Latest news with #VanGundy
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
TNT's Stan Van Gundy criticizes 'soft' late-game Knicks defense, referees' missed goaltend in Game 1 loss
A few hours after he finished calling Game 1 of Knicks-Pacers, TNT's Stan Van Gundy woke up in his New York hotel room and re-watched the tape. 'I really was going back over every play because my impression coming out of it was that the Knicks' defense was just soft and they had way too many mistakes and breakdowns. And when I watched it again, it was even clearer,' Van Gundy, the longtime TNT analyst, said. Advertisement Does Van Gundy think the Knicks will let the loss impact them in Game 2? 'They'll look at the mistakes and pick themselves (up) and get ready to go. I don't think (Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau) has to worry about (hangover from Wednesday's loss) at this time of year,' Van Gundy said. 'Their pick and roll defense to me, early on in the game, (Karl-Anthony) Towns was really back. (Myles) Turner was just getting wide-open shots. And then they had some miscommunications on perimeter screens; small-small (screens). Are we switching or not? They had breakdowns there. And then late in the game, they were really soft on their switches and (Aaron) Nesmith was hitting threes. To me, they've got to clean up their pick-and-roll coverages, being up and more aggressive. And their communication's got to be a lot better on what they're doing. '….There was not a hard three in that stretch (of Nesmith's six threes late in the fourth quarter). It's still hard to make six straight threes. But it wasn't like the shot-clock ran down and someone had to throw one in. He got great looks. Nesmith, all five of his looks were great looks. And the one (Tyrese) Haliburton got, (Mikal) Bridges gave him a lot of space on that one, too. They got really good shots. I just thought the Knicks' defense in that stretch was very soft. And in the overtime, they had breakdowns on (Obi) Toppin's dunk and (Andrew) Nembhard's back cut. They just, defensively, didn't get the job done.' Van Gundy spent about an hour talking Knicks-Pacers with a small group of reporters on Thursday. He shared his thoughts on several other topics... New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) in the third quarter during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images HALIBURTON VS. BRUNSON "(Haliburton) and Brunson are both great players, but their style of play is so different because Haliburton is a quick-decision, get-off-the-ball type of guy and Brunson's a very ball-dominant guard. So if you look on – I think they chart seconds per touch. Every time I touch the ball, how long do I hold it? Haliburton holds it on the average about 2.5 seconds less than Brunson. Advertisement "Brunson holds it the most in the league. Over six seconds per touch. Haliburton is about 3.5 seconds per touch. (Van Gundy points out that Brunson averages three more dribbles per touch than Haliburton). It's just a difference that sets up the whole style of play. The Knicks being a little more methodical. Brunson, the best comparison to him is probably (James) Harden. Dribble, dribble, dribble - not selfish because he'll certainly give the ball to other people. But he's going to keep it in his hands whereas Haliburton gets off of it, let's other people play and the whole thing….Two great players with different styles.' OBI TOPPIN'S DUNK ON A PICK AND ROLL TO SEAL INDIANA'S WIN IN OT "That was really weird defense to me. First of all, they inbounded the ball really easily. Teams have trouble inbounding the ball. You saw the Knicks almost turn it over (earlier in the game). Teams have a lot of trouble inbounding and the Knicks just let them do it. They really didn't do anything. "And then on the pick and roll, I don't really know what they wanted to be in because to me, Mitchell Robinson wasn't up, he wasn't really affecting Nembhard at all. But yet he let Toppin roll behind him…. Advertisement "Those are all very preventable (mistakes) in my opinion and I'm sure in Thibs' opinion too. Those are all preventable things that are just defensive mistakes and you can't make that many of them in a game, especially against a team like Indiana.' Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) reacts in the second half against the New York Knicks during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden / Wendell Cruz - Imagn Images PACERS WEARING DOWN BRUNSON 'Indiana's been a good ball-pressure team. What they try to do – I think Indiana's plan against New York both within a game and over the course of a series – is they just really want to wear them down. They feel like they've got more depth. They play more guys. Their pace and their pressure. The Knicks are gonna face full-court pressure for 48 minutes – 53 minutes (in Game 1) – and we're just gonna wear on them. And I feel like they think they were able to do that last year in a seven-game series, particularly on Brunson. Advertisement "He's gonna be good, but we're just gonna wear on him. They don't blitz him a lot and make him get off the ball like some teams do because, number one, you open yourself up to three-point shooting and to offensive rebounding by other teams. But I also think they want Brunson to keep probing on the dribble and make plays. Obviously (43) points (in Game 1). But I think they feel like, 'Hey, we're wearing on them.' I think that's what their defense is designed to do. They gave up 62 paint points to New York (in Game 1). They're so extended and spread out. Forty free throw attempts. So you're able to attack them, but again, I think it's calculated on their part to wear you down.' ON HIS PREVIOUS COMMENTS ON KNICKS FANS BEING FRONT-RUNNERS 'I'll stand by that. The Knicks fans are great fans, but if things are going bad… I've been in all these arenas (and if) things are going bad in Indiana, the Indiana fans are going to try to rally their team back. The Knicks fans are going to boo their team. If that 14-0 run had been the other way early in the fourth quarter and the Knicks went down 16, they're getting booed. That's just the way it is. That's all I was talking about. Knicks fans are great, they're passionate, they're enjoying this moment so more power to them. My front-runner comment was just that. When things are going bad they're not trying to rally everybody, they're gonna pound you.' REFS MISSED GOALTEND ON PACERS IN OVERTIME 'It was a goaltend and that was huge. That was huge because – four-point lead, you get the steal, you're coming down on the break, they call a goaltend, it's six. Instead, the ball stays in play in transition and Nembhard hits the corner three from Haliburton. That was a huge, huge play in the game on a missed goaltend. Usually, what we've seen in the playoffs, on those that are really close on the goaltend, they make the call so then they can take a look at it. But they didn't make the call, so they couldn't take a look at it. But on the replay, it got the board first. It should have been (a goaltend).' May 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) in the fourth quarter during game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images LEON ROSE'S ROSTER 'Leon's done a tremendous job here putting this roster together. You think back, for the value of the contract, has there been – ever – a better free-agent signing than Jalen Brunson…. Shaq to LA? Well, ok. But that's a max contract. You think Brunson and I mean, a lot of people, even when he got what he got, thought he was overpaid. And he wasn't getting a max. And now he's – I think everybody recognizes – one of the best players in the league…. Those (trades for Towns and Bridges) haven't all been met with great enthusiasm by fans and New York media all of the time. But they've proven themselves pretty darn good. They put together a heckuva roster right here. With a chance (to win).' REGGIE MILLER CALLING GAMES AT MSG AND CALLING THE SERIES FOR TNT 'For us, it's fabulous. For TV, it's fabulous. If you think about this, it's going to be the last series we're going to do on TNT and we get Knicks-Pacers in the conference finals with Reggie Miller? That's storybook stuff … the only thing missing from Game 1, quite honestly, was Spike (Lee). I think it's great theater having Reggie there. Some of the fans were yelling at him. Most of it good good-natured. Some of it not so much, to be quite honest. Reggie handles it all really well. And for us it's just a great, great storyline.'
