Well, that was not good. The Knicks had this game in hand late in the 4th quarter but a combination of soft defense on the 3-point line, hot shooting, missed foul shots and late turnovers created a collapse not seen going back at least 30 years. The Knicks are a resilient team and did some of this to the Celtics last series in those first two games but this takes it to another level of choking. A few observations:

1. SU notes how the Knicks went on a great run in the 4th quarter once Brunson went to the bench with his 5th foul. Taking nothing away from Brunson who is a great player but the ball “sticks” for much of the shot clock when he is in and walking the ball up the court and dribbling near mid-court. The Pacers are making the adjustment to double him out there and he fell down several times in overtime – probably exhausted. Josh Hart said in the post-game that they need to keep up the pace – that no doubt is directed at Brunson.
2. OG Anunoby has to be better. They cannot afford for any of the starters to not be scoring – especially if the scores are going to be north of 120 points in this series.
3. Guard the 3-point shooters – please. The defense in the last few minutes and overtime was really bad. SU says some of that is due to fatigue. The Pacers are running 10 guys out there and as Reggie Miller pointed out, none of them plays more than 33 minutes a game on average. As fast as Indiana plays, Thibs should consider longer minutes for Deuce McBride and Robinson at a minimum.
4. Haliburton is a punk. Great player but not in the mold of what SU likes to see from a player. The choke sign after his lucky shot bounced through the hoop was classless. Perhaps karma will come back to bite him on the ass later in this series.
5. The overturn on that call in the last minute on Anunoby was a horrendous call. He had fumbled the ball but was regaining possession to shoot it. The officiating reviews in the NBA are tiring. SU says the refs do the best they can and the calls will typically even out in the end. I know there is contact on every play and reffing in the NBA is incredibly hard. But that was a blown review.
6. The physical contact allowed against Brunson bringing the ball up the court is a joke. SU does not recall a rule in the NBA playbook that allows defenders to push, hold and grab like that. It has been allowed throughout the playoffs.
7. Most of the Knick playoff games this year have been very close – similar to last night. They know how to play in close games. Indiana is very good offensively and they want the fast pace. So do the Knicks. The problem for the rest of this series is that no lead will be considered to be safe for NY.

Game 2 is clearly a must win for the Knicks. We will find out if they are cooked or if they have some pride left. I think they will show out but it will not be easy. They could use Anthony Mason right about now to restore some order.

How are the rest of you feeling?

SU was not surprised to see the Knicks get blown out last night in game 5 in Boston. I was actually surprised that the game was tied at half time. The first half had a nice flow to it and some very good shooting. In the 3rd quarter, the refs, for whatever reason and SU is not an NBA conspiracy guy, decided that all of the physical play allowed in the first half had to be called. The Celtics shot 18 foul shots in the 3rd quarter and Jalen Brunson actually picked up 5 fouls in just the 3rd quarter. He averaged 1.9 fouls per game this season. Some were clear fouls and some were of the touch variety. I have never seen a player get 5 fouls in a quarter. Ever.

For SU, the game slowed to a crawl and became unwatchable. There are clearly plays that are phyical with no call. But basically, if you drive to the basket, you are going to get the call unless of course you Karl Anthony Towns who gets no calls on his drives to the basket. In any game. Somehow if you are 7-feet and mobile, it’s OK to bump you and body up to cause contact. Bottom line: the refs reward the aggressors, and usually the home team are the aggressors. To the Knicks’ credit, they don’t make excuses about the refs. Their defense last night on the 3’s was pretty awful and KAT continues to pick up silly fouls on the perimeter.

I know SU is old school but back in the day, players would fight over the screens on top to stay with their man. Today, they are happy to switch all the time and it seems that on every possession, KAT is on either Brown or White in a clear out.

SU says this game was lost in the 3rd quarter when Thibodeau refused to sub for the first 9 minutes as the lead blossomed to 15 points. Both Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride had played well in the first half, and you would have thought the right move was to break the flow and sub them in. Nope. SU has said all year that the loss of DiVincenzo was huge to this team. They are missing someone off the bench.

But, if you were told at the start of this series that the Knicks would be at home for game 6 up 3-2 in the series, you would have signed up for that in a minute. It is amazing as they have trailed for most of the 5 games by double digits. Playoff series are all about adjustments between games, and let’s see what the Knicks come up with for game 6 against the bigger Celtics lineups.

For SU, Brunson has to get others involved in the first quarter. He is dribbling away so many possessions, and even if he scores, others are not in the flow. Bridges and OG were invisible last night. He has to get them going at the start. For the Knicks to win, you need everyone in double figures.

A game 7 in Boston will not be pretty and even though the Knicks play well on the road, it’s too much to ask. It’s all about game 6 then. Even without Tatum, Boston has plenty of firepower but they will live and die by the 3-pointer the rest of this series.

Finally, a special shoutout to Reggie Miller on TNT. Unlistenable. SU finally muted the game in the 3rd quarter and I rarely do that. There must be someone better to call these games.

What do you think Knick fans?

How many of you had the Celtics building up late 3rd quarter 20-point leads to the Knicks at home and then losing both games? OK, no-one right? How do we explain this? Game 1, sure, attempting 60 3-pointers is crazy and once you start missing as a team, it’s contagious. So, for Game 2, you make the adjustment and drive the ball more which they did in the first half. The Knicks were nowhere last night. Then, in the 4th quarter, Bridges goes off and Boston gets tight. What is going on? SU has a view here:

1. The Celtics lack a classic point guard to run the show. This becomes an issue late in close games apparently. Bad decisions, broken plays.
2. Porzingis has some type of illness which is sapping his energy. He literally can only play a few minutes at a time. They are much better when he is on the court.
3. The Knicks are a resilient and battle tested team. They basically play 5 guys with a few minutes for Robinson, Payne and Deuce. Now, SU believes this is also a huge problem. Any foul trouble or an injury would be a killer for them. Thibodeau should use the bench a little more but he is stubborn.
4. Robinson has a very positive +/- points advantage going when he is on the court. You have to play him early in the quarter as they are fouling him and no one wants to watch him at the foul line. But he has been a difference maker on both ends – especially with KAT on the court.
5. Boston may just lack a player with that killer instinct. It’s hard to believe as they have manhandled the Knicks all year and Tatum especially is usually uncoverable. But he has come up small in these first two games.
6. The Knicks have gotten lucky as well. They are not playing lights out by any measure and have been sloppy at times. Hart was huge last night even though he is reluctant to ever shoot. He is such a great finisher at the rim.

By no means is this series over. The Knicks are 5-0 on the road in the playoffs and seem to play freer away from the Garden. The Celtics have dominated most of the first two games, and while their confidence in the 4th quarter is clearly shaken now, it’s not like they are losing by 10 points. The Knicks will have to bring their best effort on Saturday. SU says please pass the ball and move. The Brunson clear outs are great at times but not every time.

Buckle up!