SPANISH HARLEM – The first round series between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons are tied at 1 a piece and this has most fans nervous. They have mostly been outplayed in 7 of the 8 quarters by the Pistons except for the 4th quarter of game 1 that saw the Knicks go on 21-0 run. With that said, let’s look at what the Knicks need to do better to get back on track.
Get the Ball to KAT Early and Often
10 point in game 2 is not going to cut it for Karl-Anthony Towns but who is to blame? Jalen Brunson and Tom Thibodeau have to take some of the blame here. Thibs for not getting him more involved in the offense and Brunson for not getting him the ball when the match ups favored KAT. He needs to have a big day today for the Knicks to win.
More Ball Movement
Look, I love Brunson like the rest of the fan base but repeatably forcing the ball to him is not doing the offense any favors. The Pistons are making it difficult on Brunson by being physical and he needs to move the ball to the other guys on the court, so they aren’t standing around waiting for something to happen. The more they move the ball, the more active guys will be and with that should come a balanced attack.
They Need More from the Bench
This has been a season long dilemma and while most teams tend to play their best players for more minutes in the playoffs, Thibs still needs to give the bench more time to get in a rhythm. I know it’s tough when you see the other team go on a scoring run with some of the starters out of the game, but you also need to give them the opportunity to contribute before pulling them. You can’t just rely on your starters to get all the points and that falls on Thibs to manage those minutes better.
That’s it for now, please come back tomorrow for more great content from Action Jackson Sternberg.