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Amazon adds TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy to next season's NBA game coverage: Sources
TNT's Stan Van Gundy has been hired by Amazon Prime Video to be a game analyst for its forthcoming NBA coverage next season, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic. Van Gundy, 65, joins Ian Eagle on Prime Video's game telecasts. While Prime has designated Eagle as its No. 1 play-by-play announcer, it plans on waiting to name its top game analysts. Advertisement It has shown interest in Richard Jefferson, who was just promoted to ESPN's No. 1 crew with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Jefferson's contract expires after he calls the NBA Finals for ABC in June. Amazon has held talks with TNT's Kevin Harlan and the voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Michael Grady, as other play-by-play callers on its crews. Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash are candidates for analyst roles, according to sources briefed on discussions. Amazon will have Taylor Rooks as its lead studio host. Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki are already signed as two of its pre- and post-game analysts. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. Besides being a staple on NBA coverage, first with ESPN and then with TNT, Van Gundy has been on TNT/CBS's men's NCAA Tournament coverage. It is undetermined if he will continue in that role. Next season, the NBA will begin its new 11-year, $76 billion arrangements with incumbent ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. NBC will have Mike Tirico, Noah Eagle and likely Terry Gannon as its top three play-by-play callers. It has added Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller as game analysts. In the studio, Carmelo Anthony is already signed up. ESPN has made a licensing deal with TNT Sports to bring its 'Inside The NBA' show, featuring Charles Barkley, to ABC/ESPN next season. This postseason, TNT Sports is concluding its more than three-decade run as the home of NBA games. (Kirby Lee / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jeff Van Gundy has been the Clippers' not-so-secret weapon on defense all year long
The LA Clippers have been a winning program every regular season since the 2011 lockout ended. What they haven't always been is a top defense. The highest ranked defense of Vinny Del Negro's tenure was being No. 8 in 2012-13, which was his final season. In Doc Rivers' seven seasons as head coach, the Clippers only had three top-10 defenses, peaking at fifth in 2015-16 and Rivers' final season in 2019-20. Tyronn Lue's defense ranked eighth in 2021 and '22 but slipped to 17th in 2023 and 16th in '24. Advertisement The solution for Lue's 2024-25 Clippers? Jeff Van Gundy. He was hired as lead assistant coach and Lue's defensive coordinator after spending the 2023-24 season as a senior consultant with the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Before last season, Van Gundy was on ESPN's top broadcast team for 16 seasons after ending four years as head coach of the Houston Rockets in 2007. The last time Van Gundy was an assistant coach was in the 1995-96 season; he replaced Don Nelson as head coach of the New York Knicks in March of that season. Based on his history, it was clear where Van Gundy was likely to focus on improving the Clippers' defense. Van Gundy was an assistant before, during and after Pat Riley's time as head coach of the Knicks, the same Riley who once quipped, 'No rebounds, no rings.' Van Gundy, who won nearly 60 percent of his games in Houston and New York, always had a top-10 defense as a head coach, and all but one of his teams had a top-10 ranking in defensive rebound percentage while taking away the paint and fast-break points. This season, only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic were better defensively than the Clippers, and no team was better on the defensive glass despite the Clippers finishing 24th in that category a year ago. Van Gundy was the catalyst for that. 'Every year, we kind of mentioned that we're a bad defensive transition team, a bad defensive rebounding team,' said center Ivica Zubac, who was the only player in the NBA this season to grab at least 1,000 rebounds and finished seventh in defensive rebounds per game (8.9). 'That was something I wanted to get better at, something I can directly control. And JVG, beginning of the season, pushed me a lot, pushed the whole team a lot. Gotta be better in those two areas.' LA Clippers defensive rebound % rank under Tyronn Lue 2021: 5th 2022: 27th 2023: 7th 2024: 24th 2025: 1st ⚠️ Asked Ivica Zubac about leading the Clippers on the glass this season for the 2nd-best defense in the league — Law Murray 💭🚫 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 9, 2025 Zubac said that Van Gundy was 'treating every game like it's playoffs.' And this season, the Clippers weren't just good overall defensively; they were consistent. In the first quarter of the season, the Clippers had the fifth-best defense in the league. From Dec. 6 to Jan. 24, the Clippers had the second-best defense. The Clippers slipped from Jan. 25 to March 9, ranking 16th. But from March 10 through the end of the regular season, the Clippers had the NBA's third-best defense. Advertisement Now that it's the playoffs, Zubac said that Van Gundy 'went to the next level of locked in.' Perhaps that was on display when Van Gundy and longtime Clippers trainer Jasen Powell were wrestling for the ball with Denver center Nikola Jokić late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Clippers-Nuggets first-round series. 