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Tom Thibodeau Beats New York Knicks Legend in 1 Category 1 Mar 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson (20) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Former Knicks Star Suggests $220M Center to Play Differently

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated May 25, 2025 9:29 PM ET

The New York Knicks are at a disadvantage heading into Game 3 on Sunday. They trail the Indiana Pacers 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. In the first two games, they had sizeable leads that were blown out by the opposing team. Playing at Madison Square Garden in Games 1 and 2 did not give the team the home-court advantage.

In Game 1, they had a 17-point lead, but the Pacers came back in the game. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton also stunned the team and the crowd with his game-tying 2-point shot in the fourth quarter that forced overtime to give them a 138-135 victory.

Game 2 wasn’t much different, as Indiana had most of the control for the entire game. Heading into the fourth period, the Pacers had the lead, and New York couldn’t catch up, leading to a 114-109 loss.

For Game 3, former Knicks guard Iman Shumpert spoke highly of how the team could get back in the series. His advice is for center Karl-Anthony Towns to get back inside the paint and dominate in the post.

“Throwing KAT in there and letting KAT play back to the basket a little bit,” Shumpert said. “I think both teams seem like they’re showing some zone, all that stuff gotta be out the window. You gotta be a big presence, you gotta get to the foul line. You have to show that everything that I’m doing is causing them to soften up a little bit on offense.”

“You turn down those turnovers, you make sure we get good shot and everything’s balanced. You set up yourself and I don’t think KAT’s that bad at defense once you do.”

In the conference finals, the $220 million worth player has relied on his 3-pointers. Towns has attempted 13 shots from beyond the arc in two games, shooting 46.3 percent.

Knicks head coach on his decision to bench KAT

Dec 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau coaches against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Late in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to bench Towns. Many were curious to know the logic behind it and why it was done during the crucial moment of the game. Instead of the team’s starting center, he opted to have Mitchell Robinson on the floor. When asked about it, he said this:

“Just, we got in a hole, and then the group that was in there gave us a chance. So we were just riding (that lineup). We’re searching for a win.”

KAT finished with 20 points and seven rebounds against the Pacers. For Game 3, they’ll need more from the starting big man on both ends to try and get back in the series.

Former Knicks Star Suggests $220M Center to Play Differently 6 Feb 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to post up against Atlanta Hawks guard Caris LeVert (3) in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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