2. Avoid Foul Trouble
The single biggest issue the New York Knicks ran into against the Boston Celtics on Friday, November 11 was the inability to avoid foul trouble. New York sent Boston to the line for an absurd 43 free throw attempts.
The Celtics scored 34 of their 115 points at the charity stripe, with four different players attempting at least seven free throws.
The Knicks are allowing 26.4 free throw attempts per game, which is tied for the fourth-worst mark in the NBA. Thus, it wasn’t just a one-game happening when the defense couldn’t stop fouling the Celtics.
New York has run into this issue on a consistent basis in 2016-17, with Boston being the team that exploited it the worst.
The Celtics have the personnel to drive the lane and crash the offensive glass—two of the easiest ways to draw contact. New York must limit the Celtics’ effectiveness in both areas, but even if it can’t, it must stay out of foul trouble.
That isn’t limited to avoiding shooting fouls, as New York must stop putting the opposition in the bonus so early in quarters.