'I saw some memes out there with JVG,' said Lue, who claims not to be active on social media. 'But I mean, the ball came to him. He didn't take it from Joker. The ball came to him, he was going to give it to the referee. When you're competitive and somebody tries to snatch the ball from you, you've got to hold on to it, so I guess that's what JVG did.' As locked in as Van Gundy has been on the bench, that's how locked in Clippers defenders have been when they have played their best in April. During the regular season, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard remarked in his first game back that Van Gundy told players, 'Nobody watches this s— more than me.' In the playoffs, Leonard has been motivated by his team's renewed defensive spirit. 'I have to give credit to my coaching staff, starting with JVG, just being focused on that end,' Leonard said last week. 'Coming in with a passionate, aggressive mindset for us all. And it kind of (trickles) down to us. And then from there, there's guys on the floor that want to guard. They're not just pointing at me and telling me to take them. 'These guys are looking an opponent in the eyes and saying, 'I want him.' They motivate me defensively, especially Kris Dunn, just seeing how he plays every game. With Derrick Jones Jr. coming in and Zu being that back line, and how they just want to play. They motivate me to play, you know what I mean?' No sound on this one, and I didn't focus on it, but I thought this was a cool moment of James Harden and Jeff Van Gundy before practice during Tyronn Lue media — Law Murray 💭🚫 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 18, 2025 It's not just the stars whom Van Gundy is tasked with putting in position to help the Clippers defensively. Before the start of the playoffs, Lue said that backup center Ben Simmons and two-way contract power forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. were serving as the scout team's Jokić in preparation for the three-time MVP. Simmons later said that wasn't the case, but in speaking to The Athletic after Game 4, Baldwin described his role while getting coached by Van Gundy. Advertisement 'These past two weeks, you kind of put on your acting cap and study his mannerisms and how he carries himself,' said Baldwin, a 6-foot-9, 2022 first-round pick who was tasked with being the scout team's Keegan Murray during the Golden State Warriors' 2023 series against the Sacramento Kings. 'Just try to envision yourself as that player, just to give these guys the best look possible. Because obviously, I'm not on the playoff roster. 'But this is, even for a playoff run like this, guys that aren't playing have roles. You gotta be there for support. When Van Gundy says, 'Hey, you're Jokić,' that's my role. In practice and scouting sessions.' Lue has always leaned on his coaches for more than just strategic support; they are his support system. When Van Gundy was head coach of the Rockets, Lue played 21 games to begin the 2004-2005 season in Houston. The two grew closer when they were on the staff of the U.S. men's basketball national team. 'Just getting him to laugh, you know, just getting him to enjoy the game, enjoy life,' Lue said of his growing relationship with Van Gundy this season. 'When I played for him in 2004, he was just straight ahead. He would get on the elevator, he might not speak. … 'People that don't know him, when you see him from the outside looking in, you don't know he has a great personality, and he's funny as hell. … The relationship we had when I was a player to now is … different.' That connection has made an impression on players as well. This is the first top-five defense that James Harden, a 16-year veteran and future Hall-of-Famer who has been to the postseason every season of his career, has been a part of. After Game 3 at Intuit Dome, which featured multiple performances by the Ying Yang Twins, Harden was asked about what makes Lue and Van Gundy so effective as a pairing. 'It's like the perfect relationship,' Harden said. 'They just know what the hell they're doing, you know what I mean? Seriously, like, they're always on the same page. They don't overstep each other's toes. They tell us what we need to do on both ends of the ball, and we go out there and do it. But it's just like, they're yin and yang. Literally, the Ying Yang Twins.' Advertisement With the success that Van Gundy has had, the question now is, could he be a head coach again for the first time since 2007? There are only four head coaching spots either vacant or occupied on an interim basis right now, all in the Western Conference: Denver, Memphis, Sacramento and Phoenix. When Van Gundy was hired, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said that Van Gundy 'is such a coaching and basketball purist that he'd only want to go somewhere where the head coach has unbelievable security and faith.' It remains to be seen if those openings or any others pique Van Gundy's interest, but Lue knows his assistant is 'definitely a head coach.' 'We've seen his work before, in New York, in Houston,' Lue said. 'It all depends on if he wants to do it or not. I would hate to lose him, but he's the most qualified. Like I said, it's all up to JVG if he wants to coach and be a head coach again. … (He) changed our defense and our program defensively and brought us some things that we haven't been accustomed to that's worked. … He's great for us. He'd be a great head coach again as well.'
