Good news, Josh Hart was able to rest last night in the Knicks' rout against the Pacers (121-89). In a game that quickly turned into a blowout without the Knicks managing to come back, Hart spent more time on the bench than in the entire first nine playoff games.
The Knicks' all-purpose winger only played 24 minutes for a meager record of 2 points to 1/6 on shots, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in this Game 4. Until then, he had never passed more than 8 minutes on the bench during a playoff match.
“Do I feel it? Yes. But I think everyone feels it” recognizes Josh Hartabout fatigue. “At the end of the day, it’s the playoffs, and you have to push yourself and put strain on your body. »
Coach Thibodeau's short rotation to blame?
The legs are heavy, and to that we must add the small and big physical glitches. Already deprived of Julius Randle for a while, the Knicks also lost Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby in these playoffs! Isaiah Hartenstein, for his part, fell badly during the second half, and the pivot felt discomfort in his shoulder. But once again in New York, we do not lament our fate.
Asked several times about the state of health of his players and the impact of injuries on performances, Tom Thibodeau seemed to lose patience at a press conference. “Look, everyone has a glitch, okay? » annoys the Knicks coach. “Everyone has something. It's the playoffs, and you have to deal with it. » However, the short rotation, imposed by Thibodeau, once again proves its limits…
The stars are tired or… injured
Jalen Brunson is also reduced by a foot injury, but the Knicks leader says he is doing well and he does not want to use a physical problem to explain the defeats. “We can talk about freshness and you can find all the excuses in the world for us… Yes, we are missing players, but that doesn’t matter,” says the playmaker. “We make do with what we have and we have to move forward with it. There is no excuse. »
The Knicks therefore return to New York with two defeats and with the mission to regain control of the series. “We just have to get back to playing our basketball”concludes Hartenstein. “It’s about being the more physical team, doing the little things, getting on the ball, making the second efforts. I don't think we've done that in the last two games. »
