Minnesota Fumbles a Golden Opportunity & Did KAT Save New York's Season With Tim Legler
I filled in for Adam Mares on the All-NBA podcast with Tim Legler today. We delved into Game 3 between the Knicks and Pacers, as well as Game 4 between the Wolves and Thunder.
I’ve attached my game notes, edits, and stats from both games. I hope you enjoy them!
New York 106 (1-2) Indiana 100:
Down 0-2 and in a ten-point hole heading into the fourth quarter, the New York Knicks did as they’ve done all playoffs: they survived and advanced. Karl Anthony-Towns dropped 20 of his 24 points during the pivotal quarter and gave his New York team life again.
If New York goes on to win this series, it will be directly related to this 4th quarter brilliance from Towns.
My brother-in-law, Matt, is a die-hard Knicks fan. Even if I don’t watch the New York Knicks play, I always know if they won or not within minutes after their game has ended—any loss results in crickets, no communication, a dead zone. But after a win, my phone lights up, and on Sunday, it was like a damn Christmas tree!
Towns “Guard” Skills:
During Game 3 in Indiana, Towns had his highest scoring output of the playoffs during Isolation actions, producing 1.33 Points Per Possession. His shooting ability forces bigs to step out and guard in space, opening up space where he can use his ball handling ability to get downhill to finish1.
Turner isn’t built to cover Towns in space, Indiana is going to have to be better at showing help and making him play make for others in Game 4.
Oklahoma City 128 (3-1) Minnesota 126:
If Oklahoma City wins an NBA Championship this year, you will be able to go back to Game 4 in Denver and Minnesota to pinpoint where they overcame the young team hurdle.
These were two huge gut-check wins on the road, in hostile environments, when they needed them the most.
Greg Harvey had one of the coolest stats I’ve seen on Oklahoma City’s Game 4 victory in Minnesota:
Extra Possessions:
Offensive Rebounds and Turnovers
Oklahoma City scored 22 points off Minnesota’s 23 turnovers and added another 24 points off their 19 offensive rebounds.
They attempted eleven more shots than Minnesota on the night, and in a two-point game, those extra possessions proved to be the difference.
This season, Oklahoma City generated more deflections and forced more turnovers than any other team in the league. This team is built to get its hands on everything!
They also scored more points off those turnovers than any other team in the league, turning their defense into an accelerant to ignite their transition offense.
If you want to dig into why their defense is so great at creating these extra possessions, then check this out!
Marzie says “What Up Legs?!”
Just don’t ask him to read help defenders and play make for others…