INDIANAPOLIS — Because the previous saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau went again to the identical beginning lineup that delivered a Recreation 3 victory over the Pacers for Recreation 4, sticking with Josh Hart as a part of the second unit with Mitchell Robinson beginning alongside Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Cities, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
What did Thibodeau like most about his new-look beginning 5?
“Well, the final result,” he mentioned forward of tipoff on Tuesday. “We had a number of guys step up and play well. And it’s not really about who’s starting, it’s about how you finish. So we had a number of guys step up and play well.”
The beginning lineup spent 14 minutes on the ground collectively in Recreation 3. They posted a internet score of plus-0.1 in Recreation 3. The constructive internet score is an entire 360-degree flip from what had develop into the norm.
The starters with Josh Hart had routinely been outscored within the playoffs and had been minus-29 in Video games 1 and a couple of towards the Pacers. Hart performed 34 minutes off the bench in Recreation 3 and logged eight factors, 10 rebounds and 4 assists on the night time. The Knicks outscored the Pacers by 5 in his minutes on the ground, and Hart was a part of the Cities-led lineup that turned a 20-point deficit right into a six-point victory within the fourth quarter on Sunday.
“The closing lineup ended up being a lineup that, for the most part, had played a lot together,” mentioned Thibodeau. “You’re just reading the game – what’s going on and what do you need at that particular time. Do you need more offense? Do you need more defense? And you try to make your decisions based on that and how the game’s flowing and what are the matchups? Who do they have on the floor? And what are you trying to take care of?”
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Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned his group let go of the rope after constructing a 20-point lead within the second quarter of Recreation 3.
“Over 48 minutes, building leads is great. Finishing quarters is equally important in a lot of situations,” Carlisle mentioned forward of tipoff on Tuesday. “[We] didn’t close the second quarter well. Had it to 20. They went on a run, 10-3 that got them within 13. The third quarter was OK. But the fourth quarter was a problem, and certainly Towns getting going was a big part of it. Our rebounding wasn’t as good as it needed to be and offensively we struggled, so tonight we’re gonna have to make the appropriate adjustments and do a lot better.”
The Pacers entered Recreation 4 with historical past on their facet. Indiana hadn’t misplaced two consecutive video games since March 10, however Carlisle refused to lean into that stat as a motive why his group would win Recreation 4.
“Past history doesn’t mean anything once you get to this moment. We have got to focus in on things that are really important, and that is our ability to create pressure on these guys with full-court defense, doing it without fouling, doing a better job on the boards so that we can get out and run and keep tempo in the game. We slowed down too much in Game 3 and even after makes, we’ve gotta get it in quickly, we’ve gotta move the ball up the floor as quickly as possible,” he mentioned. “Our paint touches in Game 3 were a very low number compared to most of the rest of the playoffs, so these are all aggression things. And then you’ve got great players you’ve gotta deal with.”
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Carlisle famous the Knicks play higher when OG Anunoby is concerned within the offense. It’s a level of emphasis his Pacers are keying in on to assist preserve the collection of their favor.
“You’ve gotta deal with Brunson, you’ve gotta deal with Towns, and then the third guy that’s a real problem is Anunoby,” he mentioned on Tuesday. “For their team, Anunoby, if you look at stats: wins, losses, he’s one of the biggest difference-makers on their team. He’s 19 points in wins and 12 in losses. So we’ve gotta make sure we pay extra special attention to him, too, and not let him get going.”
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Thibodeau mentioned veteran guard Cameron Payne may have his quantity known as once more. Payne didn’t play in Recreation 3 after Delon Wright and Landry Shamet had been bumped up a spot within the rotation.
“Just a coach’s decision. Cam is a terrific player, very good pro,” mentioned Thibodeau. “We’re asking a lot of people to make sacrifices, put the team first and he’s done that his whole career, so just stay ready.”
