The Knicks’ 25-year drought of not making the Eastern Conference finals will continue a few more days, at least.
After going into halftime tied with the Tatum-less Celtics, the Knicks had the doors blown off in the third quarter en route to a massive Boston win. New York’s transition defense was abysmal and allowed Boston’s best shooters to step into comfortable 3s. Then, the half-court defense began to crumble, and those same tremendous shooters were taking practice shots in a half-court setting.
The Knicks were in foul trouble for most of the night. Brunson had five fouls in the third quarter alone and fouled out with over seven minutes left in the game.
Boston’s defense was sound, and the tweak to have Brown guard Brunson paid off tremendously. New York shot 34 percent from the floor before coach Tom Thibodeau decided to pull his starters.
The Knicks still have a 3-2 series lead and need just one more victory to reach the Eastern Conference final. They need to wrap it up as soon as possible, though, as the fast-paced and well-rested Pacers are awaiting their next opponent.
However, despite leading the series, New York has a minus-30-plus point differential in this series. They’ve trailed big in every game. The Knicks can’t keep letting this happen.
