lack of substitutions from head coach Tom Thibodeau allowed the Celtics to go on a run and eventually push their lead to as big as 28.
The Knicks need to make adjustments for Game 6
The Knicks cannot let that happen again, and they need to come out swinging in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Given Kornet’s play and Porzingis’s ineffectiveness in this series, it is increasingly likely that Kornet will get the start for Boston in Game 6, and the Knicks need to ensure that he doesn’t have another career performance like he did in Game 5.
If New York can prevent a big game from Kornet, they will be in good shape to win with the Celtics not having Tatum. New York will need everyone to make a strong impact on both ends and put an end to this series once and for all.
A victory will guarantee them a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.