The New York Knicks remain in the embrace of upsetting the defending champion despite Game 3 hiccups, but there’s a lot to worry about as one of the players wasn’t himself.
The playoff series with the Boston Celtics is a lot of imaginary competitiveness, and the New York Knicks are shocking everyone by winning two Boston home courts.
The Celtics showed their pedigree by paying back their favors at Madison Square Garden in the third game, leaving the series fine and calm.
In the crucial game 4 on the horizon, Brian Windhorst claims that one Knicks “star” needs to wake up, not himself, not all series.
The series between the Knicks and Celtics is a bit of a throwback, with the two teams trapped in a battle of attrition.
The Knicks average 95 points in regulation time in three games, and there’s not much to say about the Celtics shooting.
In such a closely fought intermittent series, a single heatwave scorer can determine the game.
The Celtics got theirs from their role players, but the Knicks are still waiting to see the best of their stars.
He states:
“They don’t get much traction from the pick-and-roll games as they usually do. Branson got a lot of aggressiveness from these fourth quarters in games 1 and 2, but he wasn’t himself.
“He’s filming under 40% in this series, which is far below the efficiency they need from him. His FTS is down and the Knicks are regulating an average of 95 points.
“If Jalen Brunson imprints this series, he needs to do that in Game 4.”
It’s not ideal for a team to struggle with efficiency and impact when they stand up to the defending champion, but these are unique situations.
That’s because the Knicks are leading despite Branson’s struggle, and that’s just lifting up their final ceiling when he realizes it all.
Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum aren’t particularly good at the Celtics, but I have to say they have a deeper roster than the Knicks.
If Branson flourishes, the value Branson adds to the Knicks will be far more than what Brown and Tatum add to the Celtics.
On top of that, the chance to take a 3-1 lead at home game resolves to revenge on losses in Game 3, with all signs pointing to Branson’s breakout.
If that happens, the Celtics are as good as being eliminated. But if not, it’s doubtful how long the Knicks can continue to compete with the Celtics without coming to the party.
So far, it’s positive that they continue to compete, even though Branson is not himself.