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clippers have Jeff Van Gundy to thank for crushing defense
Clippers have Jeff Van Gundy to thank for crushing defense Show Caption Hide Caption Clippers vs. Nuggets: Best supporting cast For The Hoops crew analyze whether the Clippers or Nuggets have a stronger supporting cast, excluding Kawhi and Jokic. INGLEWOOD, Calif. − The Los Angeles Clippers' elite defensive play was on display while the team secured its first playoff win at the Intuit Dome on Thursday night. As a result, the Clippers have taken the Western Conference first-round series lead 2-1 against the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers finished the regular season with the third-highest defensive rating (109.4), trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder (106.6) and the Orlando Magic (109.1). After three games in the playoffs, the Clippers are third (104.6) behind the Thunder (92.2) and the Houston Rockets (102.2). The Clippers finished 16th (114.6) at the end of the 2023-24 regular season but the dramatic shift has been credited in part to the addition of assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy during the offseason. ANALSIS: Kawhi Leonard's long, strange year has Clippers where they want to be The Clippers' defense also ranked first in rebounding percentage (73.4) during the regular season, which was a drastic improvement from the 70.5 that had L.A. ranked 24th overall at the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season. Head coach Tyronn Lue and the Clippers have spoken highly about the addition of Van Gundy throughout the season. Lue mentioned that Van Gundy deserves 'all the credit' for the defensive performance during the postgame news conference on Thursday that followed the 117-83 victory over the Nuggets. Van Gundy previously served as a head coach for the New York Knicks (1995-2002) and the Houston Rockets (2003-07) before joining ESPN as an NBA broadcast analyst. He spent 16 years with the sports network, including time as a member of ESPN's top NBA broadcasting crew along with Mike Breen and Mark Jackson. 'I just have to give credit to my coaching staff, starting with JVG being focused on that end and coming in with a passion and an aggressive mindset for us all,' said Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner. 'It trickles down to us from there. There are guys on the floor who want to guard (the opposing team's best players) and they aren't just pointing at me and telling me to take them.' Leonard draws motivation from watching teammates such as guard Kris Dunn, forward Derrick Jones Jr. and center Ivica Zubac. 'These guys will look the opponent in the eye and say 'I want them,' ' Leonard said. 'They motivate me defensively … with how they want to play. They just motivate me to want to play. I think that's where it comes from, you just see other guys digging in deep and wanting to guard and it just trickles down to everybody on the floor.' Zubac has raised the level of his game this season and has become a focal point of opposing teams' game plans. Clippers-Nuggets: Game 3 takeaways as LA dominates Denver to take series lead The Clippers made a push for Zubac as a Defensive Player of the Year nominee in the final weeks of the season before Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley was named the recipient Thursday. Zubac finished sixth in the voting. Zubac is a finalist for the Most Improved Player of the Year award alongside Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. Daniels finished second in the DPOY voting. The Clippers' big man saw an increase from 11.7 points per game in 68 games played during the 2023-24 season to 16.8 per game in 80 games played this season. He also had an increase in total rebounds from 9.2 to 12.6. Zubac is typically tasked with guarding Nikola Jokic - the Nuggets' best player and a finalist for MVP - a challenge from Van Gundy and the Clippers that Zubac has accepted. '(Jokic's) basketball IQ is great,' Zubac said. 'He can play in the post, he can shoot it, he can play the pick and roll. He can face up. He can do a bunch of stuff. It's a pick-your-poison with him. You just have to be physical and play hard.' Jokic, who led the Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023, finished Game 3 with his 36th triple-double this season. He tied a team-high with 23 points to go with 13 rebounds and 13 assists in 37 minutes played. While Zubac can make the three-time MVP work for his scoring opportunities in isolation situations, the Clippers will provide help with a double-team strategy that will involve someone like Leonard. Guard Jamal Murray also produced 23 points in Game 3, but he was held to just five points in the first quarter and just two in the fourth quarter after the game was already out of reach. Despite the win, the Clippers aren't willing to overlook the Nuggets in Game 4 on Saturday. 'Just take this win tonight and circle back and get as much rest, knowing the job isn't complete,' Leonard said. 'This is a great basketball team that we are playing against with great players, with Jokic being MVP and (Murray) always playing great in the playoffs. … We just have to have that mindset to come in and do it again and stay focused. We are playing a hungry team.' When is Game 4 between the Clippers and Nuggets? The Clippers will host the Nuggets for Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game is scheduled to air on TNT and stream on Fubo.
