Throughout the playoffs, OG Anunoby has been inconsistent on offense while playing at an All-Defense level on the other end of the floor. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as has been the case in several games, Anunoby was underwhelming on the offensive end for much of the game. But multiple defensive blunders in key fourth-quarter situations were inexcusable from a player of his stature and could burn the Knicks.
Anunoby finished the game with 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists. On the defensive end, he had three blocks and three steals. Looking at the box score, those seem like pretty good numbers, specifically when factoring in that he shot 50 percent from three.
When you dig a little deeper, though, the bad outweighs the good. 10 of Anunoby's points came in the fourth quarter and overtime; for the first three quarters, he was a non-factor on that end. On the defensive side, he played like his normal, highly-impactful self for much of the game.
He made two great reads to get two turnovers in the first half, as can be seen below (although he seemed to have glitched on the finish).
A brutal fourth quarter
Unfortunately, any positive plays you can find from Anunoby throughout the game are erased when you tally up the costly mistakes that he made in the fourth quarter and overtime.
He had two costly turnovers, the first on an offensive push-off in the fourth quarter as the Pacers were making their comeback, and the second a bad pass that Andrew Nembhard got a fingertip on in overtime to seal the win for the Pacers. He also had a missed free throw in a critical situation and bobbled a pass, which led to a turnover to keep Indiana in the game.
The above-mentioned plays happen. Missed free throws happen. Bad passes, where a talented defender gets their hands on the ball, happen. It would be unfair to list those plays as the reason New York lost, although they did contribute to it.
Inexplicable defenive lapses
The plays that were inexcusable came on the defensive side of the ball in the fourth quarter. As Andrew Nembhard was having an out-of-body shooting experience, one in which he scored 20 points in under five minutes of game time by drilling six 3-pointers, Anunoby, for some completely inexplicable reason, was playing some form of drop coverage.
The Pacers were trailing by 17 points with under six and a half minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The only way they could get themselves back into the game was through a barrage of 3-pointers. New York should have done everything in their power to run Indiana off the 3-point line. Yet, over and over, they gave them room to shoot instead.
On two of those 3-point makes, Anunoby was the one who was sunk far too deep off of Nesmith. These types of defensive lapses are ones that Knicks fans have become accustomed to from Karl-Anthony Towns, who had a few himself, not from Anunoby. If the Knicks are to right the ship, he will need to be much better.