The Knicks' offense has struggled mightily through the first three games of the playoffs. Their 101.4 offensive rating in the second round is tied for the worst of any team, along with the Golden State Warriors. The Knicks' offense has stalled for several reasons, and there may be no quick fix before Game 4. One thing that will help, though, is pushing the pace in transition.
The Knicks weren't a very transition-heavy team in the regular season. Per league tracking data, they averaged 16.8 transition possessions per game, which ranked 16th in the league. In total, about 14 percent of their total possessions were spent in transition. That number has remained steady in the playoffs, with 14.4 percent of their possessions being transition.
Good things happen when you out-effort the other team, Josh Hart has built a career on that. The Knicks know it all too well, as some key transition buckets were at the center of both of their comebacks in Games 1 and 2. In Game 4, their ability to push the pace could be a
Transition was few and far between in Game 3
In Game 3, the Knicks had six transition possessions, a shockingly low number. It is the fewest transition plays of any team in these playoffs, and tied for the third-fewest of the entire year. In reality, it was more like five, as one of the plays came as the Knicks were just calling a timeout.
The other five possessions resulted in a wide-open 3-point attempt for Karl-Anthony Towns, field goal attempts at the rim for Hart and Mikal Bridges, a Bridges baseline jumper, and a play where Hart was fouled. All of those plays but one came in the first half.
It was a dramatic contrast from Game 2, where the Knicks had 18 transition possessions, which produced 1.3 points per possession. In that game, the Knicks pushed the ball often, either off of steals or defensive rebounds, a key element of their late comeback
Josh Hart pace of the bench
One possibility that could produce an uptick in transition is bringing Hart off the bench. The Knicks' starters have struggled when playing together this series. Their starting five has an abysmal offensive rating of 90.4 in the 68 minutes they have shared the court.
There are several candidates when it comes to swapping Hart out of the starting unit. The first is to replace him with Deuce McBride, to allow the Knicks to try the elusive five-out offense many are clamoring for. The other is swapping him for Mitchell Robinson, to try to rebound the Celtics to death with a double-big lineup from the start.
Either way, having an energized Hart off the bench, pushing the pace and causing chaos as he tends to do, could breathe new life into the Knicks and get them some easier transition looks in the process.