Knicks Starting Lineup Struggles in Game 2: Can Thibodeau Find a Solution to Turn Things Around?

The New York Knicks are in a tough spot. After a promising start to the season, the team has struggled to find consistency in the playoffs, particularly in their starting lineup. The Knicks' starting five — Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart — have played more minutes than any other lineup in the NBA during both the regular season and the playoffs. However, their performance has been a net negative, with the team getting outscored by nine points in 379 minutes from January 1 through the end of the regular season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks' starting lineup has struggled even more. In Game 1 of the series against the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks were outscored by 16 points in 26 minutes, resulting in a three-point loss. The trend continued in Game 2, with the Knicks' starting five being outscored by 24 points over 121 minutes. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has fielded questions about the struggles of the starting lineup and whether a change is needed. He has insisted that he doesn't view the plus-minus numbers through a simple lens and that there is a lot of mixing and matching within the lineup. However, after Friday's 114-109 loss to Indiana, which gave the Pacers a road sweep at Madison Square Garden and total control of the best-of-seven series, Thibodeau acknowledged that he needs to do better. The Knicks' struggles can be attributed to several factors. One is their inability to find consistent answers when teams cross-match their centers onto Hart and wings onto Towns. Another is whether swapping more shooting (in the form of guard Miles McBride) or more size and paint protection (in the form of center Mitchell Robinson) in for Hart might better balance the group. Thibodeau has stayed the course, though, insisting that he looks at everything and not just the plus-minus numbers. In Game 2, Thibodeau did not go back to his full starting five for the rest of the first half, a span that saw New York outscore Indiana 43-30. The Knicks came out of halftime with that same unit but allowed a 15-7 run that put Indiana on top, prompting a Thibodeau timeout just over five minutes into the third quarter. Despite this, Thibodeau stuck with his full starting five until sending Robinson in for Towns at the 4:18 mark of the fourth quarter. The Knicks nearly found a way to win in the fourth quarter, with Brunson and Bridges combining for 18 points in the final nine minutes. However, they couldn't quite pull it off, and the Pacers held on for the win. Thibodeau acknowledged that they got in a hole and that the group that was in there gave them a chance to win. He also noted that they had a chance to tie the game but couldn't make enough winning plays. The Knicks will need to find an answer to why they keep doing this if they want to avoid a similar predicament as last year's Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost a series after being down 2-0. Bridges suggested that it might be a defensive thing and that they need to be more physical from the start of each half. Thibodeau, however, was more focused on how the Knicks ended the game than how they started it. He noted that both games came down to the last play and that they need to make better plays if they want to win. At this point, one thing is clear: The group that Thibodeau trusts most is not functioning together effectively enough to give