Knicks Survive. Barely
Playing Barrett (who had been sidelined for 15 days) 41 minutes on Wednesday night was inexcusable. It's the type of rigid inflexibility we've seen from Thibs that infuriates fans.
If you had told Knicks fans before the start of the season that the Knicks would be four games over .500 after 42 games… Nice!
If you had told Knicks fans before the start of Wednesday night's game, the Knicks would win 119-113 to leapfrog Indiana into the sixth seed in the East… Nice!
However, you can't blame Knicks fans if they went to bed groggy and woke up upset, despite what the final score and the standings tell us today.
With 7:40 remaining in the third quarter last night, Mitchell Robinson knocked down a free throw which put New York up 78-53, giving the home team a seemingly insurmountable 25-point lead. Yet, if we've learned anything this season with this team, it's that no lead is safe. The Knicks have lost seven games this season in which they've led by double-digits. Dating back to the start of last season, New York has lost five games in which they've led by 20 points or more.
Heading into last night, the Pacers were 0-58 over the past five years in games in which they trailed by 20+ points. But after New York went up 25 in the third, they started pressing the Knicks and chipping away. Nonetheless, with three minutes left in the third, Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana's floor general and best player, injured his knee going up for a layup and limped back to the locker room. That meant the Pacers, who were already missing Myles Turner (who was ruled out just before tip-off due to back spasms), would have to play the final 15 minutes without their two best players.
Still, the vibe inside the Garden was anything but pleasant. Despite carrying a 14-point lead into the final frame, it was obvious to everyone watching that Knicks players, coaches and fans were tight and anxious. New York had blown a 15-point second-half lead to the Bucks less than 48 hours earlier, and it felt like another collapse might be in the offing.
If the producers of a Netflix drama series were orchestrating this game, they would have replaced the MSG organ melodies with eerie, haunting music.
The Pacers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to bring Indiana within six. With three minutes left in the final frame, Buddy Hield knocked down a three-pointer, which cut the deficit to just two, 105-103.
However, on the Knicks' next possession, Jalen Brunson hit a driving layup and then buried a clutch trey to extend New York's lead to seven points. Indiana would whittle the margin down to three before Quentin Grimes hit a dagger three with 25 seconds left on the clock.
Yes, New York walked away with a significant victory, but it felt as much like a loss as any win can.
When assigning blame, the head coach has to take his fair share of criticism. The most befuddling decision Tom Thibodeau made last night was leaving RJ Barret on the floor for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Barrett had been sidelined since injuring his finger against the Mavs two days after Christmas. Yes, he was able to get in cardio work over the previous 15 days, but that doesn't mean he's anywhere close to 100% or in game shape.
And, unsurprisingly, RJ looked gassed down the stretch. After exceeding expectations by playing well in the first half (he finished the game with 27 points and eight rebounds), Barrett was 1-of-7 from the floor in the fourth quarter. He missed all four three-pointers he attempted; his shots were flat and short. Defensively, he lost his man or was blown by frequently. He foolishly found Heild shooting a three-pointer with 90 seconds left and almost gave Hield another opportunity at a four-point play.
While all this was going on, Grimes sat on the bench and watched, unable to stem the momentum. Grimes, the Knicks' best perimeter defender, was excellent on Wednesday. He limited Tyrese Haliburton to just nine points on nine shots in the first half. Through the first three quarters, Grimes had tallied 13 points, five boards, two steals and three triples. He finished the contest with a game-high +14.
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