The decision not to intentionally foul late in Tuesday’s dramatic loss hangs over the head of the New York Knicks and coach Tom Thibodeau as they prepare to take on the host Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
The 76ers have fought an uphill battle throughout the best-of-seven set, losing twice in New York to open the series before later dropping Game 4 at home.
But seventh-seeded Philadelphia has managed to bounce back from its setbacks, first taking Game 3 125-114, then, in improbable fashion, living to see another day with a 112-106 overtime victory in Game 5.
On Tuesday, the second-seeded Knicks were 15.3 seconds away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals when Josh Hart stepped up to the foul line with New York up 96-94.
However, Hart made just one of his two free throws, failing to make it a two-possession game, and the Knicks, instead of fouling to prevent a potential game-tying shot, then watched Tyrese Maxey bury a 35-footer that led to the extra session and the 76ers’ season-saving win.
Afterward, Thibodeau seemed to blame his players for not fouling rather than a personal philosophy.
“What you have to do is: They’re out of timeouts, so they are going quick. But you also have to read what’s happening,” Thibodeau said. “Is (Hart) making both? That puts you up four. Is he making one? That puts you in a different situation. If he misses both, that puts you in a different situation.
“So you’re communicating that to your players, but … you’ve got to make sure that that’s being communicated to people (waiting to rebound) on the (free-throw) line, too. That’s where our communication has to be better. … Everyone’s got to be aware and alert to what’s going on.”
Reaction from Knicks involved ranged from player blunder to uncontrollable situation.
“(The miscommunication was) an error on the guys on the court. We’ve got to make sure we know what the situation is,” Hart said.
Noted Miles McBride, who was screened near the center circle as he attempted to defend Maxey, “When he’s coming at you full speed, he hit a close-to-half-court shot, it’s not much you can do. You don’t want to take a chance where he might go into a shooting motion. Probably should’ve been up on him a little bit more. But you just learn from it.”
The Knicks learned from their previous loss in the series, securing a key Game 4 win at Philadelphia on Sunday, when Jalen Brunson (47 points) nearly single-handedly outscored 76ers stars Joel Embiid (27) and Maxey (23).
Maxey said he’s learned from failure in the series as well. He shot 2-for-8 overall and 0-for-2 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter of the Game 4 setback, a game the 76ers felt they let slip away by scoring just 16 points in the final 12 minutes.
“I wasn’t in rhythm, I didn’t play well, I wasn’t aggressive,” Maxey said. “I refused to let that happen (in Game 5) and I came out aggressive as soon as the fourth quarter started.”
Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday in New York.
