Even with Thibodeau's whip, the Knicks can't outrun the Pacers

After the first game of the Eastern Conference finals, I finally said, "Whoever can control the offensive rhythm will win the Eastern Conference championship." "Now that four games have been played, if it weren't for the 20-point burning of G3 Downs in the final quarter, I'm afraid the Pacers would have entered the finals.

Four games, all in the rhythm of the Pacers, fast-paced long rotation, and Knicks heart. This kind of fast pace reached its peak in the first half today. D'Antoni's bombardment of the Suns has a seven-second rule, and the offensive round should be completed in about seven seconds. And today's Pacers in the first half were even more extreme than seven seconds, passing half in two seconds and completing the offense in three seconds.

Many of the Pacers' offensive rounds ended in about 19 seconds, and the offensive efficiency was incredibly high. And the Knicks' players, under the high-conversion offensive rhythm, have a visible decline in physical fitness.

During the timeout, Downs and Ohashi were tired enough, and then Thibodeau said three sprints in a row: "Sprint, sprint, sprint." Keep it up, guys, keep it up...... Pay attention to communication! Priority to protect the ball, the ball must not be put down! Cheer up, you're much better than that! ”

Continuing to put Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup is obviously not a good choice, Miro only played 19 minutes today, under the offensive rhythm of the Pacers, the Knicks' two-tower lineup looked very clunky, there were a lot of defensive problems, and they were grabbed by the Pacers.

Thibodeau wanted to emphasize the drop-out and keep up with the pacers. In fact, they obviously have a good homework to copy, that is, in the fourth quarter of the last game, they put pressure on the ball carrier from the backcourt to prevent the basketball from easily pushing through the halfcourt.

But Brunson is clearly not a good defender, and he won't spend a lot of energy on the defensive end. This round of the series magnified the incompatibility between Brunson and Downs. In the second quarter when Brunson was resting, Towns scored 12 points in a single quarter on the court, tying the difference, which was also the best time period for the Knicks in the whole game.

The most funny thing about this game is that the Knicks want to learn from the Pacers to play fast, and then make a long pass to the frontcourt, and the bridge doesn't look at his teammates at all for a difficult turn to pull out the iron, and then the Pacers catch the rebound again and fight back. The other four Knicks were halfway through and had to turn back and keep running.

The Pacers went 19-2 again, and the Knicks had one of the slowest offensive paces in the league in the regular season, averaging only 26th in the league in the number of rounds per game; The Pacers rank seventh in the league in the number of rounds per game. It's a bit whimsical for the Knicks to try to beat their opponents in what they are good at.

At the start of the second half, the twin towers were still the Knicks' starters, and then the Pacers pulled the score away again in six rounds. In these six rounds, Brunson and Ohashi were counterattacked by Haliburton with consecutive steals, and the Knicks missed four consecutive shots.

The reason why the Knicks have been led by the Pacers all the time is because Thibodeau's setup is problematic, which makes it very easy for the Pacers to pass the half; On the other hand, it is also because the Knicks themselves make too many mistakes, but all mistakes are counterattacked.

In four games, the Knicks have not had fewer than 12 turnovers in a single game, with 15, 12, 14 and a most of 17 today. The Pacers certainly aren't a very good defensive pressing team, but the Knicks' offensive routine has been figured out by the Pacers, and at least three of Hart's five turnovers today were cut off by direct passes.

In contrast, Haliburton, the core of the Pacers' initiation, had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists and 4 steals today, without a turnover, not a single one. In the first half alone, Haliburton was 20+9+10, with excellent hands and continuous assists, and played smoothly, which is the favorite rhythm of Haliburton and the Pacers.

Haliburton today became the first player in playoff history to go 30+10+15 without a turnover, which is not bad for one of the most overrated players to be voted on.

Haliburton, 25, is really doing something amazing, and they are now just one win away from the finals. To be able to achieve such an achievement in the playoffs at this age, Haliburton's star status should be redefined.

And for Downs, he gave everything he had in two consecutive games, his knee was uncomfortable after hitting the last game, and his knee collided with Nesmith again at the end of the quarter, he rolled on the ground in pain, covering his face on the bench, but he still chose to limp through the rest of the game.

It's just that the miracle didn't happen again after all, Downs 24 points and 12 rebounds have burned himself out, and he saved his reputation in this round of the series, worthy of his heart. He's got a lot of flaws on the court, he's got foul control problems, he's got defensive habits, but he's done his best.

Haliburton, who continues to prove himself with the game, also gives respect to Downs, who burns himself. I hope that after the East Showdown, Downs can still have a healthy body.