INDIANAPOLIS -- After the disappointing performance on Friday night put the Knicks in a two games to none hole in the Eastern Conference finals, Jalen Brunson said, "Obviously we can finger point and say this is wrong, that's wrong, and say it's this person's fault, it's that person's fault."
He was against that notion and with good reason since the fingers could have been pointed by every player in every direction. But still, fingers were pointed and the Knicks made what could easily be construed as a panic move -- shifting the starting lineup as Tom Thibodeau made a lineup change on Sunday night with Josh Hart heading to the bench to make room for Mitchell Robinson.
"Every player has different strengths and weaknesses," Thibodeau said. "Sometimes you look at the impact one may have on one particular unit. But also there's a trickle down because there's other things you have to factor in. How does it impact the second group? I never really look at the starting lineups per se, I look at the groupings. And you're mixing and matching, also, to try to take advantage of what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are. To try to get the most out of the team. Oftentimes, there could be a player that comes off the bench that's playing starter's minutes and a guy who starts whose playing bench minutes. So you mix and match."
Hart admittedly did not have the usual energy he plays with in Game 2 and he was on the court for just 28:30 -- the least he'd played in a game in the postseason and he'd only played less than that three times in the regular season. Earlier, before it was official, Hart said he wouldn't argue with the move.
"I've been the 15th man, I've been the third man, I've been the sixth man, I've been whatever," Hart said after the morning shootaround at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. "I truly feel like I'm a starter in the league. I think I played amazing this year.
"So, if he does, cool. I can't sit here and preach about sacrifice and getting out of our own personal agendas and then a decision like that is made and then be mad at it and not want to sacrifice and do that. That's not the person I am. If Thibs does that, and I don't know if he is or isn't, I'm all for it. I'm going to play my game, my minutes, my style, no matter if I'm coming off the bench or starting."
While the Knicks understandably wanted to get Robinson on the floor more with the defensive-minded center making a huge impact throughout the postseason, it was a bold -- and strange -- move for Thibodeau to make. Robinson delivers much of what Hart does -- energy, rebounding and defense -- and in some ways (offensive rebounding and rim protection) better than Hart. But the Knicks lose versatility on defense, ball handling and shooting.
"I don't know. I mean it was one game," Hart said. "The game before that I think I had a good game and they went on that 14-0 or 16-0 run. If we won that game we would be happy. Outcome wasn't what we wanted. The last game I didn't play well. I don't hang my hat on scoring and those kind of things. I think my energy wasn't where it shouldn't have been. But, for me, there's going to be highs and lows and that's kind of how I go. I'm not too worried about it. Whenever I have a bad game, I usually come around and have a good game at some point. Hopefully that point is today."
This is not totally out of character for Thibodeau. He shifted the starting lineup in his first playoff series with the Knicks, inserting Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson as starters in place of Elfrid Payton and Nerlens Noel after two games against Atlanta -- and lost all three games after the change.
Longtime Knicks fans will recall Mike Woodson changed the starting lineup in Game 4 of a playoff series against Indiana, inserting Kenyon Martin in place of Pablo Prigioni. But the Knicks lost that game, Martin was scoreless and Woodson reversed course and put Prigioni back in the starting lineup for the last two games.
While the Knicks made the move for this series against Indiana, the first time all season that they'd changed the lineup without an injury causing the shift, there was a simpler solution for their troubles.
"Yeah, I think we need something drastic in terms of our energy and effort, our competitiveness," Hart said. "You saw that with Minnesota [Saturday night in Game 3]. They came out of the gate aggressive. I don't know what else they did, I didn't watch . . . But nah, just every game of a playoff series the intensity has to pick up. You can't have any lapses, especially to start the game and you allow a team like that, who is extremely talented offensively to get comfortable. I think that's the biggest drastic thing we can do is have that energy change."