I know this would never happen, BUT..
What if the Knicks tanked the game tonight. Rest all the starters. Play the G-leaguers. OG is out anyway. JB is banged up. jHart has played a 1000 minutes. What if they just gave the Pacers one home game, and came back in game 4 well rested.
I dont think resting 1 game gives us appreciably better odds in game 4 vs just trying to play 2 games hard. No real way to quantify that, but I'm not sure putting all our eggs in one basket is a strategy.
That said if Brunson is really banged up and its day to day thing, the best thing for the series might be rest one game. Just don't know anything about what his injury is.
3-0
VS
2-1
Which one would Thibs prefer? That tells you what will happen.
Which one fans prefer? That’s debatable. Me personally I’m rolling with Thibs.
Panos wrote:I know this would never happen, BUT..
What if the Knicks tanked the game tonight. Rest all the starters. Play the G-leaguers. OG is out anyway. JB is banged up. jHart has played a 1000 minutes. What if they just gave the Pacers one home game, and came back in game 4 well rested.
I laid that out in another thread. I think its viable but I think you have to declare them out prior, and Maybe it works but that team has to keep it close or Indy rests their guys too. They not as banged up as we are right not so it might not matter.
If Indy gets to rest their guys it might negate some of the advantage.
You can't punt on a game. For all we know our Role players could get hot and we actually win. It happened when we played the Cavs and brunson got injured 1 minute in. We still destroyed them even with the other injuries we had.
It’s not like you can really get that much rest. We have like 6 guys that can play.
Punting on a game may provide some needed rest, but it may also adversely recalibrate our competitive fires...that is an unworthy trade and strategically unsound plan.
Play to win! 3-0 would be helpful. We have solid D, but Indy has terrific scoring. Hopefully they have an off night and we get the hot versions of DDV and Duece...with a side helping of vintage Burks.
Maybe if Indy gets a 20 pt lead and our guys are cooked you then task the "Gleaguers" with Deuce and start firing away NCAA march maddness style.
They are NBA players and if they get hot, shit happens.
Or we lose by 40?
Don't matter, a loss is a loss.
Thibs has to have the sense his team is flat/dragging and perhaps can't pull a comeback.
There are risks to all of this. Maybe if the gleaguers shine and gives Indy a hard time that will tire them and thats serves a purpose also.
Clean wrote:You can't punt on a game. For all we know our Role players could get hot and we actually win. It happened when we played the Cavs and brunson got injured 1 minute in. We still destroyed them even with the other injuries we had.
No one said "intentionally lose". I said Rest all the starters. If we win, GREAT!
blkexec wrote:3-0
VS
2-1Which one would Thibs prefer? That tells you what will happen.
Which one fans prefer? That’s debatable. Me personally I’m rolling with Thibs.
Are you guaranteeing a victory if starters play?
The decision to play was the right one. A few careless turnovers and the goaltending on Hart, along with the hook on IHart by Turner, shifted the momentum of the game.
It’s important to maintain pressure on Haliburton. They’re targeting Brunson, through Nesmith, Newhart, and TJ. Tyrese seems close to being sidelined due to our physicality. Deploying Deuce, DDV, and Burks simultaneously can provide some solid defensive strategies against him. Right now, he looks more battered than Brunson, we keep up the physical play these guys will fold.
I’m not saying whine like Rick, but they were getting away w/ so much contact on Brunson and others. I know they fined Carlisle, but they seemed to be letting the Pacers get away w/ a lot…all part of the give and take of the game and especially a playoff series.
