It was a wild ride for the Pistons and Knicks in the two games at Madison Square Garden. New York took game one 123-112, sparked by a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter. Game two featured a late comeback for the Knicks, but the Pistons were able to fend off the scare, stealing game 2 by a score of 100-94. It is Detroit’s first playoff win since 2008, snapping a 15-game losing streak.
In the first two games, Detroit outplayed the Knicks. If it was not for a miracle run in the fourth quarter, led by point guard Cameron Payne, the series would have ended with the Pistons up two games to none. The Pistons were leading 98-90 early on in the fourth quarter when Payne drew a foul on a scoop layup, bringing the fans in Madison Square Garden back into the game. Payne nailed two threes in a row and the Knicks never looked back. New York was feeling great going into Monday’s game two.
In game two, the Pistons took the lead with four minutes to go in the first quarter, and they never gave up for the rest of the game. New York erased a 15-point third-quarter deficit, tying the game on a Josh Hart slam with just over a minute left in the game. On the ensuing possession, Cade Cunningham was double teamed and swung the ball over to Dennis Schroder, who was matched up with Jalen Brunson. The veteran buried the dagger right over the Knicks’ captain. Playing on his third team this season, Dennis Schroder is the key piece to Detroit’s puzzle. With the most playoff experience on the team, the German native showed his young guns how it is done in the playoffs.
For the Knicks, the story of game two is different than game one. Tom Thibodeau distributed the minutes from the bench fairly evenly. The X-factor in game one’s victory played a whopping four minutes in game two. You cannot expect anyone to produce efficiently if you only give them four minutes on the court. Landry Shamet also played for just four minutes Monday night.
The starters, minus Brunson, played to their standards in game two. Dennis Schroder, the hero in game two’s win for Detroit, came off the bench. New York won game one because of the bench, yet Thibodeau did not even consider the bench in game two.
Another knock for the Knicks is the question mark on Karl-Anthony Towns. The major offseason acquisition for New York did not score in the second half of game 2. His usage over the first two games has been very confusing.
How is it that arguably the all-time best big man of three-point shooting in this league has attempted just five three-pointers in the first two games? Why trade for a superstar caliber player if you don’t use him correctly?
In game two, the 2015 first-overall pick did not score in the second half, while only scoring 10 points in the first half. Towns has shown that he is a playoff performer. He was one of the key reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked off the defending champion, the Denver Nuggets, leading the team in scoring in the win or go home game seven.
We better see a change from Thibodeau for game three, whether it is benching Hart for Mitchell Robinson or feeding Towns. New York cannot win by simply forcing every shot to Brunson. Brunson has continually carried his team to the playoffs, but winning teams involve everyone. The prime example is the 2024 Boston Celtics; it felt like, every possession, all five players on the court were going to score. It was not the Jayson Tatum show, while the other four watched him do the work. Everyone was involved, and that is what New York needs to do. The Knicks have the offensive ability to do what Boston did in 2024 by changing their game plan.
When it comes to OG Anunoby, his defensive presence over the first two games felt seen. He was able to lock up Cade Cunningham in game one, holding him to 2-8 shooting as Cunningham’s primary defender. However, Cunningham took over in game two, going off for 33 points and 12 rebounds. Although he has been great on defense, the 27-year-old needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball. Shooting 4-10 and being a –5 in a playoff game does not cut it. He has to step up in games three and four if the Knicks want a chance to get past Detroit.
Game three tips off on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., followed by Sunday’s game four at 1:00 p.m. on ABC.