NEW YORK — The trend is becoming a troubling one for the New York Knicks.
Hoping to close out their first home playoff series since the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks let another opportunity slip away, falling 106–103 in a game that echoed many of their recurring flaws. The series now shifts back to Detroit for a pivotal Game 6.
Championship-level teams identify their weaknesses and either correct or conceal them. For the Knicks, their shortcomings have largely been of their own making — sluggish third quarters, lapses caused by arguing with referees, and a careless approach to ball security. All of these symptoms suggest a team still searching for the consistency required to contend for a title.
“We haven’t put ourselves in position to dominate,” said center Karl-Anthony Towns after the loss. “We’ve fought and been physical all series, and that’s helped us pull out wins. But you can’t rely on grit alone forever — eventually, it’ll cost you.”
That, precisely, is the issue. While New York has proven capable of closing games — their .613 win rate in clutch situations ranked fifth during the regular season — that formula is harder to sustain in the unforgiving pace of postseason basketball. And should the Knicks advance, the competition only intensifies.
Looming in the next round are the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics, who swept New York during the regular season.
One key area of concern has been the third quarter. In all five games this series, the Knicks have lost the period, with a cumulative deficit of 33 points — an average of 6.6 points surrendered each third frame.
Energy Fizzles After Halftime
What’s especially revealing is the Knicks’ tendency to bounce back with urgency in the fourth — a sign that their inconsistency stems from effort rather than capability. After Game 5, players struggled to articulate solutions.
Forward Mikal Bridges floated the idea of more active halftime warmups to avoid slow starts. Towns pointed to fundamental fixes: “effort, execution, discipline.” Josh Hart highlighted the need to stop fixating on officiating and get back on defense against Detroit’s high-paced transition game.
Backup guard Miles McBride emphasized better communication and positivity from the bench. “We’ve got to support each other vocally, keep the energy up,” he said. Then he paused, shook his head, and added: “At this point, anything. We just need to figure it out.”
There were still bright spots. All-Star guard Jalen Brunson and Towns struggled out of the gate, combining for just one made basket on their first 10 attempts. But others stepped up: Hart pushed the tempo in transition, Bridges hit from mid-range, and OG Anunoby provided balanced scoring both inside and out.
Six Knicks finished in double digits — a promising sign that supporting players can shoulder the load when the stars are slow to get going.
Despite the postgame frustration, Brunson remained optimistic. He noted the team had previously addressed its first-quarter struggles, and he believed they could similarly fix their third-quarter woes by sharpening their offensive pace and focus.
But with the Celtics — and possibly Cleveland — waiting, the Knicks can’t afford many more sluggish stretches. If they want to keep their postseason alive, fixing the third quarter is no longer optional — it’s essential.
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