If you had predicted the Knicks winning their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Celtics, you were either a delusional Knicks fan or hated Boston.
On paper, New York should not have come close to winning the second-round series. They looked outmatched and overwhelmed in most regular-season games against the Celtics, resulting in a series sweep. However, through grit, determination, tactics, and adjustments, they found a way to beat the reigning champions in the playoffs.
A Team Effort Offensively
Here’s an interesting stat: The Knicks are 6-0 in these playoffs when OG Anunoby scores more than 20 points per game. When Anunoby is in a groove, he becomes a great third option, scoring from the mid-range, behind the arc, and finishing at the rim.
Karl-Anthony Towns did not shoot the three-ball well against Boston (3-for-19). Still, he was so effective going against opposing bigs in the paint, shooting 69.2% when he was less than five feet from the rim. Even if KAT is not shooting threes well, utilizing him as a trailer in transition, and passing him the ball off a screen at the top of the key makes the defense react. He is the solution to a sometimes stagnant offense, and hopefully, we see him increasingly involved.
The Knicks are at their best when their entire team is contributing, and this was one of the themes of the series. While Jalen Brunson is great, he should not have to play hero ball. The Knicks have enough talent to help take pressure off Brunson.
High-level Defense
“Wingstop” was open and in full effect against the Boston Celtics.
Mikal Bridges was at his best defensively, averaging 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in the series. He secured Games 1 and 2 for the Knicks with two game-sealing steals that fans will never forget.
Throughout the series, OG Anunoby was also tasked with guarding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He had to consistently fight through Boston screens to defend his primary matchups. Opponents shot 35.3% when guarded by Anunoby in the series, which ranked fifth by a player in the conference semifinals who played a minimum of five games.
Mitchell Robinson was arguably the most impactful player on the court for the Knicks. His 7.7 plus-minus per game ranked as the best in the entire series. His rebounding was game-changing, and even after the multiple foot surgeries, he is still mobile and is capable of guarding one through five.
Time to Trust Thibs?
Tom Thibodeau’s ATOs (after timeout plays), SLOBs (sideline out-of-bounds plays) in the clutch, and defensive game planning stood out the most this series.
Thibs is a great late-game coach, and he clearly showed it against Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. The Knicks seemingly had every advantage possible when it came to the closing moments. They have the Clutch Player of the Year in Jalen Brunson, and they used defenders in Miles McBride and Robinson to sub in late game for KAT and Brunson.
A big criticism of Thibs is about how he is not flexible in his rotations, but in that regard he made key adjustments throughout the series. We saw the KAT and Robinson (double big) lineups more often, and he played them together in the fourth quarter at times. Giving extended minutes to McBride were huge in this series offensively and defensively.
Hopefully, Thibs will not continue to run the starting five when up 30 with six minutes to go in a game next series. However, fans cannot expect everything Thibs does to change; he is still a stubborn coach by nature.
25 Years Later
The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
Indiana is next up, and the Knicks will look for revenge after the Pacers beat them in seven games last year. The series begins Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in what is the most anticipated Knicks game in over two decades.
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