Despite coming into the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 2 seed, many experts picked the New York Knicks to be a first-round exit. Regardless of their naysayers, Tom Thibodeau’s squad has gotten off to the best start possible, jumping out to a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers with a pair of come-from-behind wins at home. The team will travel out to the Wells Fargo Center for games three and four of the series.
The most prominent storyline in this series has surrounded Jalen Brunson’s performance. Despite playing at an MVP level all season long, the 27-year-old has failed to make the same impact against the Philadelphia defense so far. While the former Villanova Wildcat is averaging 23 points between games one and two, he is shooting less than 30% from the field and under 20% from beyond the arc. Brunson has also been prone to dribbling into double teams up to this point, which is why he finished game two with a staggering five turnovers. Despite his offensive struggles, he has still contributed to winning plays, and his ability to set up buckets for his teammates through his craftiness with the ball has been massive. Isaiah Hartenstein’s most recent 14 point furry on 7-8 shooting can be partly attributed to the guard’s playmaking ability. Brunson draws a double team nearly every time he has the ball and is a threat when he dribbles into the charge circle. As a result, Joel Embiid has stepped up to double Brunson. However, Hartenstein has burnt the Philadelphia center nearly every time for doing so, cutting into the lane for an easy layup.
While it has worked up to this point, there is no doubt that the Knicks need Brunson to come back to form as soon as possible if they wish to be competitive for the rest of the playoffs. Nonetheless, Knick fans shouldn’t look too deeply into this, as Brunson is too good to stay in this slump for long. If anything, this is a positive sign for the Knicks as they are proving to the basketball world that they have a cast of characters outside the All-Star point guard who can compete at a high level on any given night. In particular, the play from Josh Hart has been nothing short of spectacular and is a major reason why the team owns a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Hart has been playing an absurd number of minutes so far, averaging 45 minutes on the floor for the team’s homestand. In that time, he has been the best player on the floor for New York. Not only has his elite defense given the Knicks an edge when the scoring has stalled out, but he has been shooting the ball better than anyone on the squad. Hart is shooting over 40% from the field and owns a 50% clip from downtown and, as a result, he is averaging 22 points in the series. While this in and of itself is impressive, Hart’s biggest contribution has been on the glass. Despite being undersized at 6-foot-4, the guard owns a series best 14 boards per contest. When the action resumes this Thursday, keep an eye out for the Maryland native and the spark that he provides for the squad. Without Hart’s high-energy plays, it is hard to see New York up 2-0 or even as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
While nearly everything seems to be going right for the Knicks, it has not come without complications. Tyrese Maxey has torched the New York defense in games one and two, averaging 34 points on over 50% shooting. The 23-year-old has also set up his teammates for high percentage looks, averaging seven assists in that span. Embiid has also played his part, accumulating 32 points a night on a 40% clip.
The reality of the situation is that there is little that the team can do to shut down Maxey and Embiid from going off every night — they are just that good. What the team should focus on is neutralizing everyone else on the floor. If the Knicks can limit their opponents to around 30 points a night while allowing Maxey and Embiid to combine for at most 70 of their own, their probability of winning increases tremendously. While this may seem like an unsustainable strategy, it is not. In fact, the UConn men’s basketball team used this tactic in order to capture their sixth national championship in program history.
In this year’s NCAA title match, the Huskies came in with an unorthodox game plan: limit everyone on Purdue as much as possible, but allow Zach Edey to score 40 points. This game plan played out to perfection for Connecticut, as Edey dominated — scoring 37 on 15-25 shooting — though the rest of the team struggled. Boilermaker starters combined for 21 points and were no match for UConn as their hard-nosed defense shut down any scoring opportunities for Purdue. With the Knicks having arguably the best wing defender in the Association in OG Anunoby and a team with a defense first mentality, this plan is more than feasible for Thibodeau’s squad.
Stealing at least one game on the road is a must for the Knicks. This puts Philadelphia on the ropes. Winning one on the road means that the 76ers would have to win three out of the next four, including two at Madison Square Garden. Watch out for how Brunson bounces back, and how the defense does at limiting the 76ers’ role players. If the team keeps doing what it has been doing defensively so far, New York will likely advance into the second round. It is only a matter of time before Brunson returns to his old self and will be yet another scoring threat that Nick Nurse’s squad will need to stop.