Hobbled Knicks Limp Back to the Garden for Vengeance
date
May 11, 2024
Files & media
slug
Knicks-Pacers-game5
status
Published
tags
Knicks
Basketball
summary
New Yorkers were hesitant to acknowledge one element of this NBA postseason that could possibly derail the magical run of the New York Knicks; injuries.
type
Post
New Yorkers were hesitant to acknowledge one element of this NBA postseason that could possibly derail the magical run of the New York Knicks; injuries.
As with any other sports team, losing players to serious injury can be a death sentence, even more so at this stage in the playoffs.
A dedicated observer of this Knicks team, could easily characterize the group using the “next man up” rallying cry, but there comes a point where there’s no players left.
The injury bug has been prevalent all playoffs for New York.
Bojan Bogdonvic suffered a left ankle injury in game 4 of the first round that ended his season. In game 1 against Indiana, Mitchell Robinson re-injured his surgically repaired left ankle that will likely leave him out for the remainder of the postseason. Even star forward acquired via trade from Toronto, OG Anunoby is now sidelined due to a hamstring strain with a murky timetable for return.
It would be tolerable if one of those players were unavailable, but when you lose this many integral pieces, it becomes difficult to fill those roles with confidence.
I’m sure if he could, Tom Thibodaeu would drag Taj Gibson out of retirement for the twentieth time to sign a 10-day contract.
Of course, Julius Randle’s dislocated shoulder in January brought the team’s playoffs aspirations into question, but despite the rest of the league’s speculation, it never felt like the downfall of this team whose heart and effort are second to none.
It’s applicable to note that Randle has struggled in the postseason during his tenure with the Knicks and some labeled his injury as a blessing in disguise.
When an opposing team in the postseason, for example; the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 and the Miami Heat in ‘23, has the chance to create a game plan for Julius, his offensive approach becomes disorderly and his usage as a leading scorer takes a back seat.
The Injury to Randle, although a critical loss, coerced the team into diversifying their lineups and paved the way for players like Josh Hart, Isiah Hartenstein, and Precious Achiuwa discovering their roles on the team.
I say all this not to suggest that the team is better off without Randle.
His aggressiveness and physical presence has been sorely missed, particularly in this matchup against an athletic Indiana team.
My only thought at the time was; now we can settle whether Randle’s inconsistency has been the root problem with this Knicks team in the playoffs, but now that the injuries are piling up, I can truly say, I miss Julius now more than ever.
Tom Thibodeau is trying to put the pieces together but the team’s makeup has been drastically altered by the injuries this team has dealt with and the “survivors” he has left are showing severe signs of fatigue.
Isiah Hartenstein is clearly laboring a shoulder injury while averaging 34 minutes a game in round 2, Josh Hart has essentially played every minute of the series and Brunson doesn’t seem to have the same lift on his jump shots in the past two games after his ankle woes in game 3.
The roster is running thin.
Jericho Sims is an incredible athlete, a specimen of a human, and could probably break me over his leg, but he is not an intelligent basketball player, at least not yet. He can’t score effectively and is not the rim protector Mitchell Robinson and Hartenstein are.
Alec Bucks was a surprisingly positive addition over the weekend but despite his offensive output, he is a liability in comparison to OG on defense.
Miles “Duece” McBride has shown flashes but hasn’t produced like he was down the stretch of the regular season.
The Knicks got ran out of the building in game 4 and outside of the first bucket scored, the Knicks never had a lead in this game.
The series is tied and it’s time to start getting worried as a Knicks fan because the roster just isn’t the same as when the playoffs started but I know they’ll continue to fight.
The only silver lining to take away from that debacle yesterday was the fact that some Knicks starters actually got rest in the fourth quarter because they were getting throttled so bad.
The Garden will have to work its magic tomorrow.
I have confidence the Knicks will show up to play in game 5 with a greater sense of urgency and focus, they’re gonna need to.