Knick’s trends that I watch

An all-defensive wing has eyes in the back of the head. An all-star goal scorer can still score like an all-star. And a sixth man doesn’t look like him.

The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons are scattered in a controversial series in the first round that the Knicks lead 2-1 after a 2-point victory with 2-point 3 victory. In this sense, it is time for a kink version of the notebook.

Let us go through three Knicks trends that I noticed.

Anunoby’s attention to detail

At first glance, an illegal Cade Cade Cunningham seemed to be an informal mistake. With four minutes in the second quarter of Game 3, Cunningham Jalen Brunson was announced. Brunson fell to the ground and the Knicks got back basketball.

But even if nobody torn the ball away, this turnover could have counted as well as theft for OG Anunoby. It is the ultimate example of his attention to detail.

During most Knicks Games there is a three- or five-minute route from Anunoby-Mania, a time when the all-defensive candidate cannot go wrong. He disturbs the games from the ball. He turns into a wall when the player he defends drives into him.

On Thursday, Anunoby’s best sequence came at the end of the second quarter when his defense of New York spurred on a 21:6 run to complete the period. And when Anunoby is at the top of his game, his obsession of Minutiae -rival is only Tom Thibodeaus.

There is a reason why stars sometimes go for possessions without touching basketball when Anunoby guarded them. It is the same reason why Cunningham set an illegal screen for four minutes in the second quarter on Thursday evening.

Just look at Cunningham and Anunoby and see if you can notice it:

Cunningham is supposed to deal with a dribble handoff in his center Paul Reed. Reed has the opportunity to keep the ball, give it to his point Guard or even to look for Cunningham to have cut a potential back door. But anunoby goes the extra.

He not only does not allow Cunningham to approach the handover, but also denies a pass from Reed, without looking at it, and raised his left arm – as if he would restart “Saturday evening -fever” – and at the same time raises the ball, causing hope of a dish to Cunningham.

This is more than just an experienced timing.

Anunoby examines the tendencies of the opponents. He has a video memory that enables him to remember Detroit’s actions. Sometimes it is like saying the future.

Just like shooters who have drilled a few shots in a row, get heat tests up to the height, Anunoby seems to do the same thing in defense, even if he will not admit it.

“No matter what, even if the plays are not going well, they still try to do (the same pieces),” said Anunoby. “Just read and make an assumption, just to trust my instincts.”

Whatever the reason may be, his instincts are dead at these moments.

Here is one of these heat tests – armThe instinct plays – a few possessions from its scorching second quarter after the illegal screen. Watch Anunoby Engulf Cunningham while running for a choice:

Thibodeau often says that sales start with the ball pressure. The passport from Dennis Schröder would not be so sloppy if Josh would not get into his face so hard. And Anunoby would probably not feel so confident about race past Cunningham if hard wasn’t that aggressive.

Unfortunately, positive results follow with Anunoby.

Offensive adjustments

The Knicks offensive did not ran the same Thursday as with the defeat on Monday, when it stagnated in a close defeat in game 2.

As The athlete‘S James Edwards wrote after game 3, the Knicks played faster and used to enter their sets in the shooting clock. A few days after Karl-Anthony Towns had not scored a shot in the fourth quarter, they made him a priority to get the ball moving, be it with subtle relocation in front of the semi-dish or to 3-converter when he covered quick breaks. The cities ended with 31 points and shot 4 of 8 from Deep.

At the beginning of this week I published a story about the fights of the cities when wings guard it. He and the team were worse than a non-Big was his primary defender. There were also fewer ball screens in these scenarios. The trend became extreme when Piston’s Forward Tobias Harris occupied him for most of the series.

Thursday New York has smoothed these problems.

Brunson and Towns have 3 17 pick-and-rolls together during the game, the second most common ones that they have put together in a game since the end of January since the end of January. The only time that she ran more was in her first game after the All-Star break when she put the Chicago Bulls Center Nikola Vučević forgotten.

Just like you, when you play Vučević, the Knicks found the terms in game 3.

Cities laid balls as to whether Harris was on him or not. He set the positioning against a player who is 4 inches shorter. As soon as Harris got into bad difficulties, his effectiveness dropped. With three fouls he was sitting on the bench at the end of the second quarter. The Pistonon Center Jalen Duren took cities during this time.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Duren also stayed with Harris in the game with Harris on hard in cities. Duren is strong and sporty and plays hard, but his youth still shows when he defends or has to help in space. Pick-and-pop centers injured the pistons throughout the season. For the first time in this series, cities showed why.

The McBride discussion

One of Thibodeau was unnoticed by all adjustments that are worth discussing from game 3. In the middle of calls to mix the bankers for better shooting, the trainer went in the opposite direction. The starter played 31 minutes game 3. As a reference, the first unit of Knicks played more minutes per game (19.6) than any other line -up in the regular season. In the first two games against Detroit, it was about the same amount.

This was a massive increase. And no, it is not a siren from the minute police. It is not a comment on the total playing time, only that distribution the season. Thibodeau decided to keep his starters together as long as possible, and even ran a minute at the end of the first quarter (for the second game in a row) when cities and Brunson were on the bench.

It is possible that Thibodeau does not bend so drastically into the starters because he was familiar with his first five trust. The strategy doubled as a silent statement about the bank, which tends to talk about Miles “Deice” McBride, who only played nine minutes on Thursday.

The kinks need more from their sixth husband.

He is not a young player who is frightened by Playoff basketball. McBride stormed into the post-season scene last spring and fell 21 points from the bank in a first round against the Philadelphia 76ers in a first round. After the Knicks Philly and injuries to the violation of different key players had disposed of, McBride entered the starting line -up and helped New York almost the Indiana Pacers in round 2.

But at the moment it is out of rhythm and in the abyss. He doesn’t play much – only a total of 38 minutes during the Pistons series. And when he is on the pitch, he was not an active participant. He is only 4 out of 14 off the field and has shaken too many times while guarding the ball a few times and leaving Pistons shooters open.

Perhaps the inconsistent season and the knee injury, from which he had returned with five games in the regular season, have beaten him outside the course. But from now on McBride Thibodeaus does not force hand.

The four reserves of the Knicks scored only 39 points in 138 minutes against Detroit. You have provided a pop in this series, and also a loud-when Cameron Payne scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to achieve a win in game 1. Now you could use help from the bank and McBride is the most likely candidate.

(Photo by OG Anunoby: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)