Losing 5 points, where is the Knicks losing in this game? Three major defeats were exposed, and three "sinners" were found

In the second game of the NBA Playoff Eastern Conference Finals on May 24, 2025, the Knicks lost to the Pacers 109-114 at home, trailing 0-2 with a big score, and the promotion situation is not optimistic. In reviewing this game, the Knicks' loss was complicated, involving multiple levels such as player performance, coaching tactics and defensive strategies.

Failure 1: From the perspective of player performance, both Towns and Brunson have key problems. Towns performed well in the first three quarters, contributing 18 points, but in the most critical fourth quarter, he seemed to have lost his shooting star and scored 2 points with only free throws, and the positive and negative value was the lowest in the team -20. On the defensive end, his loophole was targeted by the Pacers, and his pace was slow. He was misplaced by Siakam many times, which made the team's inside defense seem to be useless and lost points. Although Brunson scored 36 points and 11 assists in the whole game, he forced a long shot one meter outside the three-point line at the last moment of the game. This decision was too risky, and at that time he failed to fully observe his teammates' position and reasonably allocate the ball rights.

Failure 2: Thibodeau's tactical arrangements and personnel rotation are also controversial. The "Five Donkeys Tactic" he insisted on was rotated by only 8 players throughout the game, which caused the main players Brunson, Bridges, Anunobi and others to average more than 35 minutes of playing time, and their physical fitness was seriously overdrawn. By the end of the quarter, the offensive and defensive efficiency dropped significantly. In terms of tactical arrangement, he did not set up a double tower lineup in time in the last quarter, nor did he make effective defensive adjustments to the Pacers' fast break, and even did not call a timeout arrangement tactic at the last moment of the game, so that the team could only fight on their own at critical moments and fell into a passive position.

Fault 3: Defensive end, the Knicks can be said to be a complete collapse. The Pacers scored 6 players in double digits, Siakam scored 39 points, and Turner scored 13 points in the last quarter. The Knicks' defensive rotation is chaotic, and it is particularly bad in limiting the Pacers' three-point shooting percentage, which makes the opponent's three-point shooting percentage reach 43.3%. There is no way to play the Pacers' league's fast break score, and it is impossible to organize an effective defense.

Downs, Brunson and Thibodeau are all to blame for the biggest sinners of this game. Towns' sluggish performance on both offense and defense directly affected the game trend; Brunson's mistake in key ball decisions personally ruined the team's hope of equalization; Thibodeau's tactics are rigid, overly reliant on the starting five-man team, and the on-site adjustments are not timely, which indirectly led to the team's complete collapse.

In contrast, Siakam broke out in the whole game, scoring 16 points in the first quarter, making a key mid-range shot in the final quarter, becoming the core figure in the reversal. The team scored 6 players in double digits, Halliburton scored 14 points and 11 assists to connect the team's offense. Turner integrated offense and defense in the final quarter, showing strong team collaboration ability.

If the Knicks want to reverse in subsequent games, they must make changes as soon as possible. Optimize the tactical system, abandon the play style of over-reliance on individual players, increase the rotation of players, rationally allocate physical fitness, and improve defensive intensity and targetedness. Otherwise, with their current state, their prospects for promotion will become increasingly slim and they are likely to be eliminated early in this round of the series.