The New York Knicks’ Game 3 loss has put them under massive pressure despite a 2-1 series lead. One of the players who perhaps played the most important part in the Knicks’ first two wins was Karl-Anthony Towns. In Game 3 on Monday, he was absent from New York’s offense.

Before Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, Charles Barkley didn’t hold back in criticizing the Knicks for horrible execution. The NBA legend blasted the Knicks and called them “dumb” for not involving their big man, even when Karl-Anthony Towns had an advantage over defenders.

"This is how dumb today's players are… They're putting little guys on KAT," Barkley said on Inside the NBA. "KAT should get the ball more instead of less… They don't even go to KAT when he has a little guy on him. That's just how dumb these players are."

Towns had been crucial for the Knicks in limiting Victor Wembanyama on both ends of the floor. His outside shooting helped the Knicks to pull outside the paint, which eventually gave them more space to work around the basket.

He also played very physical basketball to keep Wembanyama off. 

However, in Game 3, the Spurs changed tactics. Wembanyama was posted inside the paint, and coach Mitch Johnson assigned smaller guards like Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell to guard Towns.

For the first time in the series, Towns struggled to put the ball in the basket. However, like Barkley said, given the size advantage that the Knicks star had over small guards, he should have attempted more than 10 shots, the lowest in Games 1 and 2. 

If he had just operated just inside the paint, it would have made sense to limit playing offense through him, given Wembanyama’s presence.

Karl-Anthony Towns gives a peek into the Knicks’ game plan for Game 4

Wednesday’s matchup at the Garden will be a must-win for both teams. While the Spurs will be confident after Game 3's win, the Knicks might have to completely redo their game plan to counter the Spurs’ attack and neutralize Victor Wembanyama on both ends.

In Game 3, one of the stark differences between the two teams was the ball distribution.

The Knicks had only 18 assists, compared to the Spurs’ 28. Before Game 4, Towns highlighted the fault.

“We’ve got to pick up the ball movement, for sure,” he said. “We’ll get back to fundamentals, what makes us great.

Towns also highlighted the Knicks’ subpar defense in the loss. 

“We’ve played defence at a high level. The details that made us special: we were too relaxed in them, and we didn’t execute them at the level,” he added. 

In their last loss, despite OG Anunoby and Josh Hart having an excellent game on offense, their contributions were limited in the second half.

Jalen Brunson, who took a total of 25 shots for 32 points, became the focal point of the Knicks’ offense in the second half, which played a big part in New York’s loss.

What do you think is the big adjustment that the Knicks have to make in Game 4? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Koushik Biswas