Knicks Starters Abysmal in Game 2 Loss

There were several reasons behind the New York Knicks' Game 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden.

The 114-109 loss has the Knicks down 2-0 in their best-of-seven series, and that is a tough place to be in going into Game 3 on the road. The Knicks need to pull out a win away from home in one of the next two games to bring the series back to the Big Apple for a potential Game 5.

If the Knicks are going to accomplish that goal, they will need the starting lineup to be much better in Indianapolis.

"The reasoning for this deficit is simple: The starting unit has been bad, and that’s putting it nicely. The starters have been good only when broken up from one another and playing alongside Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson. New York’s starting unit is a minus-29 through two games. The Knicks lost the first two games by a combined eight points," The Athletic insider James Edwards III wrote.

"This issue isn’t new. New York’s starting group was outscored by 21 points in its first two series (against Detroit and Boston) combined. The starting unit was only a plus-3 against a young Pistons team in a six-game series and a minus-24 in a six-game series against the Celtics."

This could lead to a lineup change for Game 3, but the starting five has played much better in the regular season. They have the chemistry together, but the execution isn't there. Luckily, McBride and Robinson have been strong in the playoffs and have often saved the Knicks in games throughout the postseason.

However, if the Knicks want to make it to the NBA Finals, the starting unit will have to improve.