The New York Knicks were on the brink of a total disaster after losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden, especially since they blew a late double-digit lead in Game 1.
They headed into Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse seemingly ready to get buried by the Indiana Pacers. Sure enough, they fell behind by 20 points in the second quarter, and it looked like Indiana was running away with the contest.
But as they did previously in the playoffs, the Knicks fought and clawed their way back, and they earned a 106-100 victory. This series is now a competitive one, and star guard Jalen Brunson outlined how they maintained their poise.
"It's an emotional game," he said. "It's a long game. Things can happen... You can easily obviously crash out or you can respond the right way."
Big man Karl-Anthony Towns co-signed the comment.
"Crash out, I love that," Towns said.
The way in which New York came back to win this crucial game was interesting. Head coach Tom Thibodeau made a major lineup change by moving guard Josh Hart to the bench and starting center Mitchell Robinson alongside Towns.
That lineup didn't get it done early on, but in the second half, as the team chipped away at its deficit, it often had only one of Towns or Robinson on the court.
Karl Anthony-Towns of the Knicks.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Brunson spent plenty of time on the bench in the second half due to foul trouble, but even without him, the Knicks continued to surge. Towns led the charge with 20 points and eight rebounds in the fourth quarter alone, and his defense helped hold Indiana to 26.3% shooting from the field in the period.
Now the pressure shifts to Indiana for Game 4. Another Knicks win would essentially make this a brand-new best-of-three series while giving them back the home-court advantage.