Karl-Anthony Towns recently spoke out and revealed a weakness that the New York Knicks need to address before Game 3 against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons. After finishing the season as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have been matched up against the Detroit Pistons, who finished as the sixth seed.
Since the Knicks have a far greater amount of experience on their roster than the Pistons, some believed that this would be a one-sided series. However, the Pistons managed to stun Knicks fans by stealing Game 2 to tie the series at 1-1 heading back to Detroit.
Although this series is far from over, the first two games have given Towns enough time to understand and speak on a major issue that the New York Knicks are currently facing.
Karl-Anthony Towns Wants the Knicks To Rebound Better Against the Pistons
Anyone who has watched playoff basketball will agree that it is much harder to score in the postseason when compared to the regular season. As a result, other variables in the game, such as rebounding, play a huge role in deciding the outcome.
Though the Knicks managed to win Game 1 against the Pistons, a quick look at the stats reveals that the Pistons outrebounded the Knicks 37-36 in Game 1. Game 2 made things clearer as the Pistons won the game and also outrebounded the Knicks 48-34.
Rebounding is a hustle action that requires heart and motivation. Most teams that “crush the glass” and rebound well end up finding themselves contending for an NBA championship.
During a recent interview, Towns spoke on the mindset of the team heading into Game 3, “Yeah. I mean, you know, we’ve watched tape, I’ve watched tape myself and we’ve had two days to fix it and get ourselves right mentally and physically for it tomorrow.”
Karl-Anthony Towns says the Knicks “need to” address their rebounding issues going into Game 3 against the Pistons pic.twitter.com/rHUGjwWZw5
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When pressed about the issues they faced with rebounding, Towns kept things short and said they “had to” figure out a way to address that issue.
Since the Knicks have talented and athletic players on their roster, such as OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, they can certainly outrebound the Pistons in Game 3 and tilt the series back in their favor. However, the young, scrappy Pistons have not let the Knicks dominate the glass even once in the first two games of this series.
The Pistons have committed more turnovers than the Knicks in the first two games of this series. Their inexperience is displayed there, and that’s another way for the Knicks to take command of this series if they are unable to rebound them after all. Fans are left wondering what the Knicks will be able to plan out in time for Game 3 of this exciting first-round series.