The Knicks are alive. How much longer is up to them.
Down 2-0 after two deflating losses in the World’s Most Famous Arena, the Knicks played even early before flatlining in the second quarter. Nine minutes in, the Pacers had exploded for a 29-9 run to take a 20-point lead just before halftime.
The Knicks chipped away. The lead was down to 13 at halftime, they rallied from a 16-point third quarter deficit to get it down to 8, before entering the final quarter down 80-70. Sources have told me that it sounded like this in the huddle throughout that fourth quarter:
A loss would’ve ended the season, but for the third time this postseason, the Knicks came back from a 20-point deficit and won on the road. A historic feat.
The impact of this game will not be fully known for a while longer. Is it the first step in a memorable comeback that leads to the first NBA Finals berth for this franchise in 31 years? Is it a temporary blip from a desperate team that’s just expended all the breath from its lungs? We’ll know soon enough.
For the Knicks to achieve the former, they need to understand why they came back. There were a few key themes that powered the victory, and the Knicks need to keep them in place until the Pacers make them redundant. Not all things can be relied on (like benching Captain Clutch), but these changes that we saw in Game 3 need to stay for the time being.
The New Starters
The Knicks only used just their 13th starting lineups in their 97th game. For 62 of those games, they started the same five. The other 35 games featured one (or more) of the regular starters in street clothes. For the first time all season and the first time since the infamous game at MSG against the Miami Heat on January 27, 2024, Josh Hart came off the bench. Despite very little experience together, the Knicks went with Mitchell Robinson in his place.
The double big lineup has had mixed results. In 40 total minutes against the Pistons, they were a negative. In 50 total minutes against the Celtics, they dominated to a plus-19 net rating and a dominant 60.6 REB%. In Game 1, they eviscerated the Pacers in every possible metric in seven minutes (+76.2 net, 60.9 REB%). In Game 2, they got completely destroyed in nine minutes (158.8 defensive rating).
In Game 3? It wasn’t either. In fact, their net rating was a whopping plus-0.1 in a season-high 14 minutes together. The new starting 5 made up all of those minutes. While not great, it’s a huge improvement from whatever the hell the old starters did.
Knicks starters are -29 in this round and -81 in the playoffs
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) May 24, 2025
One note: the old starters closed the game and they played as well as they had all season in under four minutes. I expect them to still close together at times, but they cannot be used in large spurts and we saw that.
Controlling the Pace
Spoiler: if you let Indiana get in transition, you are screwed.
Indiana has an insane ability to get out in transition. They’re very good at outlet passes and have a prerogative to just sprint up the court against a Knicks team that is struggling to match up. The fast break points in this series is jarring 43-19 in favor of Indiana.
Despite turning it over at one of the best rates in the league in the regular season (and average in the playoffs), Knicks have struggled in the turnover battle (41-29) all series against a smart and flowing offense. Even further, they’re getting massacred in points off turnovers (66-24). When the Knicks run, they play into the Pacers hands, even if they generate better offense that way.
As was the case last year, the Knicks will suffer if this becomes a track meet. Indiana was content playing in the halfcourt this game, where renewed defensive energy put them on the struggle bus.
Delon Wright (and maybe, Landry Shamet)
Hand up, I didn’t think a bench change would matter. Cam Payne has been, in a word, brutal since his explosion in Game 1 against the Pistons. How brutal? In the 13 games since, Payne has scored 16 total points in 83 minutes, shooting 23.3% from the field and 2-for-16 from deep, registering a minus-30. While he had certainly become unplayable, I was skeptical how putting in Delon Wright would change things, as he’s very limited offensively and not a ballhandler. Well, in Game 3, Payne picked up his first DNP-CD of the postseason and big things happened.
While Wright didn’t do much, he did enough. The issue with Payne is that the highs are very high and the lows and devastatingly low. Wright is steady and will give you defensive effort, even if he’s a nonfactor on offense. The team had a minus-18.8 net rating with Payne over those last 13 games and, although Wright was also technically a minus today, the offensive rating was up thirty points from Payne’s
Staggering KAT and Brunson
In this series, KAT and Brunson have a ghastly 134.4 defensive rating together in 65 minutes. They’re getting absolutely destroyed. While it’s concerning long term that the team’s two star players are getting blitzed together, that’s an offseason question.
When Brunson is on the floor, the ball revolves around him, as it probably should be. When he’s off the floor, it revolves around KAT. From the start, it was pretty clear that the Knicks needed to ride Karl-Anthony Towns if they wanted to win this series and aftr his 20-point fourth quarter? He needs to get more spurts running the offense.
Myles Turner hasn’t been able to guard him all damn series.
More Deuce McBride
Jalen Brunson played just 2:46 in the fourth quarter. The NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year was reduced to a benchwarmer for most of the Knicks’ comeback due to foul trouble and overall struggles.
Who stepped up in his place? Deuce McBride.
McBride was plus-12 in the second half. Looking at the best three-man lineups in the series, almost all of them include him. He’s been incredible when paired with whoever. Mitch, Mikal, Brunson, OG, KAT. His play since the calendar switched to May has been exceptional and he needs to be playing close to 30 minutes going forward off the bench.