ECF Playoff Game Thread: Knicks @ Pacers, Game 3, May 25th 8pm

[MrDollarBills]

the double bigs did not work well last game im not sure this is the magic elixir many are hoping

It doesn’t put us in a 10 point hole to start the game

waiting too long to try it put us in a 2 game hole. Thibs is not only slow, but fully reactionary.

Reactionary is the key word.

I'm not gonna knock him for making the move finally, but it shouldn't take people on social media pointing out something that the team should already know internally. That's concerning to me.

Like this has been a problem since January.

[whocares1]

listen, the wolves had this guy for years. they know what he can and can't do. they traded everything they had for the guy who was the best defensive center in basketball at the time for a reason. you can't win with him starting there. this is not new information. everybody conveniently forgot when we traded for him.

if he's here next year, they need to have a 2nd center and almost never play him there. maybe it's huk. maybe it's someone we get for the mle. i don't know. but it can't be him. maybe horford will take the tax payers mle for a year to be the backup center.

tell that to thibs. Almost everyone in this board wants Mitch to play starting C (kat as pf) but the org doesnt listen!

It took this board 7 months to realize KAT isn't a 5. Me and sham has been saying it since the trade was made that he needs to be paired with another defensive center but yall said no and kept talking about this magical 5 out offense that's supposed to outweigh his terrible defense. It never happened, like we predicted. So if anything, the organization did what you guys wanted.. and it didn't work as usual

That’s kind of misleading. KAT was never used as a stretch 5 in a 5 out offense. Nor was he used much as a screener for Brunson. Both things can be true that Towns shouldn’t spend a majority of minutes at the 5 but yet he still can be valuable there if he’s used right.

[Pr0nzingis]

I grew up watching the Bulls destroy my hopes and dreams, incredible, intense rivalries with Pacers and Heat, but i got say i never hated more a team than this Pacers. They are so **** lucky... here am still not believing how the Knicks didn't went 3-1 last year and some scrub does what nobody ever done in NBA history and then again the hallmark of this pacers team, broken play, someone throws an hail mary, misses, the ball goes up to the rafters and comes down and goes in.

Are **** kidding me?

Just keep pushing and praying that every bounce of the ball doesn't go their way, If that happen Knicks will beat them, if pacers keep getting lucky there's no way, not even OKC will beat them.


Said that, props to Chad Buchanan whoever he is, he picked a great coach and made a great team with scrubs.

[god shammgod]

[Janquinn87]

Big mistake to change the lineup. Towns is a center, give him the damn ball in the post. Brunson is shooting to much, get your teammates involved earlier in the shot clock.

[Iron Mantis]

Let me get this right. KAT at the 5 got us the best record we've seen in decades. We dethroned the NBA champs. Got to the ECF for the first time in decades...and he's consistently been a net positive this season, and had the best All Star, All-NBA season of his career.

But because the Pacers pulled off a miracle in game 1, and we lost a very close game 2... somehow haters are high-fiving each other saying "I told you so" that KAT can't play the 5 and must be traded for the Knicks to compete??? Sad to see fans of other teams on our board actively rooting against our Knicks.

Anyway...For starters, Thibs has to try putting Deuce or Mitch in the starting lineup and let Josh be energy bench guy he's supposed to be. Deuce lets the Knicks play true 5 out with much tighter perimeter defense....while Mitch adds vertical spacing, all-around elite defense, and rebounding.

Fix the player combinations to put everyone in the best position to succeed, and take it from there.

[Guano]

While it really sucks to be in this position, down 2 and on the road for game 3, its somewhat nice to be free of the anxiety of these games. We'll be able to watch this game fairly freely tonight. There isn't any pressure cause expectations have been nuked.

I'll still be here rooting and talkin sht about Hali. But im not dying on every possession.

Still, lets get this fcking W.

[Guano]

Big mistake to change the lineup. Towns is a center, give him the damn ball in the post. Brunson is shooting to much, get your teammates involved earlier in the shot clock.

My least favorite post... Slandering other players to deflect off kat.

Prolly a Chanel burner or worse one of his disciples.

Either way be better!!!!!!!!!!!

be better!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gravy]

The problem with making a change like this now is everyone has to learn how to play a different way with new teammates and rotations and offensive sets. We also don't know if Mitch can be a full time starter again.

[Adelheid]

knicks seem to do better away than home
we will see...

[Deeeez Knicks]

Read on Twitter

?s=61

[whocares1]

Let me get this right. KAT at the 5 got us the best record we've seen in decades. We dethroned the NBA champs. Got to the ECF for the first time in decades...and he's consistently been a net positive this season, and had the best All Star, All-NBA season of his career.

But because the Pacers pulled off a miracle in game 1, and we lost a very close game 2... somehow haters are high-fiving each other saying "I told you so" that KAT can't play the 5 and must be traded for the Knicks to compete??? Sad to see fans of other teams on our board actively rooting against our Knicks.

