Jalen Duren was probably one of the happiest people in Manhattan on Tuesday night.
“This is amazing. Being here, in this atmosphere, playing against this team, there’s nothing like it,” Duren said late Tuesday in the visitor’s locker room at MSG. “This is what you dream of as a basketball player.”
Duren’s dream was obviously a nightmare for the Knicks. New York let a chance to close out this series slip through their fingers on Tuesday night.
What went wrong? New York’s top two options on offense didn’t shoot the ball well. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns missed a combined 21 shots on 30 attempts. The other Knick starters shot a combined 22-for-42 from the field.
The Knicks also seemed to botch a late-game situation.
Brunson (leg) and Josh Hart (wrist) both had left the game late in the fourth quarter due to injury. The Knicks traded water with Hart and Brunson. But both were ready to return, standing at the scorer’s table with under a minute to play and the Knicks down four. New York could have called timeout to get Hart and Brunson in the game (they had one timeout to use). The club also could have stopped the clock with a foul. But Tom Thibodeau decided against both options. He let play continue with Hart and Brunson standing at the scorer’s table. Cade Cunningham found Ausar Thompson for a layup on the ensuing possession, expanding the Pistons’ lead to six with 27 seconds to play.
“Just coach’s decision,” Thibodeau said after the game when asked about the sequence.
What factors go into the decision?
“You look at the time, score, penalty, timeouts, all of the above,” Thibodeau said. “What’s happening in the game. The next possession, we’re weighing — there’s a lot that goes into it.”
Hindsight is 20/20 but the coach’s decision late in Game 5 turned out to be the wrong one.
Detroit finished the Knicks off with two Cade Cunningham free throws.
Now, New York faces a Pistons team that’s loose and brimming with confidence entering Game 6 on Thursday. This is a Pistons team that doesn’t shrink in tough moments.
“When you’re back is against the wall, you might be stuck in the corner, the only way to get out is to keep swinging,” Duren said. “That’s what we did, just kept swinging. Got out that corner.”
The Knicks aren’t quite on the ropes entering Game 6 on Thursday. But a loss would put all of the pressure on the Knicks in Game 7. The Pistons are playing with house money; New York needs to win the series.
Will the Knicks be able to close it out on Thursday?
Cade Cunningham doesn’t think so. He plans to return to the Garden for Game 7.
“We’ll be back,” he said.
Jalen Duren was probably one of the happiest people in Manhattan on Tuesday night.
“This is amazing. Being here, in this atmosphere, playing against this team, there’s nothing like it,” Duren said late Tuesday in the visitor’s locker room at MSG. “This is what you dream of as a basketball player.”
Duren’s dream was obviously a nightmare for the Knicks. New York let a chance to close out this series slip through their fingers on Tuesday night.
What went wrong? New York’s top two options on offense didn’t shoot the ball well. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns missed a combined 21 shots on 30 attempts. The other Knick starters shot a combined 22-for-42 from the field.
The Knicks also seemed to botch a late-game situation.
Brunson (leg) and Josh Hart (wrist) both had left the game late in the fourth quarter due to injury. The Knicks traded water with Hart and Brunson. But both were ready to return, standing at the scorer’s table with under a minute to play and the Knicks down four. New York could have called timeout to get Hart and Brunson in the game (they had one timeout to use). The club also could have stopped the clock with a foul. But Tom Thibodeau decided against both options. He let play continue with Hart and Brunson standing at the scorer’s table. Cade Cunningham found Ausar Thompson for a layup on the ensuing possession, expanding the Pistons’ lead to six with 27 seconds to play.
“Just coach’s decision,” Thibodeau said after the game when asked about the sequence.
What factors go into the decision?
“You look at the time, score, penalty, timeouts, all of the above,” Thibodeau said. “What’s happening in the game. The next possession, we’re weighing — there’s a lot that goes into it.”
Hindsight is 20/20 but the coach’s decision late in Game 5 turned out to be the wrong one.
Detroit finished the Knicks off with two Cade Cunningham free throws.
Now, New York faces a Pistons team that’s loose and brimming with confidence entering Game 6 on Thursday. This is a Pistons team that doesn’t shrink in tough moments.
“When you’re back is against the wall, you might be stuck in the corner, the only way to get out is to keep swinging,” Duren said. “That’s what we did, just kept swinging. Got out that corner.”
The Knicks aren’t quite on the ropes entering Game 6 on Thursday. But a loss would put all of the pressure on the Knicks in Game 7. The Pistons are playing with house money; New York needs to win the series.
Will the Knicks be able to close it out on Thursday?
Cade Cunningham doesn’t think so. He plans to return to the Garden for Game 7.
“We’ll be back,” he said.