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
The Truth About Adjustments In Playoff Basketball
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 24: Tim Hardaway Jr. #8 and Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons talk ... More during the second quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on April 24, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The Detroit Pistons just suffered a gut-wrenching Game 3 loss at the hands of the New York Knicks, putting them in a 1-2 hole for the series. Along with the feeling of defeat, the next few days will be filled with the voices of pundits pontificating over adjustments the team can make heading into Game 3. However, what the average layperson often misses when prescribing these changes is the degree to which teams really change what they are doing in the middle of a playoff series. In 2022, former NBA coach and current TV analyst Stan Van Gundy took to Twitter to discuss the disparity between what people believe coaches should do in the middle of a series and how it actually works. "Just because you don't recognize the adjustments the NBA coach you are criticizing is making doesn't mean that he isn't making any adjustments," Van Gundy wrote. "And sometimes, no matter how many adjustments a coach makes, it doesn't change the result because the other team is better." There are a few reasons why adjustments are usually so minuscule. First off, the NBA is a make-or-miss game. Sometimes, a loss can be the result of a team not making enough shots or the other team hitting too many. Do you really want to change what has been working all season because of one or two games where the ball didn't bounce your way? Second, it is hard to drastically change the way you play in just a couple of days. Most major alterations to a team's scheme require hours of practice and, oftentimes, different personnel. Neither of these things are really feasible in the middle of a playoff series. Lastly, as sad as it can be to admit it, like Van Gundy noted, sometimes you just don't have enough ponies in the stable to outrun your opposition. So, it doesn't matter how many adjustments you make. At the end of the day, you need talent to win. For the Pistons, they have proven that the last portion isn't the case here. Through three games, they have gone blow for blow with the fifth-best team record-wise in the entire NBA. They can win this series with the correct adjustments. Still, they don't plan on re-inventing the wheel prior to Sunday's Game 4 showdown. "It's going to be small changes. We're just fine-tuning things," Cade Cunningham told reporters during the Game 3 postgame press conference. "At this point, both teams are going to play the way they play. We aren't going to change. We are going to maintain our system. It's going to be about making small changes that make it easier to do what we like to do." In Game 3, the Pistons scored 13 fastbreak points. That is a modest output, but it's a far cry from the pace they normally play with. For the regular season, they averaged 18.5 fastbreak points per game (per And before you say it, yes, the game does slow down in the postseason. However, the Pistons averaged 18.5 fast break points in their first two games of this series. So, they are clearly capable of getting to that level against the Knicks. To do this, the Pistons will likely emphasize the importance of hit-ahead passes and running wide on the break in practice over the next few days. They'll also need to generate more stops to be able to get out and run, which will involve tightening up their defense. 'We got to eliminate the easy shots," Tim Hardaway Jr. emphasized in his postgame press conference. One guy the Pistons really let get loose was Karl-Anthony Towns, who answered concerns about his quiet second half of Game 2 by scoring 31 points on just 18 field goal attempts. "We figured out that Karl-Anthony Towns was trailing the play to get open threes," Hardaway explained. The Pistons will need to be more cognizant about matching up with everyone in transition, particularly one of the greatest big man shooters the game has ever seen. This will allow them to take away easy shots, generate more stops, and, of course, get more opportunities to score early in the shot clock. In any event, none of these 'adjustments' are massive deviations from the way the Pistons have played all year. They are minor tweaks that are intended to help them win a few more possessions and get those few extra points they need to turn a loss into a win. But rest assured, adjustments are happening between each playoff game that is played – from both teams. You just need to keep your eyes open because they are always a lot more subtle than you think.
