Notes on the Knicks' loss in the ECF, Game 1 of the Finals and more
The dust had cleared in New York after Tom Thibodeau’s dismissal on Tuesday following the Knicks’ first Eastern Conference Finals trip in 25 years. His team was the favorite and was defeated by the Pacers in six and was eliminated by them a year ago when key players were wounded.
In the last series, Thibs’ offense didn’t have enough off-ball motion, and Jalen Brunson was overused like an engine three months dry of oil. Yet offense wasn’t the main problem, even with Josh Hart not being a starting-caliber postseason player. The Knicks averaged 115 points per game despite their predictable attack featuring only one high-level ball handler with complementary pieces.
There are 48 instances in playoff history of a team averaging 115 points in a six-game span. The 2025 Knicks are just one of 15 that couldn’t get four wins. Additionally, a league spokesperson told Mateo’s Hoop Diary that only 38 times in NBA history has a team lost a series while averaging 115 ppg. The Knicks were the last. For context, there’s been 150 series in the previous 10 years.
The Pacers logged 1.83 more points per game than the Knicks in that series. The problem was that New York’s defense couldn’t hold up as Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson were hunted in each game. Keep in mind that 11-time championship coach Phil Jackson wrote in his memoir of the 2004 season that four active defenders are not enough.
The Pacers’ epic Game 1 comeback in the fourth quarter only happened because poor coverage let Aaron Nesmith catch fire. Consider this: if Bam Adebayo is playing on the Knicks instead of Towns, New York probably wins that series because the former can’t be attacked through pick-and-roll and can play at the level of the screen instead of dropping like the latter.
Unless there’s a roster shakeup, the next coach will have the impossible task of designing a system that doesn’t leave Brunson and Towns vulnerable.
Observations from the Pacers’ Game 1 Finals win in OKC:
The Pacers stunned another team and devastated another fan base with Thursday’s 111-110 win in OKC. They were below 15 points with over nine minutes left and escaped following full-court press slowing down the Thunder’s attack, Andrew Nembhard harassing the ball handler in the half court, and Tyrese Haliburton’s cold-blooded game-winning basket. They only led for the last 0.3 seconds of the game.
The winner of Game 1 of the Finals on the road wins the series 44.4% of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.
1.The Pacers had 25 turnovers, 19 in the first half because of off-target passes through traffic, stepping out of bounds, traveling, offensive fouls and a backcourt violation. Yet the Thunder only capitalized on nine points off giveaways by intermission. The Pacers were fortunate just being down a dozen on the scoreboard having four more turnovers than field goals.
2.Signs of the Thunder’s armor cracking occurred when they gave up consecutive corner treys to Pascal Siakam and Thomas Bryant to end the third quarter. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein played only four fourth-quarter minutes, and the Thunder had no bigs in for the last three of the match. The Pacers went on a 13-4 run from that point to close the night.
3.Haliburton’s fourth-quarter usage percentage (18.2) was lower than Nembhard's (27.3) and Myles Turner’s (33.3) as he played off-ball. His game-winner will make him the MVP of the night for many observers, but Nembhard deserves recognition because he nailed a huge step-back trey over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, cutting their deficit to three, and his defense impeded the reigning MVP to 33% shooting.
Marina Mabrey leads the Sun to their first home win of the season:
Marina Mabrey led the rebuilding Sun to their first home win of the season with 34 points on 59.1% shooting against the Atlanta Dream in Friday’s Commissioner’s Cup game. She was Atlanta’s nightmare, attacking on screen-rolls, jumpers and curling around a flare screen for a layup. Her top play of the night was isolating 6-foot-9 Brittney Griner, downing a 20-footer in her face. Take a look:
Dominique Malonga should be starting for the Seattle Storm:
Dominique Malonga is the second overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft, but she’s averaging a skimpy 8.8 minutes per game. She is a raw 6-foot-6 specimen with astonishing talent. She can be a game-changing defender as opponents have had trouble gauging her length and speed. She needs to start immediately next to Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike so the Storm can cash in on her fluid face-up attack.
Her draft peers, Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics), Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics) and Saniyah Rivers (Connecticut Sun) are starting for their teams.
Additionally, Alysha Clark’s veteran status should not buy her a starting spot on the storm as her influence on a game is lesser than Malonga’s because she’s slower and smaller release valve. Clark makes 41.7% of 3-point tries but on a small volume (1.7).
DiJonai Carrington should be suspended:
In the Dallas Wings’ home game against the LA Sparks, DiJonai Carrington dangerously yanked Sarah Ashlee Barker onto Emma Cannon’s leg because she couldn’t get to an entry pass and lost balance. Thank goodness no one was hurt, like Barker jamming her neck or Cannon tearing an ACL, but it doesn’t matter that no one was. Swift action is necessary because the potential to wipe out two players was there.
The Sparks were on a 9-0 run when Carrington channeled Draymond Green. The refs didn’t review it for a flagrant when she should have been ejected. The WNBA doesn’t usually take these matters seriously, so it would be a surprise if she got suspended, but it is warranted.