Knicks greatly feel Miles McBride’s impact — even without scoring
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The Knicks are adamant that Miles McBride’s Game 1 impact goes beyond the boxscore.
He failed to score in 15 minutes off the bench during their 123-112 win over the Pistons on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, but he found ways to contribute in other areas.
He added four assists, a rebound and a steal, and he brought an element to the Knicks that is key against a young Pistons team.
“I thought the speed of the game really, that was important for us,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after practice Sunday. “When we had the two point guards on the floor together, we got to play off that, and when we get our defense going and we’re playing fast, there’s advantages to that.”
Of McBride’s 15 minutes of action, eight came with Jalen Brunson also on the court, per NBA.com’s tracking stats.
Some of that was prompted by Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart getting into early foul trouble, but Thibodeau could continue to use the two point guard lineup if the Pistons begin to hurt the Knicks in transition.
The Pistons had the 11th-highest pace (100.27 possessions per 48 minutes) in the regular season and they averaged 18.5 fast break points per game — second most in the NBA.
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The Knicks, conversely, ranked 26th in pace (97.64 possessions per 48 minutes) and 14th in transition scoring (15.7 fast break points per game).
It could be a clear head-to-head weakness for the Knicks in the series, but it was nearly even in Game 1 — the Pistons had 22 fast break points, while the Knicks had 19.
McBride was — and will continue to be — key to bridging that gap.
“The things [McBride] is able to do on both sides of the ball is fantastic,” Jalen Brunson said Sunday. “I think we play very well off each other. I think the chemistry we’ve gotten the last couple of years has definitely helped. If it’s him or anyone else, I feel like when we’re out there we have to have great chemistry, which I feel like this team does.”
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