Anyway...For starters, Thibs has to try putting Deuce or Mitch in the starting lineup and let Josh be energy bench guy he's supposed to be. Deuce let's the Knicks play true 5 out with much tighter perimeter defense....while Mitch adds vertical spacing, all-around elite defense, and rebounding.

Fix the player combinations to put everyone in the best position to succeed, and take it from there.

I feel like matchups matter more than anything. In the Boston series they couldn’t exploit Towns in the way they thought they could bc Knicks would just switch instead of using drop coverage and Towns held his own in isolation. Against the Pacers they can exploit him better on switches bc their best player is a guard who is much quicker than Towns is.

I do want to speak in defense of towns tho. He had an excellent game 1 and he was good 95% of that game and while he made some defensive mishaps, that game was ultimately stolen from the Knicks. It’s unfair to paint this series as if he’s been a total negative when his impact game 1 99% of the time results in a win.

[The KnicksFix]

Big mistake to change the lineup. Towns is a center, give him the damn ball in the post. Brunson is shooting to much, get your teammates involved earlier in the shot clock.

Stop it
Get help while you still can

[LFGK]

Funny things happen in 2-0 series when the series shifts to the other city, whistle I think is different, Mitch starts next to KAT and Knicks play loose with no pressure left m, get 1 then get 2 and doubt creeps into the mind,"these MF didn't just lay down, they're did to us what we did to them last year" it's a long series with a lot of uos and down but Mitch must start so we get off to a better start

[LFGK]

Let me get this right. KAT at the 5 got us the best record we've seen in decades. We dethroned the NBA champs. Got to the ECF for the first time in decades...and he's consistently been a net positive this season, and had the best All Star, All-NBA season of his career.

But because the Pacers pulled off a miracle in game 1, and we lost a very close game 2... somehow haters are high-fiving each other saying "I told you so" that KAT can't play the 5 and must be traded for the Knicks to compete??? Sad to see fans of other teams on our board actively rooting against our Knicks.

Anyway...For starters, Thibs has to try putting Deuce or Mitch in the starting lineup and let Josh be energy bench guy he's supposed to be. Deuce let's the Knicks play true 5 out with much tighter perimeter defense....while Mitch adds vertical spacing, all-around elite defense, and rebounding.

Fix the player combinations to put everyone in the best position to succeed, and take it from there.

I feel like matchups matter more than anything. In the Boston series they couldn’t exploit Towns in the way they thought they could bc Knicks would just switch instead of using drop coverage and Towns held his own in isolation. Against the Pacers they can exploit him better on switches bc their best player is a guard who is much quicker than Towns is.

I do want to speak in defense of towns tho. He had an excellent game 1 and he was good 95% of that game and while he made some defensive mishaps, that game was ultimately stolen from the Knicks. It’s unfair to paint this series as if he’s been a total negative when his impact game 1 99% of the time results in a win.

KAT is best at the 4x a guy like Mitch next to him makes him even more dangerous and at least mediocre on the defensive end, ppl will laugh but I would even throw a little bit of zone at them with the 2 bigs, gotta try different looks, we can do this sh*t, series is far from over, im telling you

[8516knicks]

The problem with making a change like this now is everyone has to learn how to play a different way with new teammates and rotations and offensive sets. We also don't know if Mitch can be a full time starter again.

I doubt Mitch will be full time 48 min Thibs starter; his minutes will probably not greatly increase. But it's not forever he'd be a full time starter- at most (if we get lucky) it will be a 12 game season left.

Watching all the shows EVERYONE gets what the board gets are problems-- EXCEPT Thibs. So we'll see what happens there. We get swept by the Pacers, they probably give Thibs one more season unless they make him a deal he can't refuse to retire.

And the players will be on edge because if we get swept, especially if there are any blowouts on the way, I doubt the exact same core roster comes back intact for '26. Now if I'm making 25M to 50M a year, maybe that's not a fear. But to a player's ego, not his bank account, maybe it is.

[8516knicks]

Big mistake to change the lineup. Towns is a center, give him the damn ball in the post. Brunson is shooting to much, get your teammates involved earlier in the shot clock.

Stop it
Get help while you still can

Thanks for the laugh early this Sunday.

[H_20]

Mitch starting is a very good sign that the knicks will win. The guy just bullies the entire pacers team. We can't afford to go down by double digit lead in the first quarter, thibs understands that. Im feeling better about of chances

[Janquinn87]

Big mistake to change the lineup. Towns is a center, give him the damn ball in the post. Brunson is shooting to much, get your teammates involved earlier in the shot clock.

My least favorite post... Slandering other players to deflect off kat.

Prolly a Chanel burner or worse one of his disciples.

Either way be better!!!!!!!!!!!No slander to Brunson who is the best Knicks guard since Clyde Frasier but Towns had 35pt 12rb in game 1. The Knicks lost because OG was terrible on defense and offense, Brunson had 7 turnovers. We know Towns is not a great defender but he is one of the best offensive Centers in the league, give him the ball, he had the Pacers front line in foul trouble. better!!!!!!!!!!!

[sol537]

This change should improve our chances in game 3 unless players are still disheartened by game one.