Knicks must leave Game 5 collapse in the past as 76ers await in another elimination game
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts in the final seconds in overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
PHILADELPHIA — There were plenty of questions for the Knicks when the game was finally over Tuesday night, inquiries about foolish fouls, sloppy turnovers and a tough decision to not foul with a three-point lead in the final seconds of regulation.
But only one question really mattered in the wake of the shocking 112-106 Game 5 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. How do the Knicks move on from this?
Tyrese Maxey was the hero Tuesday night, from the 46-point explosion to the historic finish in regulation. Maxey scored seven points in a span of 16.9 seconds at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime and the series back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday at 9 p.m.
But when it was over, the Knicks had two messages they repeated one after the other. First, they were to blame for the collapse. And second, they would be ready to move on and finish this at the Wells Fargo Center.
“It’s frustrating obviously the way it happened,” Jalen Brunson said. “But we can’t hang our heads. We got to come back stronger, be ready to go and just learn from what we did.”
“We can't look at it now. The game is over. It's done," Josh Hart said. "Nothing we can do about it now but move on and get ready for the game on Thursday.”
The Knicks are left with bold words and a hope that the New Jersey Turnpike and Amtrak trains are crowded with Knicks fans looking to make it a home away from home for the Knicks one more time.
Wednesday was a time for film study and rebuilding their bodies after Brunson, OG Anunoby and Hart all played more than 50 minutes — Hart never came out of the game for a second. Still, it would be hard to tell any of them that the crushing mental toll was not worse than the physical grind.
“Yeah, just a lot of icing, cold tub, soft-tissue work,” Hart said. “And then just got to get shots up.”
But icing and cold tubs don't make it easier to watch those final moments again, to relive how this got away from the Knicks. Up six points with 28 seconds remaining, the Knicks not only gave up a three-point field goal to Maxey with 25.4 seconds left, but Mitchell Robinson fouled Maxey, jumping at him when there was no need. The Knicks would take little solace from the NBA's Last Two Minute Report pointing out that Maxey traveled before getting fouled or getting the shot off.
Hart missed one of two from the line when two could have pushed the lead back to four, and then the Knicks opted not to foul, allowing Maxey to launch a 34-foot three-pointer with 8.5 seconds left in regulation, silencing the Garden crowd.
Tom Thibodeau, who spends countless hours watching game film, undoubtedly was dissecting the moments that it got away. Should he have opted for Precious Achiuwa rather than Robinson on the floor in those final 30 seconds with agility more important than strength and length, and could he have prepared the team better for those final seconds?
And every opportunity lost presents another challenge for the Knicks. Now they must win in Philadelphia or face a perilous Game 7 on Saturday at the Garden. Every game they are forced to play is a risk of injury or exhaustion.
“We’re going to have confidence, regardless,” Brunson said. “It’s not determining what the situation is. We know that they’re a tough team in that environment. Got to go in there, just ready to play, do what we do and just be ready for a battle.”
And what will it take?
“All out,” Brunson said. “No time to pace yourself anymore.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
