Knicks Travel to Detroit Looking to Take the Series Lead
Nearly all basketball fans expected this to be a competitive and dramatic series, and it has definitely delivered on that front. I think the Knicks, however, underestimated the veteran presence the Pistons would bring with players like Dennis Schröder and Tobias Harris. Despite the loss in the first game, they provided a tremendous spark that almost helped them steal it. In the second game, this spark was enough alongside Cade Cunningham’s usual heroics to get the job done. Nearly the whole Knicks team, besides Jalen Brunson, struggled offensively in the second game, and it will be the offensive efficiency they’ll need to concentrate on to gain control of this series.
Game Insight
With the series tied up at one game apiece, this sets up an extremely essential victory for both teams come Thursday evening. The key to obtaining the victory for the Knicks is obviously to implement a defensive strategy to begin slowing down Cade Cunningham, as well as make strides to score more consistently against this tenacious defense. Going into Detroit, it will be intriguing to see how much of a factor the crowd plays in altering the game and whether or not it will play a huge factor. It is definitely important for the Knicks to get at least one victory in Detroit to maintain the advantage and capitalize when given the chance.
Key Matchup
The matchup to watch in this game for me is Tobias Harris up against O.G. Anunoby. Both of these players can be considered lethal scoring threats and have proven to be the catalyst for their team’s success time and time again throughout their careers. Anunoby is coming off a rough game after he has been stellar the past few weeks, so you can expect him to excel in this one and bounce the book. Tobias Harris was red hot in the first half of game one and had a good showing in game two as well. Whichever one of these players is able to find their hot hand throughout this game will provide a massive advantage in aiding their team towards obtaining the series lead.
