There are a number of factors that could be cited as primary reasons for the New York Knicks' late-game collapse against Atlanta on Monday night.
For head coach Mike Brown, however, it seems that perhaps the most noteworthy issue was the club's inability to stop the Hawks from buying a bucket in the paint in the second half, as he told reporters that the 42 points they allowed were "the worst of the year."
Needless to say, it's safe to assume course correcting in this particular area will be a major goal for the Knicks heading into Thursday's Game 3, and there seems to be one clear way of doing so -- run the double-big lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
Double-big lineup should help Knicks better protect the paint
So far in this first-round matchup, the duo has shared the floor for a total of just 11 possessions.
Last postseason, when this rotational configuration was rolled out, New York proved to be quite a nuisance to score against in virtually every area of the floor, ranking in the 93 percentile in opponent points per 100 possessions.
Dating back to his Timberwolves days, Towns, though far from a defensive juggernaut, has generally fared well on the less glamorous side of the ball when paired with a shot-swatting pivot.
Robinson, meanwhile, is an absolute defensive menace who has his opponents shooting just 44.6 percent from the field thus far in the playoffs.
Considering how New York's interior defense resembled that of a 24-hour drive-thru during the back-half of Game 2, the idea of clogging the lane with these two long and highly intimidating 7-footers should be strongly considered as a way to solve their defensive woes down low.
Mike Brown clearly willing to tweak Knicks lineups -- but there's a limit
All throughout his debut campaign with the Knicks, coach Brown has shown a willingness to experiment with his rotations.
From rolling out OG Anunoby as a primary center for stretches to starting the second and fourth quarters with Towns being the headline talent surrounded by four reserves, the headman is clearly willing to play around with lineups.
That said, there's a limit to how many shakeups New York should be willing to make, and Game 2 was a prime example of this.
On multiple occasions, the on-court personnel that Brown rolled out either consisted of no regular starters or, arguably even more controversial, lineups that literally saw zero time together during the regular season.
A little bit of experimentation can certainly be beneficial, especially when looking for a change of pace. Knowing when to quit on a particular lineup, however, is key when it comes to such endeavors.
Hopefully coach Brown has come to this realization.
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