The second round of this year's playoffs is still quite interesting, and what we need to know is that winning first is not winning, unless you have the strength to crush the opponent. In the first round of the playoffs, that can happen, but in the second round it's different. You can take a look at the group of the Mavericks and the Thunder, the Thunder won one game first, and then the Mavericks won two games in a row, and the series was almost no suspense, it seems that the Thunder still has room for adjustment, but in the face of the Mavericks with double supergiants, their chances are not very big, after all, the Thunder is a single-core team. This is the playoffs, once you don't have absolute strength, you can lead one game in the early stage, but as the series deepens, it is not impossible to complete the comeback.
If you want to say that the unbelievable matchup in the second round of the playoffs is not the Timberwolves vs. the Nuggets, this group of matchups has their characteristics. Today we're going to talk about the Pacers vs. the Knicks. To say that in the first two games, the Knicks have been pressing the Pacers, destroying the Pacers' confidence to a certain extent. But after returning to the Pacers' home court, everyone has also seen that the Knicks have nothing to do. As the saying goes, when you win on the road, the playoffs really begin. The Knicks couldn't win on the Pacers' home court, so the score went from 2-0 to a 2-2 draw. Another thing we need to know is that the next series is going to go to the side of the Pacers, and the Knicks are a bit at the end of their rope.
Why is the Knicks at the end of their rope? The fourth game is the best proof of this. In Game 4, the Knicks also wanted to win, but they really couldn't lift their spirits. DiVincenzo, who played well before, was 3-of-13 and only had 7 points and 4 assists, with a plus/minus of -40. Brunson finished with 18 points and five assists on 6-of-17 shooting, which can be said to be below the normal level. Not to mention Hart, his shot is still not on the line, and he doesn't have the energy he used to have. When the three brothers can't be opened, there is no suspense in the game. Of course, the Knicks made 31 free throws in this game, to the Pacers' eight. However, the Knicks made 31 free throws and ended up losing by 32 points, which is quite interesting.
Looking at the essence through the phenomenon, the Knicks actually planted their own bitter fruit and ate it themselves. The Knicks' Thibodeau, who doesn't care about the coach, is quite ruthless in employing people, and every round of the series, he wants to overturn the opponent as soon as possible. But Thibodeau forgot one thing, this is a long series. The Knicks consumed a lot in the first round, and in the first two games of the second round, there were non-stop core injuries. So as the game deepened, their physical fitness could not keep up for a long time. The decline in shooting efficiency of these players is the best proof of this. Looking at the Pacers, Carlisle is smart, he still uses the long rotation and helps the team through the crisis. When it comes to the trend of this series, the big picture is basically decided. The Knicks' seven-man rotation is not a thing after all, let alone Anunoby.
In general, the playoffs are about planning one game at a time, not one game without the next. Thibodeau's way of playing, even if it is another round, is to send warmth to the other party. Thibodeau's model of quick success does need to change. This also reminds other teams that if you don't have a big gap with the opponent, you still have to make long-term plans. The teams that can enter the second round will not make it easy for you.