Knicks need to talk more on floor, less so on bench
GREENBURGH — We all know what the enduring image will be from the Knicks' meltdown at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
It’s hard to top Tyrese Haliburton’s choke sign after hitting the basket that sent Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for both its accuracy and clear historical reference. Yet, there is another image from earlier in the final period of regulation that gives some additional insight as to what exactly happened in the final minutes of the Knicks’ shocking 138-135 overtime loss.
In a video that has been making the rounds on social media and discussed at length on sport talk shows Thursday, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby are seen having a tense exchange of words during a timeout with 34 seconds remaining.
Aaron Nesmith had just hit his fifth three-pointer of the quarter to cut what had been a 14-point Knicks lead to 123-118. As Anunoby walked to the bench, he approached an already seated Towns with his arms outstretched like he was pleading for help.
The two exchanged words as Mitchell Robinson stepped in to calm things down and Mikal Bridges plopped down in the seat between them. The two continue their heated discussion as Jalen Brunson sat down to Anunoby’s left and put an arm around him in an attempt to keep him from moving toward Towns. Finally, Brunson, the team’s captain, looking as though he’s had enough, popped out of his seat and appeared to tell Towns to knock it off.
“Just guys talking,” was all Brunson would say when asked about the incident at the team practice facility on Thursday.
Though no one is sure exactly what the two were talking about, it could have had something to do with the fact that on the play before the timeout, Nesmith was left wide open at the top of the three-point arc after Towns switched on a screen and Anunoby was caught too far back in drop coverage.
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 22, 2025
At any rate, the exchange perfectly encapsulated the frustration that seemed to sweep through the Knicks as the Pacers exploded for 23 points in the final 3:14 of regulation to force overtime.
There was plenty of blame to go around in the loss. The Knicks missed free throws. Brunson, who led the Knicks with 43 points, turned the ball over three times in the final 5:30. The Knicks didn’t control the glass like they had earlier in the game. And, in overtime, they didn’t foul when they were supposed to, which allowed Obi Toppin to get a dunk on an inbounds play.
But the Knicks' biggest problem was they weren’t talking with one another like they usually do in the final minutes of regulation as they just couldn’t find a way to stop Indiana’s offensive onslaught.
“I think it’s our miscommunication. It’s us miscommunicating and just relaxing a little bit when we have a big lead kind of messed us up,” said Bridges, one of the team’s best defenders. “They got some threes and obviously Nesmith making a lot of shots. But we made it easy — didn’t make it harder.
“Nesmith stayed hot and we miscommunicated and he made a couple more, some rhythm ones. So when he’s hot and keep getting rhythm threes, it’s not going to be a good thing for us.”
The lack of communication was shocking considering how in these playoffs it is the Knicks who have kept their poise down the stretch and come up with big come-from-behind wins. Twice in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against Boston, the Knicks battled back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to win the game.
In so many ways, it had to be shocking to be the victim of that kind of comeback in Game 1.
The Knicks need for that shock to wear off quickly. Instead of dissecting who is doing what wrong — as they seemed to be doing during the timeout discussion that went viral — they have to figure out how to help each other.
The Pacers now believe they can come back from anything, just like the Knicks did in the semifinals series. This is the ugly kind of loss that has the potential to fester, and the Knicks have to show up in Game 2 on Friday and play the kind of game that makes sure that it doesn’t.
Said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau: “It’s a tough loss, tough losses are a part of this league. It happens. You’ve gotta bounce back. It’s how you respond to what happened. The game is over with. You move on. Be ready for the next game”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.