Foul-plagued Miles McBride provides late spark for Knicks in Game 3 vs. Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — Miles McBride was on the court for 82 seconds, and he already had three fouls.
The Knicks' valuable reserve spark plug sat from late in the first quarter until midway through the third, but he still had an impact on the Knicks' 106-100 come-from-behind win over the Pacers in Game 3.
Knicks guard Miles McBride tries to pass the ball against Pacers forward Pascal Siakam during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday in Indianapolis.
AP
'Honestly, shoutout to my teammates, on the bench. Just talking to me and keeping me encouraged and keeping me locked in,' said McBride, who returned in the second half to contribute nine points. 'I just wanted to do everything I could to get out there.
'Obviously, you can't control certain things, but I wanted to make my impact.'
McBride couldn't recall ever being slapped with three fouls in such a short span, joking 'maybe my rookie year, but nothing like that before.'
The fourth-year guard checked into the game with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter, but by the 4:40 mark he already was whistled for two loose-ball fouls. He then fouled T.J. McConnell with 3:20 to go and was replaced by little-used veteran Delon Wright.
'Deuce picked up three fouls in [1:22], I don't know if I've ever seen that before,' coach Tom Thibodeau said.
McBride didn't return to the game until there was 4:26 left in the third quarter with the Knicks trailing 74-59. But he scored seven straight points for the Knicks late in the quarter to bring them within nine.
'It's not easy to do, particularly when you go to the bench after a minute and then you've gotta still stay in the game mentally,' Thibodeau said. 'I thought his intensity was huge for us. He's a catalyst, his defense, his hustle, and I think it gives people energy when you see him flying around like that.'
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