The Knicks admittedly have been leaving too many points on the free-throw line throughout the postseason.
Of the eight teams remaining within the NBA playoffs, the Knicks have the bottom percentage, 72.9, from the stripe, including 33-for-50 (66 percent) of their split of the primary two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Heat.
That ranks 14th among the many 16 participants within the tournament.
“Obviously, you wish to get to the road before everything. I believe we’re doing an excellent job with that,” said Josh Hart, who has a .688 free-throw percentage through seven postseason games. “Now we’ve got to knock down those free throws. Got to be sure we’re confident, be sure we’re locked in. Those are free points on the board that we are able to’t hand over.”
Much of the Knicks’ poor numbers in that area have come from starting center Mitchell Robinson, who has missed 14 of 21 free-throw attempts within the playoffs entering Game 3 on Saturday in Miami.
Coach Tom Thibodeau countered that the Knicks are also attending to the road 25.3 times per game, essentially the most amongst teams which might be still playing and third overall on this yr’s playoffs, behind the eliminated Clippers and Kings.
“It’s attacking the rim. It’s one among the things I believe we do well. Regular season we did it well, we’re doing it well within the playoffs,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously you usually feel like you would do higher [percentage-wise]. Getting there’s probably essentially the most [important thing].”
Thibodeau said point guard Jalen Brunson “didn’t do much” in practice Thursday.
Brunson is taken into account “day-to-day” after he played through a sore right ankle in Game 2, scoring a team-high 30 points.
Robinson finished fourth for the NBA’s Hustle Award, behind three-time winner Marcus Smart of the Celtics, Draymond Green (Warriors) and Aaron Nesmith (Pacers).
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The award is predicated on NBA.com-tracked “hustle stats,” reminiscent of deflections, contested shots, box-outs, loose balls recovered and charges drawn. Robinson was the one center among the many top five.
“It’s great. I’m glad he’s being recognized,” Thibodeau said. “Congratulations to Marcus, great competitor. Mitch, I believe, continues to grow. I believe his rebounding has been an enormous factor for our team, the rim protection, anchoring the defense, all those things.
“So I believe it’s also a by-product of the team winning. That’s necessary. That’s a giant a part of that.”