The Knicks took responsibility for his or her epic choke. Really, how could they not?
Player after player pointed inward at their very own team moderately than praising anything the Pacers did following the Knicks’ 138-135 Game 1 time beyond regulation loss to Indiana Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“We didn’t close the sport out,” Josh Hart said. “I feel like our intensity dropped. We began playing slower, playing more into their hands. We let that one slip. … I feel like defensively, we let off the gas. Intensity and physicality weren’t there, offensively we were playing slower, a bit stagnant, and looked like we were playing to not lose. We gotta make certain we don’t make that mistake again.”
The Knicks led by 14 with 2:51 left within the fourth quarter. Teams in that situation were 994-0 within the postseason within the play-by-play era.
“Your defense, you gotta give you the chance to count in your defense,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We missed some free throws. We gotta make certain we now have an awareness as to what’s happening. … The turnovers were costly. They converted them into easy buckets. And so, that form of fueled their offense because it got them going again. They began off the sport in a great rhythm after which we did a lot better because the [first] half went on. After which down the stretch, we didn’t do what we would have liked to do.”
The Knicks vowed that they are usually not rattled, though.
They’ve sooner or later to place this behind them before Game 2 on Friday.
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“Within the playoffs if you win it’s one of the best thing ever and if you lose it’s the worst thing ever, so one of the best strategy to cope with all that’s to remain levelheaded and make certain we now have one another’s backs,” Jalen Brunson said. “Obviously I assumed we might go on to complete the sport, but tomorrow we now have to look at film, improve and make certain we’re ready for Game 2.”
Throughout the season, including the playoffs, the Knicks have been good at responding after losses. They’re 4-0 this postseason after losses.
Now, they’ll need that resilience greater than ever.
“Obviously it’s a tricky one, we’re all upset in it,” Hart said. “However the series isn’t over after one game.”
