The New York Knicks saw their 13-game playoff winning streak end as they fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
While they’ve had one of the most potent offenses in NBA playoff history up to this point, something was off about their system in Game 3.
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It’s no secret that Jalen Brunson iso ball is one of the pillars of New York’s offensive approach. But in Game 3, that strategy seemed to overrule other good options at certain points in the matchup.
Late in the first quarter, Brunson brought the ball up past a full-court press, then took 21 total dribbles without making a single pass. The ball was knocked out of bounds after Brunson missed a tough hook shot.
“Our spacing went out the window because we just wanted the ball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said after the loss. “Quick decisions went out the window because when we had the ball, it was ‘ok, lemme see what I can do.’ We didn’t get the ball reversed because we held onto it quite a bit.”
Brown’s points are certainly backed up by some data. The Knicks passed the ball 270 times in Game 3, down from 295 passes in Game 1 and 301 passes in Game 2.
Additionally, each player spent more average time holding the ball in Game 3 and the team’s overall pace dipped as well.
San Antonio has a number of rowdy perimeter defenders that can make it very difficult to score in transition, so New York must be ready to put up points in a halfcourt offense.
If the Knicks want to recoup their system, more touches for Karl-Anthony Towns would go a long way. He has been terrific for the Knicks this postseason, but he only touched the ball 45 times in Game 3, compared to a healthy 64 touches in Game 2.
They don’t need Towns simply for scoring, though. He’s been one of New York’s best passers throughout the playoffs and when the offense runs through him, it puts Spurs center Victor Wembanyama in a tough spot.
As an elite shooter, his threat from long-range forces the Spurs to close out hard on the catch, thus opening up more paint opportunities.
Brunson should still be the one in control at the end of games, but to a lesser degree. Towns has yet to score a single fourth-quarter point and has only taken six fourth-quarter shots in this series.
His involvement in the offense will have a direct correlation to how dynamic and dangerous their system is.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
