For the second time within the final three video games, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has benched a key starter in crunch time.
In Game 5 in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thibodeau benched All-Star ahead Julius Randle your complete fourth quarter, using a unit that gave the Knicks life to an 11-point series-clinching victory.
And in Game 2 of his Knicks’ second-round playoff collection in opposition to the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the pinnacle coach made an excellent greater name.
He subbed RJ Barrett out of the sport late within the fourth quarter regardless of the fourth-year ahead having fun with his hottest-shooting recreation of your complete season.
Barrett hit 4 of his first six three-pointers on Tuesday and shot five-of-nine from downtown on the night time. He completed with 24 factors on 8-of-17 taking pictures from the sphere and hit extra threes than any Heat participant, solely out-done by six threes from his personal teammate, Jalen Brunson.
Thibodeau, nonetheless, nonetheless subbed Barrett out of the sport on the 7:07 mark of the fourth quarter, and as an alternative rode Quentin Grimes, the gritty, second-year two-way wing out of Houston who has earned the coach’s belief together with his willingness to defend and make hustle performs.
Thibodeau additionally rode starter Josh Hart, who checked in for Barrett halfway by the ultimate interval and completed with 12 factors, 11 rebounds and 9 assists on the night time.
It doesn’t imply a lot when it ends in a win, which is why Randle so simply — however reluctantly — shrugged off the coach’s resolution when the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers within the first spherical through gentleman’s sweep.
The Knicks, nonetheless, flirted with defeat earlier than stringing collectively important late-game stops to even the collection at one recreation apiece. They now have three days off earlier than touring to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
DEFENSIVE METRICS?
Thibodeau stated he has his personal set of defensive markers that inform him his group is best defensively than new-age superior analytics may recommend.
Those markers, nonetheless, didn’t stop his group from getting cooked by three relative nobodies in Game 2 on Tuesday.
Caleb Martin scored a Heat-high 22 factors, Gabe Vincent added 21, and Max Strus scored 17. For readability, Strus is the one a kind of three gamers to common 10 or extra factors in a season of their profession.
The Knicks additionally struggled to generate stops in opposition to a Heat group lacking two of their three main scorers in Game 2: Jimmy Butler sat with an ankle sprain, and Tyler Herro is out your complete collection after breaking his hand within the first spherical in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Knicks owned the NBA’s greatest defensive score in their very own first-round playoff collection in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers, an about face after they ranked nineteenth in defensive score by 82 regular-season video games.
Thibs says he doesn’t subscribe to sure defensive statistics — solely his personal.
“The ratings systems that some people use, I don’t go by,” he stated. “My markers are: defensive area purpose share, three-point area purpose share, rebound margin, factors within the paint, fastbreak factors allowed – and whenever you take a look at these markers, they’re fairly sturdy.
“I think there was a continual improvement throughout the season, but when you rebound the ball the way we do, and you challenge shots, to me the ability to challenge shots is huge. And so there’s some teams — like I haven’t seen a defensive ratings system yet that is accurate, so, I go by my own markers.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com