Knicks Defense Won Game 1

The New York Knicks are happy after a Game 1 win against the Detroit Pistons, but they aren't satisfied.

If they are going to win again for Game 2, they need their defensive plan to continue working.

The Athletic insider James Edwards III broke down New York's defensive plans against Detroit in the opening game of the series.

"New York’s plan to get the ball out of the hands of Detroit star guard Cade Cunningham in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs both worked and didn’t work through the first three quarters. It worked because the Knicks didn’t allow the soon-to-be All-NBA guard, who went 8 of 21 from the field, to ever get in a scoring rhythm," Edwards wrote.

"Even when Cunningham thought he had a sliver of space, New York was there with even more bodies. It didn’t work because their plan to let the “others” beat them backfired, as Detroit’s Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined to score 68 points on 20-of-33 shooting to help their team take an eight-point lead into the final 12 minutes."

The Knicks had a focus on Cunningham. If they could stop him, it could keep the Pistons stagnant. However, the team's 3-point specialists were hot, and the Pistons will need them to be stellar in order to win at any point during the series.

During the fourth quarter, when the Pistons needed their 3-point shooters the most, they got cold.

"The Pistons’ trio of Harris, Beasley and Hardaway scored just a combined six points in the fourth quarter on 2-of-7 shooting. It was a gamble New York was willing to take because of how dominant Cunningham has been this season against the Knicks and the rest of the league," Edwards wrote.

This strategy could work in the long run, but if the Pistons get hot and stay there from deep, the Knicks may need to adjust their plans.