Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart Talk Knicks' Defensive Issues vs. Pacers Amid 0-2 ECF Deficit
New York Knicks players are lamenting their issues getting stops on the defensive end of the court in Friday's 114-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Josh Hart explained the Knicks need to stay active at all times given how frequently the Pacers move the ball around:
"Obviously they do a really good job of moving the ball and forcing you into mistakes, and we have to be more sound defensively to guard the first action, second action, but also the third action. We're down 0-2, and now we're going to a tough place to play—Indiana —so we've got to go and fix it. We can't have blown coverages, no matter how late it is in the shot clock."
In echoing Hart's sentiments, Jalen Brunson wants to see the Knicks do more to assist each other when Indiana has the ball.
"The rotations weren't there [defensively], and we need to be doing more to help each other out," the Knicks star guard said.
New York has lost the first two games of this series in very different fashion. Game 1 was a historic collapse after it built up a 14 point lead with under three minutes remaining in regulation.
Game 2 was a case of the Pacers scoring whenever and however they wanted. They shot 51.8 percent overall and 13-of-30 from three-point range. Six players scored in a double-figures, led by Pascal Siakam's playoff career-high 39 points.
New York wasn't struggling for offense in their own right. They were 40-of-84 from the field, with Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns scoring at least 20 points.
The second half is when the wheels came off for the Knicks. They allowed the Pacers to score 65 points over the final 24 minutes. Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner accounted for 42 of those points.
Defense wasn't the strength for this Knicks team during the regular season, but they were good enough to help an elite offense.
Through two games in the Eastern Conference Finals, though, that defensive ineptitude has let the Knicks down to put them in an 0-2 hole going to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3.
The Knicks have never won a playoff series when losing the first two games, owning an 0-14 record in those situations. On the bright side, they are 5-1 on the road this postseason with the next two games in Indianapolis.
