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The dominant story of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals has been how badly the New York Knicks have played with their starting lineup on the floor. The five-man unit of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns led the regular season with 940 minutes played and leads the postseason as well at 308, but its effectiveness waned as the regular season progressed. And in the playoffs, it’s been downright disastrous.
In those 308 postseason minutes, New York’s starters have been outscored by 50 points. The group has been outscored by double digits in six of the 14 Knicks playoff games, and in the Eastern Conference finals, it has been outscored by 29 points in 43 minutes. With the Knicks trailing the Pacers 0-2 with an NBA Finals trip on the line, this group just isn’t cutting it. So, as first reported by Casey Powell and eventually confirmed by SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks are considering a major change.
For Game 3, Mitchell Robinson may start over Josh Hart. Robinson has played 273 minutes this postseason and the Knicks have won those minutes by 41 points. In this series, they are plus-6 in his 50 minutes. The five-man lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns and Robinson has played only seven minutes this postseason and has been outscored by seven points.
Tom Thibodeau’s dogmatic commitment to his starting lineup might cost the Knicks a trip to the NBA Finals
Sam Quinn
On paper, though, the decision to start Robinson for Hart makes sense on several levels:
New York’s biggest advantage in this series is on the glass. The Knicks ranked ninth in the NBA in rebounding rate, and they did that mostly without Robinson,…..
