Why the Knicks need to win Game Six, what they must do, and why you should believe in them

In what a lot of people thought would be the Celtics’ last game of the season, they played maybe their most impressive game of basketball this year. It was filled with incredible defensive energy from Luke Kornet, amazing shot-making from Derrick White, and a complete two-way statement game from Jaylen Brown. But for every bit as impressive as the Celtics’ performance was, the Knicks’ performance was just as embarrassing. Now, their once seemingly comfortable 3-1 lead has been narrowed down by one game, and the fear of the what-if has started to creep up on some Knicks fans. And that has many asking: just how important is Game Six; what must the Knicks do to win tonight, and how confident, if at all, should Knicks fans be?

First, we’ll tackle the importance of Game Six. Obviously, with it being a playoff game, no discussions need to be had about whether it’s important or not. And given all of the potentially disastrous results that could await the Knicks if they lose tonight, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Game Six is the Knicks’ biggest game of the season up until this point. And when you really look at it, there’s a very strong argument to be made that this is the most important game the Knicks have played in 25 years. But why exactly is that?

The most significant reason has to be the downright frightening reality that if they lose tonight, the Knicks would have to play a Game Seven in Boston with the potential to blow a 3-1 lead. It would be an embarrassing collapse of historic proportions, and quite frankly, would be a pretty Knicks thing to do. And in a sport where anything can happen on any given night, gambling the fate of this team and its season on one game where the home team is an experienced team of winners, feels like a risk I’d rather not see play out.

And think of the circumstances that would lead to such a game. Having a Game Seven would mean that Boston won Game Six on the road just 48 hours after winning game five. That would surely mean that all of the momentum would have swung back in the Celtics’ favor, while the Knicks took on a whole lot more pressure in the meantime.

Making things feel even more dire is the fact that the Pacers already took care of business against a hobbled Cavaliers team. If the Knicks have a true championship, and at the very least finals, aspirations, it would behoove them to do the same to the Celtics. The longer they take to eliminate the Celtics, the harder their series against the Pacers will be given their tendency to play at a fast, and frantic pace-and that’s if the Knicks can win one of the next two games.

So what can the Knicks do to make sure that they don’t give the Celtics more momentum and avoid the dreaded blown 3-1 series lead? It starts with Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks head coach has had a pretty solid postseason. His decisions to play more double big minutes, switch more on defense, and trust Mikal Bridges with the ball in his hands to start the fourth quarter have all paid off and is a big reason the Knicks were able to take a 3-1 lead. But he’s also been a big reason that they have now dropped two games to the Celtics, with the second coming against a Jayson Tatum-less team whose season should’ve ended two nights ago.

In their losses, Thibodeau has gone away from the switch-reliant defense, for more hedging and drop coverage again for some reason, and he’s done very little to assist what looked like the kind of offense run at a pickup game at a local gym in games three and five. And in game five, he watched and did little to nothing while the team collapsed in the third quarter once again. He didn’t make any scheme changes, and he didn’t sub in Mitchell Robinson or Deuce McBride despite both of them having superb first halves. Not to mention he’s also somehow failed to get his team to come out with the right urgency and focus in both of those losses.

If New York is to win Game Six and end this series before it gets too close for comfort, they’ll need Thibodeau to coach a much cleaner game by making sure the players come out with urgency (and yes I know that’s just as much on the players as it is Thibodeau), reverting back to a switch-heavy defense, adjusting to the Celtics game plan without Tatum, and getting the offense going with more sets for OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Town, and Bridges. And do not be afraid to use your top two guys on the bench. This starting lineup as a collective unit has not been good for the majority of the season. But a lot of the lineups with one, or both of, Robinson and McBride have been. So use them.

But let’s be honest. While there is a lot Thibodeau can, and should do differently, and better, it still comes down to the players. Anunoby was a complete no-show on both ends. Towns continues to take himself out of games with silly fouls. Brunson’s process on the offensive end was putrid for a good chunk of the game. Bridges was not great. And Josh Hart, despite making multiple threes, had some inexplicable defensive errors. Thibodeau can press all the right buttons, but if the starters play that bad, that energy-less, that disorganized, and that undisciplined, then it won’t matter.

This team needs all of those guys to step up. Anunoby has to find the perfect balance of aggression and patience on offense and be the elite defender we know him as. They need Towns to be a force on the offensive end to make up for his lackluster defense. They need Brunson to be the floor general, and not only score, but get guys in the right spots, and do so earlier in the shot clock. They need Bridges to be better on both sides of the ball. And they need Hart to continue being aggressive and not have so many defensive lapses.

Despite there being some concerns and urgency around tonight’s game though, there are also reasons why Knicks fans should be confident. And it starts with Brunson. Per Tommy Beer, Brunson is averaging an absurd 34.5PPG, and 8APG in 11 games following a Knicks postseason loss when you exclude the game in which he left early with a broken hand. And in those 11 games, the Knicks are an astounding 9-2.

Over the last few seasons, on the rare occasion that Brunson struggles, it’s become almost customary for him to have a big bounce-back game. While the Celtics will once again be playing hard with their season on the line, Knicks fans should have the utmost confidence that the captain will answer the call and step up like he has done so many times.

But it doesn’t stop with Brunson. These Knicks have had some disappointing games from time to time where they look out of it and lack the necessary focus. But during these playoffs, they’ve been able to follow up those games with a statement performance. That’s not to say that it’ll be aesthetically pleasing, or that they’ll dominate the game and blow out the Celtics. But whether it’s games three, and six in the Pistons series, or game four in the Celtics series, this team has responded accordingly following their disappointing losses.

There’s also an argument to be made that with just one day in between the games, the lack of rest actually favors the Knicks for once. New York, and more specifically, Thibodeau, has long been ridiculed for playing the starters too much as it often leads to injuries later on in the season. But this year, they’ve had the luxury of having everyone healthy (knock on wood). The same cannot be said for Boston. They are already without Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis all have dealt with an injury or an ailment of some sort in the last few weeks. And on top of that, there’s Al Horford, who isn’t injured but has looked old at times. With just one day off, which was spent making the short trip back to New York, New York, there’s a chance that the quick turnaround actually benefits New York this time.

With the Knicks, hopefully, coming in with more urgency, and focus, and having the chance to clinch a playoff series at home for the first time since 1999, they should have enough to win Game Six. But they’ll need to do more than just show up. As stated above, Thibodeau needs to press the right buttons and put his guys in the position to succeed, and the players simply need to play better, and smarter. Because if they don’t, the Celtics can, as they proved in game five, beat the Knicks handily. And if they do, we’ll have to have some pretty uncomfortable conversations about what’ll likely be a very uncomfortable Game Seven.