“I do know you guys roll your eyes after I say no lead is protected, however no lead is protected,” Tom Thibodeau said after his Knicks outscored the Pacers 36-20 within the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 3 victory.
Thibodeau’s males grew to become the primary staff within the play-by-play period to beat three 20-point deficits in the identical postseason run, following their unbelievable Sport 1 and Sport 2 wins in Boston within the earlier spherical. It is price highlighting that the Knicks additionally wiped a 14-point deficit in Sport 4 in opposition to the Celtics to take a 3-1 collection lead.
Longer rebounds: simpler offense
So, what has propelled the Knicks to erase massive deficits routinely?
Thibs believes the proliferation of the three-point shot has allowed his staff to make up floor extra rapidly. Nevertheless, if one digs deeper, the Knicks have benefited extra from opponents getting trigger-happy. In Sunday’s Sport 3, they made only three threes within the fourth quarter, in comparison with the Pacers taking pictures 1-of-8 from distance.
The Pacers’ misses led to lengthy rebounds, which helped the Knicks assault in transition whereas outrebounding them 13-7. The longer rebounds additionally meant the Knicks may assault the rim in opposition to a Pacers protection that wasn’t set, as evidenced by their 16 free-throw attempts.
An analogous development occurred within the first two video games of the Celtics collection. In Sport 1, Boston shot 2-of-15 from deep en path to a 108-105 loss. In Sport 2, Boston’s trigger-happy methods (2-of-11) price it much more dearly, as New York outrebounded it 17-10 within the fourth quarter. Once more, the Knicks made an opponent pay for taking pictures too many threes.
In contrast to the Celtics, the Pacers have not been as reliant on the lengthy ball, however their miscues on Sunday price them the sport. Nonetheless, it is honest to counsel the Pacers, up 2-1 within the collection, are within the driver’s seat.
All three video games up to now have gone right down to the wire. In accordance with the NBA, that is simply the fifth convention finals collection through which six or fewer factors have determined every of the primary three video games.
The collection stays in Indiana for Tuesday’s Sport 4. If the Knicks can stage up the collection, they may absolutely seize the momentum earlier than returning house for Sport 5.
