NEW YORK — At this point, for the New York Knicks, the pattern is concerning.
Seeking to close out their first NBA postseason series at home since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks fell short in a 106-103 loss replete with many of the same ailments that have plagued the team throughout the series, which now returns to Detroit for Game 6.
Championship-caliber squads recognize and address their weaknesses — or they work to hide them altogether. New York’s issues have been self-inflicted: low-energy third quarters, stretches of play distracted by complaints to the officials, carelessness with the ball. All traits indicate that, in their current state, the Knicks are not quite championship ready.
“We haven’t put ourselves in a position to get a commanding win,” center Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters after the game. “We’ve been very gritty this whole series and physical, and it has allowed us to find a way a lot of times to win. You only can do it so many times before it comes back to bite you.”
This is precisely the problem. The Knicks have proven time and time again that they can close; their winning percentage in clutch games during the regular season (.613) ranked fifth in the NBA. Across an 82-game slate, that is manageable. Against the compression and elevated stakes of the NBA playoffs, however, that becomes unsustainable.
And the challenges, should the Knicks eventually close out Detroit, will only get tougher.
The No. 2 Boston Celtics, a team that swept New York in its four games this regular season, awaits in the conference semis.
Against the Pistons this series, the Knicks have lost the third quarter in each game. Their combined points differential for the period, across the five games, is -33 — or an average of 6.6 points conceded per third quarter.
And in a series in which each of the past three games have been decided by six points combined, the sluggish starts coming out of halftime have a direct and undeniable impact on New York’s two losses.
Knicks’ fourth-quarter intensity lacking
What’s telling — and what’s indicative that this is a self-enforced energy and effort issue — is that the Knicks have typically responded with fierce intensity in fourth quarters when they’ve had to make up deficits.
In the post-game locker room, players were at a loss when asked for possible answers.
Forward Mikal Bridges suggested coming out of halftime in layup lines to “get everybody out there moving.”
Towns said the Knicks needed to control the things they could control, “effort … execution, discipline.”
Forward Josh Hart said the Knicks needed to stop appealing to the officials and yielding transition opportunities to the athletic Pistons.
Backup point guard Miles McBride proposed more communication from the bench, “yelling at those guys, cheering them on and just staying positive,” before pausing to expand his answer.
“At this point, anything,” he said. “We just got to figure it out, together.”
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns start slow, but others step up
There was one positive that the Knicks should take away from Game 5. All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson and Towns have been the focal points of the team’s offense. In some games, New York has depended on the duo almost exclusively.
On Tuesday night, the pair struggled early, combining to make just one of their first 10 shots, scoring just five points through the four-minute mark in the second quarter. But Hart pushed the pace in transition and converted easy layups. Bridges worked the mid-range. Forward OG Anunoby scored inside and out.
New York had six players reach double figures, suggesting that role players can carry the burden when Brunson and Towns are otherwise reined in.
Despite the obvious frustration in the Knicks locker room, Brunson expressed confidence that the Knicks would solve the issue. Slow starts in the first quarter had also been a problem earlier in the series, and Brunson spoke about how the Knicks looked to get into their offensive actions more quickly.
But, with the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers executing at elite levels, New York will not compete for a conference title without cleaning up its third quarters.
“It’s a really important first couple of minutes,” Brunson said. “It’s important for us to come out as a team.
“Regardless of how we feel or whatever, tomorrow we got to turn the page. I’ve said this before, if it’s a win or loss, it’s short-term memory because you’ve got to come back the next day to figure out what you’ve got to do to win the next one.”