Knicks Are Making Gritty Run in Playoffs

New York is halfway towards a semifinals series victory against the defending champion Boston Celtics. So far, New York has made two impressive comebacks against the defending champs on their home floor. Mikal Bridges made game-winning defensive stops in the last seconds of both games.

The Knicks found themselves down 20 in both games, but hit key shots and big stops in clutch time for both comeback wins. Also, Boston living and dying by the three played a role in New York’s victories in Games 1 and 2. Mitchell Robinson has emerged as a key player and an X-factor for New York. The team didn’t have a protector at the rim for much of the regular season, allowing the Celtics to attack with switches. With weak resistance down low, New York gave up easy points and picked up fouls, but that’s changed with Robinson back on the floor.

With Robinson on the court, head coach Tom Thibodeau can switch at will to help with weaker defenders. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have been outstanding in switches this series, forcing Boston to contested shots. Plus, Robinson has no issue defending a ball-handler away from the rim. So far, through two games, Thibodeau has pushed the right buttons to give the Knicks early momentum. Also, he has aggressively leveraged every mismatch between Brunson and Towns. Seeing Robinson’s value on the floor, Thibodeau has continued to use him.

Conclusion

The Knicks have all the momentum going into Game 3, which will be held at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks will look to keep up their momentum with crowd support at home against the defending champs. On the other hand, Boston will surely look to make some major game adjustments to change the course of the series, as they are the defending champions.